briefsports.net
National Association · Football · Germany

DFB — Deutscher Fußball-Bund

Germany’s football association, a registered association (e.V.) seated at the DFB-Campus in Frankfurt; founded in Leipzig in 1900, a FIFA member since 1904 and a UEFA member since 1954, per UEFA.
✓ Last reviewed: October 2026
Founded1900, in Leipzig, per UEFA[1]
HeadquartersDFB-Campus, Frankfurt am Main, per the DFB[4]
International federationFIFA, joined 1904, per UEFA[1][2]
Continental bodyUEFA, member since 1954[1]
PresidentBernd Neuendorf (as listed by UEFA and FIFA, October 2026)[1][2]

What is the DFB?

The Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB), the German Football Association, is the national association for football in Germany. It is a registered association, DFB e.V., and describes itself as “a social institution and one of the nation’s largest social networks”, stating that it has the most members of any sports organisation in the country.[4] Its highest body is the DFB Bundestag, which it calls “the ‘German football parliament’” and at which the Presidential and Executive Boards are elected every four years.[4]

What does the DFB govern or do?

The DFB selects Germany’s men’s and women’s national teams, and its site groups its work under those teams, the DFB-Pokal, its Presidential Board, the DFB-Campus and its members.[3] Professional league football sits with a separate member body: the DFB names the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) among its direct members, alongside its regional associations.[4] UEFA records the founding of the Bundesliga, which it calls German football’s highest club category, in 1963.[1]

When was the DFB founded and where is it based?

UEFA records that the DFB was founded in Leipzig in 1900, and that in 1990 it merged with the football association (DFV) of the German Democratic Republic.[1]

The association is headquartered at the DFB-Campus in Frankfurt am Main.[4] UEFA notes that the new headquarters and academy in Frankfurt were approved in March 2014.[1]

How is the DFB recognised?

FIFA. FIFA’s directory of member associations lists the German Football Association under the confederation UEFA, with Bernd Neuendorf as president and dfb.de as its website.[2] UEFA records that the DFB joined FIFA in 1904.[1]

UEFA. UEFA’s profile gives 1954 as the year the DFB became a UEFA member, and records that Germany was chosen in 2018 to host UEFA EURO 2024.[1]

What does the DFB organise?

The DFB runs the DFB-Pokal, the national cup, which its site carries as one of its main sections, and selects the men’s and women’s national teams.[3] The professional leagues are organised through its member the DFL, which the association lists among its direct members.[4] Its Frankfurt site, approved in March 2014 by UEFA’s account, combines the headquarters with an academy.[1]

Who are its members?

The DFB states that it comprises 27 member organisations: its direct members are the DFL and five regional associations — Nord, West, Süd, Südwest and Nordost — which together take in 21 state associations, themselves divided into local districts. It gives its membership as about 7.7 million people in roughly 24,000 clubs (as published in October 2026).[4] UEFA’s profile gives a figure of 7,131,936 members across the 21 regional associations.[1]

References

  1. UEFA — National associations: Germany (DFB profile and history). Accessed 2026-10-05.
  2. FIFA — Member associations: Germany. Accessed 2026-10-05.
  3. DFB — official website, English home page. Accessed 2026-10-05.
  4. DFB — About us. Accessed 2026-10-05.