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Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg (), is a German professional football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as Fußball-Klub Alemannia Augsburg in 1907 and played as BC Augsburg from 1921 to 1969. With over 27,000 members, it is the largest Football team in Swabian Bavaria.
The club has spent most of its history fluctuating between the second and third divisions, with disappointment striking in the early 2000s when Augsburg were relegated to the fourth division for two seasons. However, the club experienced a surge following this setback, and was eventually promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2011, where it has remained ever since. Augsburg have consolidated their Bundesliga status in the 2010s, finishing a record high fifth in the 2014–15 season before several mid-table finishes, and made their European debut in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, with the club reaching the Round of 32 before being knocked out by Liverpool 1–0 on aggregate.
Since 2009, FC Augsburg's stadium has been the 30,660 capacity Augsburg Arena, located south of Augsburg city centre and easily accessible via tram. The club, known as the Fuggerstädter or simply as FCA, receive strong home support with an average attendance of 29,301 in the 2023–24 Bundesliga season (95.6% of stadium capacity). It is a single tier stadium with a standing terrace behind one of the goals, known as the Ulrich-Biesinger-Tribüne, and three seated stands with a standing section in the opposite corner to the Ulrich-Biesinger-Tribüne for away fans.
Augsburg maintains fierce local rivalries with Ingolstadt and TSV 1860 Munich. Matches between these clubs typically attract large crowds, and a match in 1973 at 1860 Munich set the all-time spectator record for the Olympic Stadium. FCA regularly sell out their local Bavarian derby against Bayern Munich.
The club's colours are red, green and white which can be found across the club's kits while the club badge is similar to the Augsburg city emblem. The club's training facilities are situated next to the stadium while a club shop is located near Augsburg Hauptbahnhof in the city centre.
In 1968, with BCA struggling in the third division after relegation from professional football the year before and Schwaben soon to follow, another effort was made. In April 1969, a high-level meeting between the two club bosses brought the decision to merge the clubs and name the new side FC Augsburg. FCA was to be a football club only, with no other sports department. The then-mayor of Augsburg, Hans Breuer, was one of the driving forces behind the move.
The merger came at a time of on-the-field decline for both sides, Schwaben had just been relegated from the tier-two Regionalliga Süd and decided that an attempt to regain their status was financially impossible, while BCA narrowly missed out on promotion to the league that season. In June, 256 of 265 of BCA's members present voted for the merger while, shortly after, 75 percent of Schwaben's members also approved the motion.Eckert, Klinger, p. 115
Schwaben, however, opted for the "small solution"—the club was to remain independent with only its football department merging into the new club. But even this move was not universally popular within the club, with some former members forming a new football club, Eintracht Augsburg, and restarting from the lowest level of the pyramid. For this reason, FCA is generally not considered to carry on the traditions of TSV Schwaben, only those of BC Augsburg. A year later, the footballers of Eintracht rejoined Schwaben but, since then, have always remained an amateur club. It took the new football department until 1981 to regain its third-division status, where they were to meet FCA for the first time in league football and renewed the Augsburg derby.Eckert, Klinger, p. 180
The new FCA played its first game on 30 July 1969, when it met 1. FC Nürnberg in Augsburg in front of 13,000, losing 0–3 in extra time.
