| German championship | |
| Year: | 1961 |
| Other Titles: | Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft |
| Country: | West Germany |
| Dates: | 6 May – 24 June |
| Num Teams: | 9 |
| Winners: | 1. FC Nürnberg 8th German title |
| Second: | Borussia Dortmund |
| Continental Cup Title: | European Cup |
| Continental Cup Qualifiers: | 1. FC Nürnberg |
| Matches: | 26 |
| Goals: | 111 |
| Prev Season: | 1960 |
| Next Season: | 1962 |
The 1961 German football championship was the culmination of the football season in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1960–61. 1. FC Nürnberg were crowned champions for a record eighth time after a group stage and a final, having previously won the title in 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1936 and 1948. It was the club's first appearance in the final since its 1948 title.[1]
On the strength of this title, the club participated in the 1961–62 European Cup, where 1. FCN lost to S.L. Benfica in the quarter-finals.
Runners-up Borussia Dortmund made its fourth appearance in the national title game, having lost the championship in 1949 and won it in 1956 and 1957.
The format used to determine the German champion was the same as the one used in the 1960 season. Nine clubs qualified for the tournament, with the runners-up of Southwest and South having to play a qualifying match. The remaining eight clubs then played a home-and-away round in two groups of four, with the two group winners entering the final.
The teams qualified through the 1960–61 Oberliga season:
| Club | Qualified from | |
| Oberliga Nord champions | ||
| Oberliga Nord runners-up | ||
| Oberliga West champions | ||
| Oberliga West runners-up | ||
| Oberliga Berlin champions | ||
| Oberliga Südwest champions | ||
| Oberliga Südwest runners-up | ||
| Oberliga Süd champions | ||
| Oberliga Süd runners-up |
| Date | Match | Result | Stadium | Attendance | |||
| 6 May 1961 | Eintracht Frankfurt | – | Borussia Neunkirchen | 5-0 (2–0) | Ludwigshafen, Südweststadion | 35,000 | |
| Match | Final result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburger SV | - | Borussia Dortmund | 2:5 | |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | - | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 1:1 | |
| 1. FC Saarbrücken | - | Hamburger SV | 2:3 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | - | Eintracht Frankfurt | 0:1 | |
| Hamburger SV | - | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2:1 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | - | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 2:2 | |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | - | Hamburger SV | 4:2 | |
| 1. FC Saarbrücken | - | Borussia Dortmund | 4:3 | |
| Hamburger SV | - | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 3:0 | |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | - | Borussia Dortmund | 1:2 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | - | Hamburger SV | 7:2 | |
| 1. FC Saarbrücken | - | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2:5 |
| Match | Final result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. FC Köln | - | Werder Bremen | 1:1 | |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | - | 1. FC Nürnberg | 0:2 | |
| 1. FC Nürnberg | - | 1. FC Köln | 3:3 | |
| Werder Bremen | - | Hertha BSC Berlin | 1:0 | |
| 1. FC Köln | - | Hertha BSC Berlin | 3:4 | |
| Werder Bremen | - | 1. FC Nürnberg | 2:4 | |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | - | 1. FC Köln | 1:2 | |
| 1. FC Nürnberg | - | Werder Bremen | 4:0 | |
| 1. FC Köln | - | 1. FC Nürnberg | 1:2 | |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | - | Werder Bremen | 1:3 | |
| Werder Bremen | - | 1. FC Köln | 1:1 | |
| 1. FC Nürnberg | - | Hertha BSC Berlin | 3:3 |
| Date | Match | Result | Stadium | Attendance | |||
| 24 June 1961 | 1. FC Nürnberg | – | Borussia Dortmund | 3–0 (2–0) | Hannover, Niedersachsenstadion | 82,000 | |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| width=50% valign=top | width=50% valign=top |
