East Germany's first international fixture was in 1952 against Poland, ending in a 3–0 loss. The team entered every World Cup and European Championship between 1958 and 1990, but only qualified for the final tournament on one occasion, the 1974 World Cup. The team's final fixture was a 2–0 victory against Belgium in 1990, which was initially scheduled to be a qualifying match for the 1992 European Championship before the reunification was announced.