The 1973–74 season saw the return of one of Augsburg's greatest football talents to the city, and the FCA—former German international Helmut Haller had returned to the club after 11 years in Italy playing for Bologna and Juventus FC. FCA paid DM 44,000 for the transfer of Haller.Eckert, Klinger, p. 33
FCA became an instant success in the Regionalliga, drawing an average crowd of over 22,000 for its home matches. When the club traveled to Munich to meet 1860 Munich in the then-new Olympic Stadium, 80,000 flocked to the game, starting what remains today as a fierce rivalry between the two clubs. FCA dominated the season, eventually winning the league title as a freshly promoted team. The mood in Augsburg was one of excitement, and the newspapers spoke of the atmosphere in the stadium as of "Augsburg, the Naples of Germany."Eckert, Klinger, p. 34
Augsburg qualified for the promotion round for the Bundesliga through its league title, where it met four other teams to determine the one available spot in the first division. FCA gave away easy points at home, drawing three times in four games. Away, the team lost only once, against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, but nevertheless came only second, one point behind Tennis Borussia Berlin, who earned promotion. Nevertheless, FCA had qualified for the southern division of the new 2. Bundesliga through its league title.Eckert, Klinger, p. 117
FCA was able to break the fall and win the Bavarian league title to gain promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga straight away in 1979–80. On top of this, the team qualified for the German amateur football championship, where it advanced to the final before losing to VfB Stuttgart's reserve side. But the club's promotion back to the second level faced a major obstacle. The 2. Bundesliga, after 1981, was to operate in a single division and with half as many clubs as before, meaning the club had to fulfill the qualifying norm, not an easy task for a freshly promoted side. FCA finished 18th in 1980–81, not enough to hold the league in a normal season and definitely not enough in 1981.
The club once more won the Bavarian league on its first attempt, defeating Schwaben in the first two Augsburg league derbies since 1968, but now had to enter a promotion round to determine the two teams that would go up out of the four Southern German league champions. Die Bayernliga, p. 117 FCA came second behind FSV Frankfurt and returned to the 2. Bundesliga once more, despite some of the gate receipts already being processed during the game against FC 08 Homburg by the tax department due to outstanding debts.Eckert, Klinger, p. 37 However, the side was again not strong enough for this level and was relegated on a slightly worse goal average then 16th-placed Union Solingen, lacking three goals to salvation. It was to be Augsburg's last season in the second tier for almost a quarter of a century.Eckert, Klinger, p. 119
While the club was one of the top sides in the league, another title did not seem to materialise; a second-place finish in 1985 being the best result, one point behind champions SpVgg Bayreuth. Die Bayernliga, p. 120 Again, the club changed managers frequently but had settled into the Bayernliga for good, it seemed. It was only when Armin Veh took over the team in 1991 that fortunes for the team seemed to improve, not harmed by the fact 1860 Munich made its "escape" from the league and returned to professional football that year. Die Bayernliga, p. 126
In 1993, the club won its one and only national championship to date, when 1. FC Kaiserslautern was defeated in the German Under-19 championship final.Eckert, Klinger, p. 38
In 1994, the club had another try at promotion in the last year of promotion play-offs to the 2. Bundesliga. However, this time the Bavarian champion was not grouped with the other Southern German clubs as in previous years, and thus had to face stronger clubs in the northern group that included Eintracht Braunschweig and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Despite being overmatched and unable to advance, they still received strong support in the region with crowds of over 20,000 turning up at the games. While the performance was not enough to gain entry to the 2. Bundesliga, FCA did qualify for the new Regionalliga Süd, which was slotted between the second division and the Bayernliga as the new third tier.
The following year was once more a qualifying season, with the number of Regionalligas being reduced in numbers from four to two. FCA fulfilled the on-the-field requirement, finishing eighth, its best Regionalliga result to that date. Financially, however, the club was in dire straits, with a real possibility of the club folding. While the latter threat was averted, FCA was refused a Regionalliga licence when a potential investor backed out and the German Football Association (DFB) relegated it to the Bayernliga, now the fourth tier. Main sponsor Infomatec, which had promised to provide a DM 3 million security for the club with the DFB, was unable to do so and, faced with debts of DM 1.8 million, the club was not in the financial position to obtain a Regionalliga licence.Eckert, Klinger, p. 122
The club returned as a force in the third division, earning top-four finishes in all of the next four seasons there. FCA came achingly close to advancing to 2. Bundesliga in 2005, but missed their opportunity after giving up two goals to Jahn Regensburg in the last four minutes of their final game of the season. The club dominated the Regionalliga Süd the next year, winning the league and clinching a berth in the 2. Bundesliga for the 2006–07 season.
