The German national team has played in the major tournaments since 1934.
The DFB-Elf always wears new jerseys.
Sometimes daring patterns were used.
In its long history, the
German national soccer team
has won many titles.
As
four-time world champions (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
and
three-time European champions (1972, 1980, 1996),
the
DFB-Elf is
one of the most successful national teams in the world.
Germany's best
footballers
showed up in new
jerseys
every few years
.
Here, too, the fashionable influences of the time made themselves felt.
The DFB was not always stylish.
We show you the
DFB jerseys
at all World Cup and European Championship tournaments
with German participation since 1934.
World Cup 1934 in Italy
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© imago sports photo service
The German team had already secured a place at the very first soccer World Cup in Uruguay in 1930.
But the journey to South America by ship alone would have taken more than two weeks and resulted in high costs.
Like some other European teams, the DFB team decided to cancel.
In return, Germany played
its
first major tournament
at the
1934
World Cup in Italy
in
white jerseys
,
black shorts
and black and white socks
.
It was only in the semi-finals that they ended against Czechoslovakia (1: 3).
World Cup 1938 in France
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© dpa / picture alliance
At the
1938 World Cup
in
France
, the German team played in white jerseys with a lace-up collar and black shorts, as they did four years earlier.
The tournament was under the influence of the
Nazi dictatorship
.
After the annexation of Austria to the German Reich, the team was composed of
German and Austrian players
.
The “big German team” didn't harmonize at all.
There was
resentment
and
distrust
among the footballers who were forced into a team
.
The result was the end in the first round (corresponds to the round of 16 today) - the second worst World Cup result of all time.
World Cup 1954 in Switzerland
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© imago sports photo service
After the Second World War, Germany was initially excluded from the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.
Four years later, the DFB-Elf was allowed to be there again.
At
the 1954 World Cup
in
Switzerland
, captain
Fritz Walter
and his teammates achieved the legendary
“Miracle of Bern”
and won Germany's first world title.
The heroes of Bern wore white jerseys with black accents.
The collar no longer had the deep V-neckline of the 1930s, but it still had to be laced.
The pants stayed black.
1958 World Cup in Sweden
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© imago sports photo service
In
Sweden
at the
1958 World Cup
, the world champion presented himself in a different outfit.
The DFB still didn't want to do without the lace-up collar.
The black color stripe on the collar was a little deeper than four years earlier.
From a sporting point of view, things didn't go that smoothly: In the semifinals, they ended up against hosts Sweden (1: 3).
The game for third place against France was also lost 3: 6 - in the end Germany finished fourth.
1962 World Cup in Chile
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© imago sports photo service
For the first time, the DFB-Elf dared to take part in a major overseas tournament.
At the
1962 World Cup
in
Chile
, the fashion was unchanged.
As in Sweden, the jerseys stayed white, the traditional lace-up collar was adorned with a deep V-neckline with black stripes.
After surviving the group phase, they failed in the quarterfinals with 0: 1 to Yugoslavia.
1966 World Cup in England
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© imago images / Horstmüller
At the
1966 World Cup
in
England
, the German national team came up with a new dress.
In the motherland of football, the DFB team played for the first time at a world championship
without a lace-up collar
.
Instead, the white jerseys had a round neckline with black accents and looked like t-shirts.
With the black pants everything stayed the same.
Germany made it to the final, in the 2: 4 after extra time against England the legendary
Wembley goal fell
in favor of the hosts.
1970 World Cup in Mexico
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© imago sports photo service
Four years later, the round collar became a slight V-neck.
The usual black stripes on the neck and sleeves of the DFB jersey were a little wider than before at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
In the new dress, after a sovereign group stage in the quarterfinals, the revenge against England was achieved with a 3-2 win ...
Premiere at the 1970 World Cup: DFB national team in green jerseys for the first time
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© imago sports photo service
... one lap later came the
spectacular end
for the DFB-Elf.
The 3: 4 after extra time against Italy went down
in history
as the game of the
century
.
Another detail of the
1970 World Cup
in
Mexico
was historic: For the first time, the German team wore a
green away
jersey in addition to the traditional white and black outfit
.
