Borussia Dortmund

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund or BVB, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club is best known for its men's football team, which competes in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football. Founded on December 19, 1909, by eighteen football players, the club has grown into one of the most successful and best-supported teams in the world.

Dortmund's nickname, Die Schwarzgelben, comes from the black and yellow colors in the club crest. The team plays its home matches at the Westfalenstadion, Germany's largest stadium with a capacity of over 81,000. The stadium is famous for the Yellow Wall (Gelbe Wand), a massive standing terrace in the South Stand that is the largest of its kind in Europe. Dortmund consistently records the highest average attendance of any football club globally.

The club is the second most decorated in German football, with eight league championships, five DFB-Pokals, and six DFL-Supercups. Internationally, Dortmund won the UEFA Champions League in 1997, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1966, and the Intercontinental Cup in 1997. They have also been runners-up in the Champions League in 2013 and 2024, and in the UEFA Europa League in 1993 and 2002.[edit]

Borussia Dortmund was founded on December 19, 1909, by a group of eighteen young men who had left a local Catholic church club due to disagreements. The club initially played in the second division, winning promotion to the top-flight Gauliga in the 1930s. After World War II, Dortmund became one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963. The club's first major success came in 1966 when they won the European Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the final, becoming the first German team to win a European trophy.

The 1990s marked a golden era under manager Ottmar Hitzfeld. Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 1995 and 1996, and in 1997 they captured the UEFA Champions League by beating Juventus 3-1 in Munich. That same year, they also won the Intercontinental Cup. The club faced financial difficulties in the early 2000s but recovered under the stewardship of sporting director Michael Zorc and manager Jürgen Klopp. Klopp's tenure from 2008 to 2015 brought two Bundesliga titles (2011 and 2012), a DFB-Pokal in 2012, and a run to the Champions League final in 2013, where they lost to Bayern Munich.

In recent years, Dortmund has maintained its status as a top Bundesliga side, finishing as runners-up multiple times. The 2022-23 season saw a dramatic title race decided on goal difference on the final day, with Bayern Munich pipping Dortmund. In 2023-24, Dortmund reached the Champions League final for the third time, losing 2-0 to Real Madrid. The 2024-25 season has been turbulent, with the club sitting mid-table by late January 2025, leading to the dismissal of coach Nuri Şahin and the appointment of Niko Kovač in February 2025.[edit]