This marked their first appearance in the 2. Bundesliga in 23 years. They finished the campaign in seventh place on 52 points, only eight points away from promotion to the top-flight. Once again, the game at 1860 Munich was the highlight, with a 3–0 victory for Augsburg in front of 69,000 in the Allianz Arena. Ralf Loose replaced Rainer Hörgl as head coach in October 2007 when the club found itself in the relegation zone. Loose's contract was terminated on 16 April 2008 after a string of bad results. He was replaced with Holger Fach two days later. The club avoided relegation on goal average, being on equal points with relegated side Kickers Offenbach at the end of the season.
The longtime home ground of the FCA, Rosenaustadion, built from World War II rubble, finally came to its well-deserved rest in 2009 when a new stadium was completed. The new Augsburg Arena also hosted games of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Under Dutch manager Jos Luhukay, Augsburg enjoyed a successful season in 2009–10, when the club reached the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal as well as finishing third in the 2. Bundesliga, which allowed it to play 1. FC Nürnberg for Bundesliga promotion. In two games there, the Franconians kept the upper hand and FCA was condemned to wait another year. However, at the end of the 2010–11 season, FC Augsburg finished second in the league and was promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in its history.
In its second Bundesliga season, FCA struggled even more than in its first year, accumulating only nine points in the first half of the season. However, FCA secured its top-flight survival in the last match of the season against Greuther Fürth with a 3–1 victory.
In 2013–14, FCA finished eighth in the league and competed, unsuccessfully, for an UEFA Europa League place, rather than struggling against relegation.
FCA began the 2014–15 season with a first round DFB-Pokal defeat against amateur fourth division side 1. FC Magdeburg.
FCA qualified for the 2015–16 Europa League after finishing fifth in the 2014–15 Bundesliga, their best ever finish. After a last-gasp 3–1 away win in the last group match at FK Partizan, FCA advanced to the knockout stage of the competition for the first time, being drawn against Liverpool in the round of 32. After a goalless first leg at the WWK ARENA, Augsburg fell to a narrow 1–0 defeat to the eventual Europa League runners-up at Anfield.
On 2 June 2016, Markus Weinzierl left FC Augsburg to become manager at Schalke 04, followed by the immediate signing of Dirk Schuster (then-outgoing manager at Darmstadt 98) as his successor. He was subsequently followed by Manuel Baum on 14 December 2016. In 2017–18, he led FCA to the most successful start in the Bundesliga history of Augsburg. In 2021, American investor David Blitzer purchased a 45% stake in the club from Klaus Hofmann. Hofmann stepped down and was replaced as president by Markus Krapf in September 2022.
| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | Group L | Athletic Bilbao | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2nd |
| AZ Alkmaar | 4–1 | 1–0 | ||||
| FK Partizan | 1–3 | 3–1 | ||||
| R32 | Liverpool | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Sandro Wagner |
| Thomas Kasparetti |
| Sven Palinkasch Imre Szabics |
| Marco Langner |
| Andreas Bäumler Christian Hahn Quirin Löppert Frank Roßner |
| Benedikt Brust Felix Kling |
| Claus Schromm |
| Nils Drube |
| Dr. Andreas Weigel Dr. Jens-Ulrich Otto Dr. Karsten Bogner |
| Martin Miller Nikolaus Guschl Alexander Ablaß |
| Samuel da Costa Pacheco |
| Philipp Dolla Jan-Vincent Reckord Salvatore Belardo Christoph Schade |
| 1 July 1980 – 31 March 1981 | Heinz Elzner |
| 31 March 1981 – 31 May 1981 | Heiner Schuhmann (interim) |
| 1 July 1982 – 30 June 1984 | Hannes Baldauf |
| 1 July 1984 – 30 June 1986 | Paul Sauter |
| Oct 1986 – March 88 | Heiner Schuhmann |
| 25 February 1989 – 4 October 1989 | Helmut Haller |
| 5 October 1989 – 6 December 1989 | Jimmy Hartwig |
