A fan’s guide – the club from early doors to today
Still mourning the death of club icon Jürgen Grabowski, in 2022 Eintracht Frankfurt won the Europa League against Rangers on penalties, having gone to Barcelona, Betis and West Ham and won every time before reaching the cauldron of Seville.
Each trip, Eintracht’s ultras made their presence known, outsinging their Rangers counterparts for most of the final at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, whose late stop kept Frankfurt in the game before his decisive shoot-out save, elevated him alongside Grabowski and fellow 1974 World Cup winner, Bernd Hölzenbein, to the pantheon of all-time Eintracht greats.
The 2022 Europa League triumph came after an unexpected run to the semi-finals of the same competition in 2019 – this time, the Eagles flew through the entire thing unbeaten. Few will forget, though, the penalty defeat to Chelsea to deny Frankfurt that trip to Baku. Factoring in another decent run the following year, Eintracht would go on to play 22 Europa League ties in three campaigns over four seasons.
Their reward, apart from the trophy itself, was a first-ever berth in the group stage of the Champions League, fans taking trips to Europe’s elite stadiums after travelling en masse to Nicosia, Tallinn, Vaduz and Kharkiv after 2018.
Winners of the UEFA Cup in 1980, Eintracht were best known for their honourable role in a European final 20 years earlier, a majestic 7-3 win by Real Madrid. Eintracht even took the lead through veteran winger Richard Kreß, trumped by the subsequent Real master class.
Germany’s first European finalists date back to 1899, and to Viktoria and Kickers Frankfurt, later Frankfurter FV, founding members (and regular winners) of the regional Nordkreis-Liga. In 1920, FFV became Eintracht.
Moving from the Riederwald Stadium in Bornheim, now the club HQ, to the new Waldstadion in 1925, Eintracht monopolised the Hesse regional league. Star player was Rudi Gramlich, Germany’s 1936 Olympic captain, and later long-term Eintracht chairman. Gramlich couldn’t prevent Bayern Munich from winning their first German title in 1932, a 2-0 decider win over Eintracht.
The next great Eintracht side, and the club’s only title, came in 1959. Running the show was locally born Alfred Pfaff, Eintracht’s only member of West Germany’s 1954 World-Cup winning squad. He notched four of Eintracht’s European Cup semi-final goals against Rangers, after which he soon retired, 300 games to the good.
Founding members of the Bundesliga, Eintracht maintained a solid presence. Flank players Bernd Hölzenbein and Jürgen Grabowski, both heroes of West Germany’s 1974 World Cup win, contributed to back-to-back cup triumphs – though it was stalwart defender Karl-Heinz ‘Charly’ Körbel who scored the only goal in 1975. He would go on to make a Bundesliga record of 602 appearances for his one club.
All three would have taken part in Eintracht’s only European triumph, the UEFA Cup victory of 1980, had Lothar Matthäus not finished Grabowski’s career with a sliding tackle late in a league fixture weeks beforehand. Eintracht gained revenge over Mönchengladbach with an away-goals win in an all-German final.
Once they also lost ‘Holz’, and prolific South Korean striker Cha (‘Cha-Boom’) Bum-Kun, Eintracht slipped. But for the spectacular goals of Ghanian Tony Yeboah, and jinking midfield prowess of Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha, cult figures at the Waldstadion, Eintracht would have been relegated long before 1996.
Promotion and relegation typified Eintracht before coach Armin Veh galvanised the team in 2012. A member of the Mönchengladbach side in that 1980 final, Veh made key signings such as Peruvian centre-back Carlos Zembrano and tricky Japanese midfielder Takashi Inui to occupy a Champions League slot for most of the 2012-13 season.
The result was sixth place in the Bundesliga. Die Adler hadn’t achieved such a lofty league position since 1994, nor played in Europe since 2006.
Following a creditable return to the international stage, ending with a late, away-goal defeat to Porto in the round of 32, Eintracht were inconsistent in the Bundesliga. Veh went back to Stuttgart, to be replaced by former Bremen legend Thomas Schaaf for 2014-15.
