# 1952–53 Oberliga

The 1952–53 Oberliga was the eighth season of the Oberliga, the first tier of the football league system in West Germany and the Saar Protectorate. The league operated in five regional divisions, Berlin, North, South, Southwest and West. The five league champions and the runners-up from the south, north and west then entered the 1953 German football championship which was won by 1. FC Kaiserslautern. It was 1. FC Kaiserslautern's second national championship, having previously won it in 1951.
1. FC Köln set a new Oberliga start record in 1952–53, winning its first eleven games, a mark later equaled by Hannover 96 in 1953–54 and Hamburger SV in 1961–62 but never surpassed.
A similar-named league, the DDR-Oberliga, existed in East Germany, set at the first tier of the East German football league system. The 1952–53 DDR-Oberliga was won by Dynamo Dresden.

## Oberliga Nord

The 1952–53 season saw three new clubs in the league, FC Altona 93, Harburger TB and VfB Lübeck, all promoted from the Amateurliga. The league's top scorer was Günter Schlegel of Göttingen 05 with 26 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Hamburger SV | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 78 | 57 | +21 | 43 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | Holstein Kiel | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 66 | 38 | +28 | 39 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | Werder Bremen | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 71 | 55 | +16 | 37 | |
| 4 | VfL Osnabrück | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 66 | 47 | +19 | 35 | |
| 5 | Göttingen 05 | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 73 | 57 | +16 | 32 | |
| 6 | FC Altona 93 | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 73 | 69 | +4 | 32 | |
| 7 | Hannover 96 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 52 | 53 | −1 | 30 | |
| 8 | TuS Bremerhaven 93 | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 29 | |
| 9 | FC St. Pauli | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 62 | 57 | +5 | 28 | |
| 10 | Eimsbütteler TV | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 59 | 62 | −3 | 28 | |
| 11 | VfB Lübeck | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 46 | 63 | −17 | 28 | |
| 12 | Arminia Hannover | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 27 | |
| 13 | Bremer SV | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 65 | 71 | −6 | 26 | |
| 14 | Harburger TB | 30 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 47 | 71 | −24 | 24 | |
| 15 | Concordia Hamburg (R) | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 47 | 62 | −15 | 23 | Relegation to Amateurliga |
| 16 | Eintracht Osnabrück (R) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 54 | 76 | −22 | 19 | Relegation to Amateurliga |

## Oberliga Berlin

The 1952–53 season saw two new clubs in the league, BFC Südring and SC Südwest Berlin, both promoted from the Amateurliga Berlin. The league's top scorer was Alfred Herrmann of Minerva 93 Berlin with 17 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Union 06 Berlin | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 57 | 26 | +31 | 40 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | Spandauer SV | 24 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 31 | |
| 3 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 29 | +17 | 31 | |
| 4 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 28 | |
| 5 | Berliner SV 92 | 24 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 56 | 39 | +17 | 28 | |
| 6 | Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 24 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 54 | 44 | +10 | 26 | |
| 7 | Alemannia 90 Berlin | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 44 | 37 | +7 | 25 | |
| 8 | Minerva 93 Berlin | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 45 | 48 | −3 | 23 | |
| 9 | Wacker 04 Berlin | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 21 | |
| 10 | BFC Nordstern | 24 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 37 | 56 | −19 | 19 | |
| 11 | BFC Südring (R) | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 30 | 60 | −30 | 16 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |
| 12 | SC Südwest Berlin (R) | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 32 | 64 | −32 | 12 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |
| 13 | Hertha BSC Berlin (R) | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 32 | 79 | −47 | 12 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |

## Oberliga West

The 1952–53 season saw two new clubs in the league, SV Sodingen and Borussia München-Gladbach, both promoted from the 2. Oberliga West. The league's top scorer was Hans Schäfer of 1. FC Köln with 26 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 87 | 36 | +51 | 46 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | 1. FC Köln | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 86 | 42 | +44 | 43 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | Rot-Weiß Essen | 30 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 86 | 40 | +46 | 40 | |
| 4 | Meidericher SV | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 63 | 51 | +12 | 36 | |
| 5 | Alemannia Aachen | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 34 | |
| 6 | FC Schalke 04 | 30 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 67 | 49 | +18 | 33 | |
| 7 | Preußen Münster | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 74 | 60 | +14 | 32 | |
| 8 | Preußen Dellbrück | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 31 | |
| 9 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 30 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 68 | 60 | +8 | 30 | |
| 10 | Bayer Leverkusen | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 50 | 68 | −18 | 29 | |
| 11 | SV Sodingen | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 47 | 54 | −7 | 25 | |
| 12 | STV Horst-Emscher | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 42 | 73 | −31 | 23 | |
| 13 | Schwarz-Weiß Essen | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 54 | 76 | −22 | 22 | |
| 14 | Borussia München-Gladbach | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 31 | 80 | −49 | 21 | |
| 15 | Sportfreunde Katernberg (R) | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 57 | 91 | −34 | 19 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga West |
| 16 | SpVgg Erkenschwick (R) | 30 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 41 | 90 | −49 | 16 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga West |

