Topend Sports Logo

East Germany at the World Cup

When Germany was divided into West and East Germany in 1949 following the second world war, the West German team was considered Germany's successor. East Germany was accepted as a FIFA member in 1952, though they decided not to participate in qualification for the 1954 Wold Cup.

East Germany entered the World Cup qualification tournament for the first time for the 1958 World Cup. They finished last in their qualification group, behind Czechoslovakia and Wales. Until unification with West Germany in 1990, the East German team was unsuccessful in their attempts to qualify on all but one occasion.

East Germany qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup in 1974, finishing 6th. In the first round, East Germany defeated Australia 2-0, drew 1-1 with Chile, and won 1–0 against hosts West Germany (the eventual winners). In the second stage, the team lost to Brazil and the Netherlands, though they did manage a 1-1 draw with Argentina.

East Germany was reunified with West Germany in 1990 and did not compete again after the 1990 World Cup.

Trivia



Related Pages

send us a comment Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.

FIFA World Cup Extra

The next men's World Cup will be held held jointly in Canada, USA and Mexico 2026, for the women the next will be Brazil in 2027. See more firsts and other trivia, a quiz, and also information about each country at the World Cup. Most importantly, who are the winners?

More Football

Football (some call it soccer) is the world's most popular sport. There are many major football tournaments, the pinnacle is the FIFA World Cup. See a calendar of what is coming up. There have been many legends of the game, particularly winners of the Ballon d'Or. For players, there are articles about Football Fitness and Fitness Testing.

Major Events Extra

The largest sporting event in the world is the Olympic Games, but there are many other multi-sport games. In terms of single sport events, nothing beats the FIFA World Cup. To see what's coming up, check out the calendar of major sporting events.

 → How to Cite