European Championship 1972 in Belgium
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© imago images / Colorsport
For the first time, the German national team was able to qualify
for the main round of a
European
championship in
1972
.
At the tournament in
Yugoslavia
, the strong DFB team around playmaker
Günter Netzer won
the
European Championship title
.
In the final, the Soviet Union was left with no chance in a clear 3-0 victory.
A round neck collar was used for the jersey, the color combination was the usual white with black accents.
EM 1972: DFB troop around Beckenbauer in green to success
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© imago images / Colorsport
Some experts consider the
1972
team to
be the strongest DFB team of all time.
As usual,
the green away
jersey was also used at the
European Championships
in
Belgium
- with success.
World Cup 1974 in Germany
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© imago images / press photo Baumann
At the first
home World Cup
in
Germany
in
1974
, the DFB-Elf stayed with the round neck collar of the EM victory two years earlier.
That brought luck - Franz Beckenbauer and his teammates won the second World Cup title for Germany.
The German national team won 2-1 in the final in the Munich Olympic Stadium against the Netherlands.
DFB will also use green away jerseys for the 1974 World Cup
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© imago images / Horstmüller
At the
1974 World Cup
in
Germany
, too, the German team sometimes wore the
green away jersey
.
Like the white and black home version, it had a round neckline and white stripes on the neck and sleeves.
The DFB kickers also wore white trousers.
EM 1976 in Yugoslavia
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© imago images / WEREK
At the
1976 European Championship
in
Yugoslavia
, the German national team played their way through to the
final
in their usual white outfit with black color elements
.
There they lost 3: 5 on penalties against Czechoslovakia.
Unlucky
fellow
Uli Hoeneß
hammered his 911 over the bar in the sky of Belgrade.
World Cup 1978 in Argentina
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© imago sports photo service
In terms of fashion, the DFB dared to
do something new
at the
1978 World Cup
in
Argentina
.
A large V-neck collar adorned the jerseys of the German national team - typical for the late 1970s.
It was only kept in black, the color white was also found there.
World Cup 1978: "Shame of Cordoba" - Germany fails to Austria
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© imago images / Horstmüller
Once again, the
second set of jerseys was
in
green
, with white stripes on the collar and sleeves.
The German team made a sporty disgrace at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
A 2: 3 defeat against outsiders
Austria
sealed the end in the
second round
.
To this day one speaks of the
"shame of Cordoba"
.
European Championship 1980 in Italy
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© imago images / Sportfoto Rudel
At the
1980 European Championship
in
Italy
there was the next premiere on the jersey of the German national team.
For the first time, the
three stripes from
the supplier
Adidas
adorned the
sleeves of the DFB outfit.
Otherwise, not much has changed.
The basic color remained white, the collar had a slight V-neckline and a black stripe.
In terms of sport, the DFB-Elf shone: The third consecutive European Championship final achieved their second triumph.
1982 World Cup in Spain
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© imago images / Sportfoto Rudel
The
Adidas stripes were also used on the jersey of the DFB-Elf
at the
1982 World Cup
in
Spain
.
The outfit remained almost unchanged compared to the European Championship triumph of 1980: white with a black V-collar and black trousers.
In the final against Italy, the DFB squad had no chance at 1: 3.
European Championship 1984 in France
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© imago images / Laci Perenyi
The slight V-neckline on the white and black jersey of the German national team also persisted at the
1984 European Championship
in
France
.
Striker Karl-Heinz Rummenigge failed with his team-mates in the group stage of the tournament.
World Cup 1986 in Mexico
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© imago sports photo service
Things went much better for Germany and young star
Lothar Matthäus
at the
1986 World Cup
in
Mexico
.
In new jerseys, which for the first time featured the
black, red and gold of
the German flag on the collar and sleeves, it went to the final.
1986 World Cup final: Green DFB jerseys bring no luck against Maradona
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© Pressefoto Rudel / Herbert Rudel v
Only then did
Argentina have
to
admit defeat
to superstar
Diego Maradona
just 3-2.
In the
1986 World Cup
final
, the DFB-Elf of
team boss Franz Beckenbauer
then played in their green away jerseys.
