1954 German football championship explained

German championship
Year:1954
Other Titles:Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft
Country:West Germany
Dates:2–23 May
Num Teams:6
Winners:Hannover 96
2nd German title
Second:1. FC Kaiserslautern
Matches:7
Goals:29
Scoring Leader:Otto Baitinger
Rolf Paetz
Georg Stollenwerk
(3 goals each)
Prev Season:1953
Next Season:1955

The 1954 German football championship was the culmination of the football season in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1953–54. Hannover 96 were crowned champions for the second time after a group stage and a final.

It was Hannover's second appearance in the German final, having previously won the championship in 1938, beating Schalke 04 4-3 after extra-time. Kaiserslautern were making their fourth appearance, and was the third time they had reached the final in four years, following their championship wins in 1951 and 1953.

The format used to determine the German champion was different from the 1953 season. Only six teams qualified for the championship, instead of eight. These six teams were split into two groups of three, and only played a single round of matches with games on neutral grounds; previously it had been home-and-away games. The reason for this format change and the reduction in the number of games was Germany's qualifying for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, held shortly after the championship final. As in the past seasons, the two group winners then played the national final.

Qualified teams

The teams qualified through the 1953–54 Oberliga season:

Club Qualified from
Oberliga Nord champions
Oberliga West champions
Oberliga Berlin champions
Oberliga Südwest champions
Oberliga Süd champions
Oberliga Süd runners-up

Competition

Group 1

Group 2

Final

HANNOVER:
GK Hans Krämer
DF
DF Helmut Geruschke
DF Heinz Bothe
MF Werner Müller
MF Rolf Gehrcke
FW Klemens Zielinski
FW Heinz Wewetzer
FW Hannes Tkotz
FW Rolf Paetz
FW Helmut Kruhl
Manager:
Helmut Kronsbein
KAISERSLAUTERN:
GK Willi Hölz
DF
DF
DF Werner Baßler
MF Fritz Walter
MF Otto Render
MF Horst Eckel
FW Willi Wenzel
FW Karl Wanger
FW
FW Erwin Scheffler
Manager:
Richard Schneider
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Sources