FC Köln is also sometimes called FC Cologne and it is a football team that is found in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has been around since 1948 when two local clubs amalgamated.
The team has won the Bundesliga title on a couple of occasions over the years and its home games take place at the RheinEnergieStadion which holds about 50,000 fans. The nickname of the club “The Billy Goat’s comes from the mascot of the club.
Some of the main rivals for the club include Bayer Leverkusen, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Borussia Monchengladbach. As well as having a football team, 1. FC Köln is also home to other sports teams, such as table tennis gymnastics and handball. With more than 100,000 members, 1. FC Köln is the fourth biggest club in the nation.
History of 1. FC Köln
1948
It was in 1948 that two different clubs came together to form 1. FC Köln. They quickly became a successful team, winning a few divisional titles in their early years.
1962
They got to the 1962-1963 European Cup and the next year 1. FC Köln was one of 16 teams that were founding members of the Bundesliga.
They won this title in its very first season, going onto play Liverpool FC in the quarter-final of the European Cup. The ultimately lost on a coin toss as this was before penalty shootouts had been introduced.
1968
The next season they finished runner-up in the Bundesliga and they won the DFB-Pokal for the first time in 1968. They lost the next four of these finals they reached before winning it again in 1977.
1977
It was in 1977/1978 that 1. FC Köln had the best season in its history. They won the Bundesliga and won the DFB-Pokal to make it just one of four teams in the era of the Bundesliga to have won the double.
1986
FC Köln won another DFB-Pokal a few years later before getting to the UEFA Cup final in 1986, losing out to Real Madrid. They finished in second place in the league in 1989 and 1990, with another DFB-Pokal final loss in 1991 more or less making it the end of a very successful era for the team.
2002
It was in 2002 that 1. FC Köln went through a massive goal drought, failing to score in 11 and a half games in the season. They got relegated for the first time ever in 1998 and since then they have been back and forth between the top tiers of football in the country.
2012
There was an overhaul in the club in 2012, with the club becoming more financially secure over the next few years. After a 5th place finishes in the Bundesliga in 2017, 1. FC Köln made it back to European competition for the first time in 25 years, gaining entry to the Europa League. However, they got relegated in 2018 before immediately earning a promotion.
Support of 1. FC Köln
The club has been playing its home games at the Muengersdorf Stadion for a number of years, with the capacity being almost 46,000 in terms of seats, with the total capacity reaching 50,000. The club usually has a near max average attendance for its home games. The main rivals for the team all come from the Rhine-Ruhr region, being Bayer Leverkusen, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Notable 1. FC Köln players
Some of the notable players that currently play for 1. FC Köln includes Dominick Drexler, Christian Clemens and Jonas Hector. Over the years, some of the great 1. FC Köln players include:
- Franz Becker,
- Jorg Heinrich,
- Patrick Helmes,
- Carsten Jancker,
- Petit,
- Lukas Podolski and
- Claudio Pizarro.
Betting on 1. FC Köln games
With 1. FC Köln back in the top flight of German football, there are many betting markets that are going to be available for the team's games. You can choose from all of the different speciality football markets you are acquainted with.
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