EM 1988 in Germany
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© imago sports photo service
At the
1988 European Championship
in
Germany
, the national team raised the flag with significantly more courage.
Black, red and gold dominated
the white jerseys.
The outfit is still a classic among the DFB jerseys today.
Roenald Koeman saw it differently.
The Dutch defender swapped jerseys with Olaf Thon after the 2-1 semi-final win against Germany.
Then he indicated with the German shirt that he would wipe his butt with it.
A scandal!
1990 World Cup in Italy
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© imago sports photo service
The jersey of the German national team remained
the same
during the
1990 World Cup
in
Italy
as it did two years earlier at the European Championship in their own country.
And it brought luck, because Germany secured the
third world title
in history.
1990 World Cup in Italy - away shirt
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© imago sports photo service
The German away jersey was also retained at the
1990 World Cup
and was shown in the guise of the 1988 European Championship. The basic color was green, as before.
However, in a more modern, almost 3D-adhesive pattern.
EM 1992 in Sweden
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© imago sports photo service
Two years after the World Cup success, Germany went to the
1992 European Championships
in
Sweden
with the new national coach Berti Vogts as a big favorite
.
The DFB jersey was based on the model from 1988-90: again, large
black, red and gold flags were
integrated.
But now only on the sleeves.
EM 1992: Final bankruptcy against Denmark
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© Pressefoto Rudel / Herbert Rudel v
The black, red and gold flags were also found on the green away jersey.
In terms of sport,
Germany
suffered
a bitter 2-0 defeat against underdog
Denmark
in the
1992 European Championship final
.
World Cup 1994 in the USA
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© imago sports photo service
The designers of the German jersey apparently got a taste for the flag element.
During the
1994 World Cup
in the
USA
, the DFB players played in white, but with a clearly visible, black, red and gold patchwork rug on their chest.
It was also found on the pants.
A clear case of a matter of taste.
In terms of sport, the 1994 World Cup ended in disaster.
In the quarterfinals the surprising end came with a 1: 2 against Bulgaria.
European Championship 1996 in England
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© imago sports photo service
"Football is coming home" - to this day one of the greatest football anthems of all.
The song was recorded on the
occasion of the
European Championship
in
England
in
1996
.
The German team also returned to a classic pattern in their choice of jersey design.
The simple, white DFB jersey with a distinctive association emblem on the chest was reminiscent of earlier times.
1998 World Cup in France
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© imago images
Two years later the flag was shown again.
The German national team wore
white jerseys with a narrow
black, red and gold chest ring
at the
1998 World Cup
in
France
.
However, you had to cancel the sails in the quarter-finals against Croatia.
The
DFB team
retired after a 3-0 defeat.
EM 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium
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© imago sports photo service
In terms of sport,
things got
even worse
at the
EM 2000
in the
Netherlands
and
Belgium
.
In the group stage, being bottom of the table, they embarrassed themselves to the bone.
A meager 1: 1 jumped out against outsiders Romania, the games against England (0: 1) and Portugal (0: 3) were lost.
At least the white and black jersey was reminiscent of better times in its classic design.
EM 2000: New away kit cannot prevent embarrassment
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© imago sports photo service
The new, dark green and white away jersey of the
DFB *
-Elf couldn't help either.
Seasoned Lothar Matthäus and his teammates had to
travel home early
at the
EM 2000
.
World Cup 2002 in South Korea and Japan
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© imago sports photo service
After the embarrassment of the European Championship in 2000, many of the German national team
did not have much
confidence in the
2002 World Cup
in
South Korea
and
Japan
.
Nevertheless, the team convinced with fighting strength and classically simple jerseys in white and black.
Goalkeeper
Oliver Kahn
excelled, it was only in the 2-0 draw in the final against
Brazil that
he suffered a serious dropout.
EM 2004 in Portugal
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© imago sports photo service
Just in time for the
2004 European Championship
in
Portugal
, the DFB used the
flag
pattern again for its jerseys
.
The black, red and gold were clearly visible on the sleeves, as here with
Michael Ballack
.
Euro 2004 in Portugal - away shirt
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© imago sports photo service
For the away jerseys, the DFB switched
from the usual green to black
for the
2004 European Championship
.
