# 1955–56 Oberliga

The 1955–56 Oberliga was the eleventh 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 west, south, southwest and north then entered the 1956 German football championship which was won by Borussia Dortmund. It was Borussia Dortmund's first-ever national championship and second appearance in the championship final, having previously lost to VfR Mannheim in 1949.
A similar-named league, the DDR-Oberliga, existed in East Germany, set at the first tier of the East German football league system. The 1956 DDR-Oberliga was won by SC Wismut Karl-Marx-Stadt.

## Oberliga Nord

The 1955–56 season saw two new clubs in the league, VfR Neumünster and Eintracht Nordhorn, both promoted from the Amateurliga. The league's top scorer was Uwe Seeler of Hamburger SV with 32 goals, the highest total for any scorer in the five Oberligas in 1955–56.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Hamburger SV | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 89 | 35 | +54 | 41 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | Hannover 96 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 38 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | Arminia Hannover | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 37 | |
| 4 | Holstein Kiel | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 51 | 37 | +14 | 35 | |
| 5 | VfR Neumünster | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 33 | |
| 6 | Werder Bremen | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 74 | 54 | +20 | 32 | |
| 7 | TuS Bremerhaven 93 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 32 | |
| 8 | Göttingen 05 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 31 | |
| 9 | FC Altona 93 | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 43 | 52 | −9 | 29 | |
| 10 | VfL Osnabrück | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 48 | 64 | −16 | 28 | |
| 11 | Eintracht Braunschweig | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 68 | 71 | −3 | 27 | |
| 12 | Eintracht Nordhorn | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 46 | 60 | −14 | 27 | |
| 13 | FC St. Pauli | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 36 | 47 | −11 | 27 | |
| 14 | VfL Wolfsburg | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 25 | |
| 15 | VfB Oldenburg (R) | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 37 | 60 | −23 | 21 | Relegation to Amateurliga |
| 16 | Eimsbütteler TV (R) | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 43 | 82 | −39 | 17 | Relegation to Amateurliga |

## Oberliga Berlin

The 1955–56 season saw two new clubs in the league, Tasmania 1900 Berlin and Hertha Zehlendorf, both promoted from the Amateurliga Berlin. The league's top scorer was Manfred Dommasch of Hertha Zehlendorf with 18 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 60 | 28 | +32 | 29 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | Minerva 93 Berlin | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 27 | |
| 3 | Berliner SV 92 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 37 | 36 | +1 | 25 | |
| 4 | Spandauer SV | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 24 | |
| 5 | Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin | 22 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 24 | |
| 6 | Union 06 Berlin | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 44 | 39 | +5 | 23 | |
| 7 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 22 | |
| 8 | Hertha Zehlendorf | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 39 | 37 | +2 | 21 | |
| 9 | Tasmania 1900 Berlin | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 25 | −4 | 21 | |
| 10 | Hertha BSC Berlin | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 18 | |
| 11 | Alemannia 90 Berlin (R) | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 30 | 52 | −22 | 18 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |
| 12 | Wacker 04 Berlin (R) | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 27 | 50 | −23 | 12 | Relegation to Amateurliga Berlin |

## Oberliga West

The 1955–56 season saw two new clubs in the league, Sportfreunde Hamborn and Wuppertaler SV, both promoted from the 2. Oberliga West. The league's top scorer was Alfred Niepieklo of Borussia Dortmund with 24 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund (C) | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 78 | 36 | +42 | 45 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | FC Schalke 04 | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 67 | 38 | +29 | 41 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | Alemannia Aachen | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 70 | 55 | +15 | 41 | |
| 4 | Duisburger SV | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 48 | 36 | +12 | 36 | |
| 5 | Rot-Weiß Essen | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 36 | |
| 6 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 55 | 48 | +7 | 36 | |
| 7 | 1. FC Köln | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 59 | 48 | +11 | 32 | |
| 8 | Schwarz-Weiß Essen | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 27 | |
| 9 | SV Sodingen | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 27 | |
| 10 | Wuppertaler SV | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 43 | 62 | −19 | 27 | |
| 11 | Borussia München-Gladbach | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 60 | 70 | −10 | 26 | |
| 12 | Preußen Münster | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 51 | 64 | −13 | 26 | |
| 13 | Westfalia Herne | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 24 | |
| 14 | Preußen Dellbrück | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 69 | −20 | 24 | |
| 15 | Bayer Leverkusen (R) | 30 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 17 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga West |
| 16 | Sportfreunde Hamborn (R) | 30 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 15 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga West |