## Oberliga Südwest

The 1952–53 season saw four new clubs in the league, BFV Hassia Bingen, FV Speyer and VfR Kirn, all promoted from the 2. Oberliga Südwest while Saar 05 Saarbrücken was promoted from the Amateurliga Saarland. The league's top scorer was Fritz Walter of 1. FC Kaiserslautern with 38 goals, the highest total for the five Oberligas in 1952–53.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern (C) | 30 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 127 | 31 | +96 | 51 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | TuS Neuendorf | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 97 | 28 | +69 | 46 | |
| 3 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 30 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 89 | 39 | +50 | 46 | |
| 4 | Wormatia Worms | 30 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 85 | 58 | +27 | 37 | |
| 5 | TuRa Ludwigshafen | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 57 | 47 | +10 | 34 | |
| 6 | Borussia Neunkirchen | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 31 | |
| 7 | FK Pirmasens | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 30 | |
| 8 | FSV Mainz 05 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 30 | |
| 9 | Saar 05 Saarbrücken | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 54 | 62 | −8 | 28 | |
| 10 | FV Speyer | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 28 | |
| 11 | VfR Kaiserslautern | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 55 | 72 | −17 | 27 | |
| 12 | Phönix Ludwigshafen | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 44 | 68 | −24 | 24 | |
| 13 | Eintracht Trier | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 43 | 66 | −23 | 23 | |
| 14 | VfR Kirn | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 41 | 73 | −32 | 22 | |
| 15 | FV Engers (R) | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 46 | 81 | −35 | 20 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
| 16 | BFV Hassia Bingen (R) | 30 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 32 | 141 | −109 | 3 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
* ↑ BFV Hassia Bingen was promoted to the Oberliga because VfR Frankenthal was retrospectivly relegated from the league after the first round of the 1952–53 season for attempting to bribe 1. FC Saarbrücken to lose their game against Frankenthal during the 1951–52 season.

## Oberliga Süd

The 1952–53 season saw two new clubs in the league, TSG Ulm 1846 and BC Augsburg, both promoted from the 2. Oberliga Süd. The league's top scorer was Horst Schade of SpVgg Fürth with 22 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 39 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | VfB Stuttgart | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 38 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | SpVgg Fürth | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 65 | 45 | +20 | 35 | |
| 4 | Karlsruher SC | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 34 | |
| 5 | FC Schweinfurt 05 | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 40 | 51 | −11 | 32 | |
| 6 | Kickers Offenbach | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 61 | 53 | +8 | 30 | |
| 7 | FC Bayern Munich | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 59 | 56 | +3 | 30 | |
| 8 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 67 | 61 | +6 | 29 | |
| 9 | SV Waldhof Mannheim | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 56 | 62 | −6 | 29 | |
| 10 | BC Augsburg | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 59 | 61 | −2 | 28 | |
| 11 | FSV Frankfurt | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 38 | 44 | −6 | 28 | |
| 12 | Viktoria Aschaffenburg | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 59 | 74 | −15 | 28 | |
| 13 | VfR Mannheim | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 59 | −13 | 27 | |
| 14 | Stuttgarter Kickers | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 65 | 69 | −4 | 26 | |
| 15 | TSV 1860 München (R) | 30 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 46 | 58 | −12 | 24 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Süd |
| 16 | TSG Ulm 1846 (R) | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 41 | 74 | −33 | 21 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Süd |

## German championship

The 1953 German football championship was contested by the eight qualified Oberliga teams and won by 1. FC Kaiserslautern, defeating VfB Stuttgart in the final. The eight clubs played a home-and-away round of matches in two groups of four. The two group winners then advanced to the final.

### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation | KAI | EF | KOL | HK |
| 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern (Q) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 11 | Qualified to final | — | 5–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 7 | | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 4–1 |
| 3 | 1. FC Köln | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 5 | | 1–2 | 0–0 | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Holstein Kiel | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 1 | | 2–4 | 0–1 | 2–2 | — |

### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation | VFB | BD | HSV | UB |
| 1 | VfB Stuttgart (Q) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 10 | Qualified to final | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 6–0 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 10 | | 2–1 | — | 4–1 | 4–0 |
| 3 | Hamburger SV | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 3 | | 1–2 | 3–4 | — | 3–1 |
| 4 | SC Union 06 Berlin | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 20 | −16 | 1 | | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — |

### Final

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 4–1 | VfB Stuttgart |