Who are the most successful clubs in the history of the Bundesliga?
In recent decades, the German Bundesliga has developed a reputation as one of the best and most entertaining leagues in the beautiful game.
With the 2024/25 Bundesliga season on the horizon, we thought we would look at the German top-flight’s most successful clubs in terms of Bundesliga titles.
Bayern Munich (32 Bundesliga titles)
The Bavarians are the undisputed dominant force of the German game, having won 32 Bundesliga titles since their first one back in season 1968/69.
Bayern’s first Bundesliga title came six years after the Bundesliga was established.
The men from Munich also previously won the German Championship once, in 1932. This was Germany’s top-flight competition from 1908 until 1963 when it was rebranded to the Bundesliga.
At times Die Bayern have held a stranglehold on German football. For instance, from 2013 until 2023, Bayern won the Bundesliga title a record-breaking 11 times in a row.
The men from Munich’s title run ended in season 2023/24 when Bayer Leverkusen claimed their first Bundesliga title.
Unsurprisingly, Bayern are also the most successful club in the DFB Pokal, having won the competition on 20 occasions.
However, Bayern Munich’s biggest achievement in the beautiful game is winning the European Cup in three successive seasons from 1974 until 1976, with legends such as Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer and Uli Hoeness playing pivotal roles in the success.
Borussia Dortmund (5 Bundesliga titles)
Although BVB are often considered Bayern Munich’s arch-rivals, Dortmund have won the Bundesliga just five times since its inauguration in season 1963/64.
All five of their Bundesliga successes were relatively recent, as they were crowned German champions in seasons 1994/95, 1995/96, 2001/02, 2010/11, and 2011/12.
Before the establishment of the Bundesliga, Dortmund was successful in the German Championship, becoming champions in 1956, 1957, and 1963.
Bayern’s recent dominance of the Bundesliga has hampered BVB’s attempts to end a wait for a German top flight that now spans more than a decade.
Two head coaches have been responsible for most of Dortmund’s titles, as Omar Hitzfeld and Jurgen Klopp have each won two Bundesliga titles with BVB.
Former Liverpool boss Klopp was the last head coach to guide Dortmund to the German title in season 2011/12.
Borussia Monchengladbach (5 Bundesliga titles)
Although the Foals have struggled to make an impact at the top end of the Bundesliga in recent decades, they were once one of the top teams in the German game.
However, all five of their Bundesliga titles came from 1970 to 1977. The stellar run included winning three top-flight titles in a row from 1975 until 1977. Incredibly, Gladbach also finished as Bundesliga runners-up in seasons 1973/74 and 1977/78.
During Monchengladbach’s glory years, they also finished as runners-up in the 1977 European Cup final, losing 3-1 to Liverpool in the final.
One of the stars of Monchengladbach’s successful teams of the 1970s was future head coach Jupp Heynckes, who scored 195 goals in the Bundesliga for the Foals, picking up four Bundesliga-winning medals in the process.
Werder Bremen (4 Bundesliga titles)
In contrast to Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen’s league-winning campaigns have been spread across their history.
Their first Bundesliga title came in season 1964/65, with their last coming in 2003/04, with triumphs in 1988 and 1993 sandwiched in between.
Werder have actually finished as runners-up in the German top flight more times than they have been crowned champions, finishing in second place seven times.
Werder has also been pretty successful in the DFB Pokal, lifting the German Cup on six occasions.
Hamburger SV (3 Bundesliga titles)
HSV is considered one of the sleeping giants of German football, having experienced some tough times in recent decades. Their status within the country’s game is due to their early success in the pre-Bundesliga.
Hamburg was crowned as German champions in 1923, 1928 and 1960. Similar to Monchengladbach, their Bundesliga successes all came in a short period of time, as they won the competition in 1978/79, 1981/82 and 1982/83.
However, just like Werder, Hamburg has been Bundesliga runners-up more times than champions, having finished second place in the German top flight on eight occasions.
Iconic Austrian head coach Ernst Happel led Die Rothosen to two titles in 1982 and the European Cup in 1983.
Hamburg has also won the DFB Pokal on three occasions, with their last victory coming in 1987.
VFB Stuttgart (3 Bundesliga titles)
Die Roten have won the Bundesliga title on three occasions in seasons 1983/84, 1991/92 and 2006/07. However, they also enjoyed success in the German Championship, becoming champions in 1950 and 1952.
Stuttgart has also been Bundesliga runners-up on three occasions: 1979, 2003, and, of course, most recently, in 2024, behind first-time champions Bayer Leverkusen, with striker Serhou Guirassy in lethal form scoring 28 goals in as many Bundesliga games.
Two forward players who were heavily involved in their 2007 Bundesliga triumph, Mario Gomez and Cacau, are amongst the club’s top goalscorers in the Bundesliga, having both scored 109 in the German top flight.
However, the club’s leading-ever Bundesliga goalscorer is midfielder Karl Allgower, who scored 166 goals and was part of the title-winning team in 1984.
Stuttgart have won the DFB Pokal three times while also finishing as runners-up on three occasions.
They have never won a European trophy but finished as runners-up in the UEFA Cup in season 1988/89 and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1997/98 campaign.