## Oberliga Südwest

The 1955–56 season saw two new clubs in the league, FV Speyer and Sportfreunde Saarbrücken, both promoted from the 2. Oberliga Südwest. The league's top scorer was Horst Schmutzler of TuS Neuendorf with 30 goals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 30 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 108 | 41 | +67 | 53 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | TuS Neuendorf | 30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 75 | 36 | +39 | 43 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 30 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 88 | 53 | +35 | 39 | |
| 4 | FK Pirmasens | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 65 | 42 | +23 | 37 | |
| 5 | VfR Frankenthal | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 34 | |
| 6 | Borussia Neunkirchen | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 57 | 47 | +10 | 34 | |
| 7 | Phönix Ludwigshafen | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 49 | 43 | +6 | 34 | |
| 8 | Eintracht Kreuznach | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 59 | 75 | −16 | 32 | |
| 9 | Saar 05 Saarbrücken | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 28 | |
| 10 | FSV Mainz 05 | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 52 | 64 | −12 | 27 | |
| 11 | Wormatia Worms | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 65 | 66 | −1 | 26 | |
| 12 | Eintracht Trier | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 57 | −10 | 25 | |
| 13 | VfR Kaiserslautern | 30 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 47 | 76 | −29 | 20 | |
| 14 | SpVgg Andernach | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 43 | 87 | −44 | 19 | |
| 15 | FV Engers (R) | 30 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 52 | 99 | −47 | 15 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |
| 16 | TuRa Ludwigshafen (R) | 30 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 31 | 68 | −37 | 14 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Südwest |

## Oberliga Süd

The 1955–56 season saw two new clubs in the league, TSV 1860 München and Viktoria Aschaffenburg, both promoted from the 2. Oberliga Süd. The league's top scorer was Ernst-Otto Meyer of VfR Mannheim with 30 goals, six less than the previous season when he also finished as the league's top scorer.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Karlsruher SC | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 63 | 38 | +25 | 41 | Qualification to German championship |
| 2 | VfB Stuttgart | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 52 | 29 | +23 | 38 | Qualification to German championship |
| 3 | VfR Mannheim | 30 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 73 | 45 | +28 | 36 | |
| 4 | Kickers Offenbach | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 66 | 51 | +15 | 36 | |
| 5 | Viktoria Aschaffenburg | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 61 | 45 | +16 | 35 | |
| 6 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 56 | 49 | +7 | 31 | |
| 7 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 31 | |
| 8 | FC Schweinfurt 05 | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 30 | |
| 9 | FSV Frankfurt | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 29 | |
| 10 | Jahn Regensburg | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 28 | |
| 11 | BC Augsburg | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 53 | −5 | 26 | |
| 12 | Schwaben Augsburg | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 26 | |
| 13 | SpVgg Fürth | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 48 | 69 | −21 | 26 | |
| 14 | Stuttgarter Kickers | 30 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 24 | |
| 15 | SSV Reutlingen (R) | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 49 | 81 | −32 | 24 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Süd |
| 16 | TSV 1860 München (R) | 30 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 43 | 74 | −31 | 19 | Relegation to 2. Oberliga Süd |

## German championship

The 1956 German football championship was contested by the nine qualified Oberliga teams and won by Borussia Dortmund, defeating Karlsruher SC in the final. The runners-up of the Oberligas, except Berlin, played pre-qualifying matches to determine which three of the four would go on to the group stage. The remaining eight clubs then played a home-and-away round of matches in two groups of four. The two group winners then advanced to the final.

### Qualifying
#### First round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 2–1 aet | Hannover 96 |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 8–0 | TuS Neuendorf |

#### Second round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Hannover 96 | 3–3 aet | TuS Neuendorf |
    Replay
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Hannover 96 | 3–2 | TuS Neuendorf |

### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation | KSC | S04 | FCK | H96 |
| 1 | Karlsruher SC (Q) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | Qualified to final | — | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| 2 | FC Schalke 04 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 7 | | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| 3 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 7 | | 0–1 | 4–4 | — | 5–3 |
| 4 | Hannover 96 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 3 | | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–5 | — |

### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation | DOR | HSV | VFB | VIC |
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund (Q) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 4 | +15 | 9 | Qualified to final | — | 5–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 |
| 2 | Hamburger SV | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 9 | | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 5–1 |
| 3 | VfB Stuttgart | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 4 | | 0–2 | 2–4 | — | 3–1 |
| 4 | Viktoria 89 Berlin | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 2 | | 0–6 | 1–3 | 3–3 | — |

### Final

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 4–2 | Karlsruher SC |