 {| class="infobox football" style="width: 16em; text-align: center;" |- ! style="font-size: 16px;" |german football champions |- | style="font-size: 12px;" |200px |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #bfd7ff;" | founded |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | 1903 |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #bfd7ff;" | number of teams |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | 18 |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #bfd7ff;" | current champions |- | style="font-size: 12px;" | bayern munich |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #bfd7ff;" | country |- | style="font-size: 12px;" |  |- | style="font-size: 12px; background: #bfd7ff;" | most successful club |- | style="font-size: 12px;" |bayern munich (24 times) |} the german football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in germany. the history of the german football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century. brought to the country by english expatriates, the sport had taken root in the cities of berlin, hamburg, stuttgart, and leipzig in the 1890s, leading to the growth of city, regional, and academic leagues, each with their own championships. following the establishment of the german football association (deutscher fuÃball bund) in 1900, the first recognized national championship match was hosted by hamburg club altona 93 in 1903 in which vfb leipzig defeated dfc prag 7â2.grÃ¼ne, hardy (2003) 100 jahre deutsche meisterschaft. die geschicte des fuÃballs in deutschland. isbn 3-89533-410-3 before the formation of the bundesliga in 1963, the championship format was based on a knockout competition, contested between the winners of each of the country's top regional leagues. since 1963, the first place finisher in the bundesliga has been recognized as the national champion.grÃ¼ne, hardy (1996). vom kronprinzen bis zur bundesliga. kassel: agon sportverlag isbn 3-928562-85-1 championship play was suspended twice; from 1915 to 1919 due to world war i and again from 1945 to 1947 due to world war ii. following world war ii, germany was [[allie
German_football_championship National_association_football_champions