Did the German team like Zorro want to come from here?
In any case, the color change was unsuccessful - the tournament in
Portugal
ended for
Germany
in the group stage.
World Cup 2006 in Germany
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© imago sports photo service
At the
2006 World Cup
in
Germany
is soccer fans remember to this day you back.
Team boss Jürgen Klinsmann's
troops
took care of the summer fairy tale.
The white DFB jerseys with curved, black, red and gold accents on the side were sold out across the country in no time at all.
2006 World Cup: Germany relies on the signal color red for its home tournament
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© imago sports photo service
Germany
had come up with
something very special
for the
home World Cup
.
In bright red away jerseys (here a picture from a friendly match before the World Cup) they wanted to shock the competition.
But in the
semifinals
,
Italy
ended
the dream of World Cup success at home.
EM 2008 in Austria and Switzerland
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© imago sports photo service
After the almost perfect summer fairy tale 2006, it went to the
EM 2008
in the neighboring countries of
Austria
and
Switzerland
.
The white DFB jerseys were adorned with a black chest ring, in which a black, red and gold element and the player number were integrated.
Under national
coach Joachim Löw *
they made it to the
final
, where
Spain
lost 1-0.
World Cup 2010 in South Africa
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© Mary EvansxAllstarxRichard Selle - imago images
The
young German national team
around Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski, Thomas Müller and Mesut Özil played their way
into the hearts of the fans
at the
2010 World Cup
in
South Africa
with great offensive football
.
The rather classic DFB jersey with a thin, vertical black, red and gold flag pattern was also very well received.
World Cup 2010: DFB team as "Men in Black"
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© Mary EvansxAllstarxStewart Kenda
The
away jersey of
the DFB-Elf was for the
first time completely
black
from head to toe
at the
2010 World Cup
.
In this jersey they defeated arch-rivals England 4-2 in a spectacular game.
In the semifinals you had to bow to eventual world champions Spain just 0: 1.
EM 2012 in Poland and Ukraine
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© imago sports photo service
At the
Euro 2012 in Poland
and
Ukraine
, many experts trusted Germany, which was wearing white jerseys with thin black, red and gold diagonal stripes, to win the title.
But as in the 2006 summer fairy tale, Italy was one size too big in the semifinals.
2014 World Cup in Brazil
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© Laci Perenyi via www.imago-image
The redeeming
title win
*
came for Jogi's boys at the
2014 World Cup
in
Brazil
.
With a dream goal by Joker Mario Götze, Germany won the final against Argentina 1-0 after extra time.
The white DFB jerseys with red chest rings were also world champions.
2014 World Cup in Brazil - away shirt
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© imago sports photo service
The away jersey of the German national team at the
2014 World Cup
in
Brazil
presented you with red and black horizontal stripes
.
Even today, the hosts should have a shiver at the sight of the DFB jerseys.
In
this outfit,
Germany defeated
the Brazilians 7-1
in the
legendary World Cup semi-finals
.
Euro 2016 in France
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© imago images / Sven Simon
At the
EM 2016
in
France
, Bastian Schweinsteiger and the DFB-Elf were all in white and black again.
It went all the way to the semi-finals, where the eventual title holder France failed.
World Cup 2018 in Russia
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© imago images / Newspix
The
2018 World Cup
in
Russia
comes from the German perspective as
worst tournament ever
in history.
At the negative climax of the DFB's history, the team of national coach Joachim Löw landed on an embarrassing last place in the group despite rather medium opponents (Sweden, South Korea, Mexico).
That meant the end of the world champion - earlier than ever before.
World Cup 2018: DFB team experiences disaster in Russia
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© imago images / Sven Simon
The away jersey of the German national team was
green again
at the
2018 World Cup
in
Russia
.
Ultimately, it didn't bring any sporting luck.
EM 2021 in Europe
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© imago images / ULMER press picture agency
Actually,
the
EM
should take place
across
Europe in
2020
.
But because of the
corona pandemic
, the tournament had
to be postponed to 2021
.
Then the German players will also show up in their current jerseys, which are kept in white with narrow black horizontal stripes.
It remains to be seen whether we can build on old successes.
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