Bundesliga club-by-club historical guide: Nuremberg
Founding Bundesliga member Nuremberg won the title in 1967/68, but the first of an unwanted record nine relegations followed a year later...
bundesliga.com is taking you through all the teams to have graced Germany’s first division over the last 60 years – based on the number of seasons they’ve played up to and including 2023/24.
1. FC Nuremberg
Years in Bundesliga: 33 (1963-69, 1978/79, 1980-84, 1985-94, 1998/99, 2001-03, 2004-08, 2009-14, 2018/19)
Most appearances: Thomas Brunner (328)
Most goals: Heinz Strehl (76)
Youngest player: Christian Wück (17 years, four months, 11 days)
No club knows that yo-yo feeling better than Nuremberg. They jointly hold the record for most promotions (eight, with Arminia Bielefeld) and outright for most relegations (nine). Known as Der Club, they were the most decorated team in German football at the time of the Bundesliga’s creation as eight-time champions and with three DFB Cups.
One of the 16 founding members, they won their ninth crown and first (and only) in the Bundesliga in 1967/68 under Max Merkel. But only serving to exemplify the later up-and-down nature of the club, they were relegated the following year – the only time a champion has gone down in the Bundesliga.
Watch: Nuremberg - all you need to know
In 1987, they were overtaken by Bayern Munich as Rekordmeister and didn’t win any other title until lifting the DFB Cup in 2006/07. No surprise what happened the year after. Yes, they were relegated. They also hold the ignominious honour of being the only Bundesliga club to have been knocked out of the DFB Cup by a team in the fifth tier, losing 2-1 to Ulm in 2001/02. It’s all led to fans describing the club’s ability to lose in such a manner as an “art form”, with those moments of sporting tragedy just as legendary as their moments of triumph.
Nuremberg count the likes of former player Ilkay Gündogan and current International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach as supporters. Their Max-Morlock-Stadion is named after the club legend, who made history as the first German player to score in a World Cup final.
