East Germany national football team facts for kids
| to 1952–1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | "Weltmeister der Freundschaftsspiele" (World champion in friendly games) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Association | Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR | |||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Joachim Streich (98) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Joachim Streich (53) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Zentralstadion, Leipzig | |||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | GDR | |||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Poland 3–0 East Germany  (Warsaw, Poland; 21 September 1952) |
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| Biggest win | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unofficial Ceylon 0–14 East Germany  (Colombo, Ceylon; 8 January 1964) Official Ceylon 1–12 East Germany (Colombo, Ceylon; 12 January 1964) |
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| Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unofficial Hungary 5–0 East Germany (Hungary; 18 May 1952) Official Poland 3–0 East Germany (Warsaw, Poland; 21 September 1952)  Wales 4–1 East Germany (Cardiff, Wales; 25 September 1957) East Germany 1–4 Czechoslovakia  (Leipzig, East Germany; 27 October 1957)  Ghana 3–0 East Germany (Accra, Ghana; 23 February 1964)  Italy 3–0 East Germany (Naples, Italy; 22 November 1969)  Belgium 3–0 East Germany (Antwerp, Belgium; 18 April 1973)  Scotland 3–0 East Germany (Glasgow, Scotland; 30 October 1974)  Netherlands 3–0 East Germany (Rotterdam, Netherlands; 15 November 1978)  Hungary 3–0 East Germany (Budapest, Hungary; 28 March 1979)  Brazil 3–0 East Germany (Goiânia, Brazil; 8 April 1986)  Uruguay 3–0 East Germany (Montevideo, Uruguay; 29 January 1985)  Denmark 4–1 East Germany (Copenhagen, Denmark; 8 May 1985)  Soviet Union 3–0 East Germany (Kiev, Soviet Union; 26 April 1989)  Austria 3–0 East Germany (Vienna, Austria; 15 November 1989)  France 3–0 East Germany (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 24 January 1990) |
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| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1974) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Second group stage (1974) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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The East Germany national football team was a football team that played for East Germany (also known as the German Democratic Republic, or GDR). FIFA called them Germany DR. They were one of three German teams that played after World War II. The others were Saarland and West Germany.
East Germany only played in the World Cup once, in 1974. After German reunification in 1990, the East German football association (DFV) joined the West German one (DFB). This meant the East German team stopped playing. Many of their players then joined the West Germany national team.
Contents
History of East German Football
In 1949, before East Germany was officially formed, people still wanted to play football. Helmut Schön coached teams in the Soviet occupation zone before moving to West Germany.
Joining FIFA
On February 6, 1951, East Germany asked to join FIFA, the world football organization. The existing German Football Association (West Germany's group) protested this. But FIFA accepted East Germany's association (DFV) on October 6, 1951, as a temporary member. They became a full member on July 24, 1952.
First Games and Big Crowds
The East German team played its first international game on September 21, 1952. They lost 3–0 to Poland in Warsaw. About 35,000 people watched this game. Their first home game was on June 14, 1953, against Bulgaria in Dresden. It was a 0–0 draw, and 55,000 fans came to watch.
In 1954, West Germany won the World Cup. This made people in both East and West Germany very excited. East Germany decided to pick players based on their skills, not just their political views. They wanted to have a strong team too.
World Cup Qualification Attempts
East Germany tried to qualify for the 1958 World Cup. On May 19, 1957, they played Wales in Leipzig. Over 100,000 fans packed the stadium and saw East Germany win 2–1.
Even though they were strong in qualifying, East Germany only made it to one major tournament. This was the 1974 World Cup.
The 1974 World Cup
The 1974 World Cup was held in West Germany. Both East and West Germany were in the same group for the first round. Both teams had already qualified for the next round after winning against Chile and Australia.
The game between East and West Germany on June 22, 1974, was very important. It was a big moment for both countries. East Germany won 1–0 with a goal from Jürgen Sparwasser. This win meant East Germany finished first in their group. However, they then moved into a tougher group in the second round. They lost to Brazil and the Netherlands. They finished third in their group after a draw with Argentina. West Germany, on the other hand, went on to win the entire World Cup!
The Final Years
East Germany almost qualified for the 1990 World Cup. They needed a draw against Austria in their last game on November 15, 1989. But Austria won 3–0, and East Germany missed out.
After Germany reunited on October 3, 1990, the East German football team stopped playing. Their last game was a friendly match against Belgium on September 12, 1990, in Brussels. East Germany won 2–0. A planned game between East and West Germany to celebrate the unification was canceled.
Players After Unification
Before the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, many East Germans moved to the West. Some players also escaped later. FIFA rules meant that players who had played for East Germany could not play for West Germany in international games.
However, after Germany reunited, FIFA changed the rules. Players who had played for East Germany could then play for the unified German team. Eight players played for both East Germany and unified Germany. Famous examples include Matthias Sammer and Ulf Kirsten.
Olympic Football Success
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 1964 Tokyo | Team |
| Bronze | 1972 Munich | Team |
| Gold | 1976 Montreal | Team |
| Silver | 1980 Moscow | Team |
East Germany had much more success in Olympic football. This was because they could use their best players from their top league. West Germany could only use amateur players.
- In 1964, East Germany beat West Germany to represent a "United Team of Germany." They won a bronze medal for Germany.
- As East Germany, they won another bronze medal in 1972 in Munich.
- They won a gold medal in 1976 in Montreal.
- They won a silver medal in 1980 in Moscow.
East vs. West Germany Matches
The East and West German teams played each other only a few times. The most famous game was at the 1974 World Cup, which East Germany won 1–0.
They also played three games in Olympic football. In 1964, East Germany won 3–0 at home and lost 2–1 away. This meant East Germany advanced. In the 1972 Olympic Games, East Germany won 3–2 against West Germany.
In 1990, East and West Germany were drawn to play each other in the qualifiers for the 1992 European Championship. But because Germany reunited, the games were canceled. The match against Belgium on September 12, 1990, became East Germany's very last game. A planned friendly match between East and West Germany was also canceled due to crowd issues.
Player Records and Coaches
Joachim Streich holds the record for playing the most games (98) and scoring the most goals (53) for East Germany.
Players with Caps for Both East and Unified Germany
After 1990, some players who had played for East Germany also played for the unified German team. Here are a few of them:
- Ulf Kirsten: 49 games for East Germany, 51 for unified Germany.
- Matthias Sammer: 23 games for East Germany, 51 for unified Germany.
- Andreas Thom: 51 games for East Germany, 10 for unified Germany.
- Thomas Doll: 29 games for East Germany, 18 for unified Germany.
Coaches of the Team
The East German national team had several coaches over the years:
- 1952–1953 Willi Oelgardt
- 1954 Hans Siegert
- 1955–1957 János Gyarmati
- 1958–1959 Fritz Gödicke
- 1959–1961 Heinz Krügel
- 1961–1967 Károly Sós
- 1967–1969 Harald Seeger
- 1970–1981 Georg Buschner
- 1982–1983 Rudolf Krause
- 1983–1988 Bernd Stange
- 1988–1989 Manfred Zapf
- 1989–1990 Eduard Geyer
Honours and Achievements
The East Germany national football team won several medals in the Olympic Games:
- Olympic Games
Gold medal (1): 1976
Silver medal (1): 1980
Bronze medal (2): 1964, 1972
Images for kids
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Joachim Streich, East Germany's top goalscorer.
See also
In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Alemania Democrática para niños
- East Germany national under-21 football team