| 22 January 1990 – 30 April 1990 | Dieter Schatzschneider |
| 1 May 1990 – 31 May 1990 | Gernot Fuchs |
| 1 June 1990 – 30 June 1995 | Armin Veh |
| 7 May 1995 – 30 June 1995 | Helmut Riedl |
| 1 July 1995 – 24 September 1996 | Karsten Wettberg |
| 25 September 1996 – 31 December 1996 | Helmut Riedl |
| 1 January 1997 – 18 April 1998 | Hubert Müller |
| 19 April 1998 – 30 June 1998 | Helmut Riedl |
| 1 July 1998 – 30 June 1999 | Gerd Schwickert |
| 1 July 1999 – 1 December 1999 | Alfons Higl |
| 2 December 1999 – 31 December 1999 | Heiner Schuhmann (interim) |
| 1 January 2000 – 30 June 2000 | Hans-Jürgen Boysen |
| 1 July 2000 – 30 June 2002 | Gino Lettieri |
| 1 July 2002 – 28 September 2003 | Ernst Middendorp |
| 13 October 2003 – 26 September 2004 | Armin Veh |
| 27 September 2004 – 25 September 2007 | Rainer Hörgl |
| 1 October 2007 – 16 April 2008 | Ralf Loose |
| 18 April 2008 – 13 April 2009 | Holger Fach |
| 14 April 2009 – 30 June 2012 | Jos Luhukay |
| 1 July 2012 – 2 June 2016 | Markus Weinzierl |
| 2 June 2016 – 14 December 2016 | Dirk Schuster |
| 14 December 2016 – 9 April 2019 | Manuel Baum |
| 9 April 2019 – 9 March 2020 | Martin Schmidt |
| 10 March 2020 – 26 April 2021 | Heiko Herrlich |
| 26 April 2021 – 14 May 2022 | Markus Weinzierl |
| 1 July 2022 – 9 October 2023 | Enrico Maaßen |
| 15 October 2023 – 23 May 2025 | Jess Thorup |
| 1 July 2025 – | Sandro Wagner |
| Season | League | Tier | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | DFB-Pokal | Coach(es) List of FCA and BCA coaches FCA website. Retrieved 26 June 2009 | Top scorer(s) | Goals | Ref. |
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | I | 13th | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 36 | R2 | Heiko Herrlich Markus Weinzierl | André Hahn | 8 | Bundesliga 2020–21 Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 23 May 2021 |
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | I | 14th | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 39 | 56 | 38 | R2 | Markus Weinzierl | Michael Gregoritsch | 9 | Bundesliga 2021–22 Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 15 May 2022 |
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | I | 15th | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 42 | 63 | 34 | R2 | Enrico Maaßen | Mërgim Berisha | 9 | Bundesliga 2022–23 Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 28 May 2023 |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | I | 11th | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 60 | 39 | R1 | Enrico Maaßen Jess Thorup | Ermedin Demirović | 15 | Bundesliga 2023–24 Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 18 May 2024 |
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | I | 12th | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 35 | 51 | 43 | QF | Jess Thorup | Alexis Claude-Maurice | 9 | Bundesliga 2024–25 Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 24 May 2025 |
The team disappeared into the lower amateur leagues after that, but returned to the Landesliga Bayern-Süd in 1976, finishing runners-up in the league in its first season, now as FC Augsburg Amateure. By 1978 however, the side was relegated again, not to return to this level for a quarter of a decade. It did, however, take out the Schwaben Cup in 1977, and qualified for the first round of the 1977–78 DFB-Pokal. After away victories over second division side Arminia Hannover and fellow amateur side 1. FC Normannia Gmünd in the first two rounds, the team reached the third round, where it lost 0–4 to Hertha BSC. kicker Almanach 1999, pp. 207–208
After becoming a founding member of the Bezirksoberliga Schwaben in 1988, the team was withdrawn at the end of the season, disbanded altogether and not reformed for more than a decade.
Since 2004, the side once more played in the Landesliga Bayern-Süd, generally achieving good results and eventually being promoted to Regionalliga Bayern at the end of the 2011–12 season.
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