Though Eintracht couldn’t engineer a repeat European venture, loyal striker Alexander Meier celebrated his tenth season at the club by topping the Bundesliga scoring charts.
Looking favourites for relegation in 2016, Eintracht brought in former Croatia manager Niko Kovač to maintain Bundesliga status, achieved after a tight and highly emotional play-off with Nürnberg. Steady at the back, Eintracht then won through to two German Cup finals, losing the first to Dortmund but, in 2018, beating Bayern 3-1. Scoring in each was later Croatian World Cup star Ante Rebić, whose early strike after an exchange of passes with Kevin-Prince Boateng changed the course of the game.
For Kovač, it was a fitting swansong, having already confirmed his move to Bayern for 2018-19. His replacement, Adi Hütter, started out with a 5-0 defeat to Bayern but recovered to lead Eintracht into uncharted territory in the Europa League. Key to the run of victories over feared names in Europe was Serbian wonderboy Luka Jović, the youngest player to take part in a Belgrade derby.
Scoring vital goals at Marseille, Internazionale and Benfica, Jović alone registered in each semi-final leg against Chelsea, a pulsating tie going to penalties at Stamford Bridge. Two saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga prevented the Frankfurt side from reaching the final in Baku, reversing Eintracht’s lead in the shoot-out.
A seventh place in the league barely reflects the most memorable season at the later renamed Deutsche Bank Park in moons – Hütter and Eintracht were named coach and team of the year for 2018-19 by Germany’s most popular newspaper.
Jović duly went to Real Madrid, Rebić joined AC Milan and the equally influential Sébastien Haller headed for West Ham. Hütter had to pick up the pieces and make a credible bid for the title, backed by an average 50,000 crowd before the pandemic struck.
Again, Eintracht saved their best for the Europa League, beating Arsenal at the Emirates, leading to the departure of Gunners’ coach Unai Emery, and swatting aside Red Bull Salzburg. Replacing Rebić, Portuguese international André Silva proved his worth before breaking Bernd Hölzenbein’s Bundesliga scoring record over the course of one season, as Eintracht came oh-so-close to a Champions League place in 2020-21.
Losing Silva in the close season but gaining Colombian international Rafael Santos Borré, Eintracht changed management completely, with a new board and head coach, Austrian Oliver Glasner. Few Frankfurt fans who witnessed their club being dumped out of the DFB Pokal at Waldhof Mannheim in August 2021 would have predicted that the season would end in European triumph.
Indeed, league form remained mediocre at best, but a kindly draw for the group stage of the Europa League led to a dramatic knock-out tie with Betis in March. Bringing home a 2-1 lead from Seville, Eintracht fell to a solitary strike from the visitors in the 90th minute. With penalties looming, ever-dangerous Serbian winger Filip Kostić swung in a free-kick. A typically brave leap from Austrian centre-back Martin Hinteregger saw the ball ricochet off a green shirt and into the net on 120 minutes. Pandemonium.
Frankfurt fans then decamped to the Nou Camp for the quarter-final with Barcelona, expecting little from a tie poised at 1-1. An early penalty from Kostić, a goal from Borré and the Eagles were flying, backed by an estimated 30,000 travelling supporters. Taking the same momentum to the London Stadium for the semi-final with West Ham, Eintracht notched up another impressive away win.
Playing in their first European final since 1980, Eintracht gave as good as they got against Rangers, an estimated combined 150,000 fans descending on a scorching Seville. Though tense, the game also suffered from heat fatigue, Frankfurt keeping their heads in the penalty shoot-out. Heroic displays from goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and captain Sebastian Rode, his head bandaged from an early injury, carried the day, and Frankfurt into the Champions League for the first time.
Despite defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki, Eintracht had chances to cause an upset, only five days after a devastating 1-6 defeat at home to Bayern in the league. Given that Frankfurt’s Champions League debut was a 0-3 loss, again at the Deutsche Bank Park, to Sporting Lisbon, it was all a huge comedown from Seville only weeks earlier.
Picking up to take Tottenham to the wire in a see-saw game in London, Eintracht made it through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League but were soon seen off by a rampant Napoli. Glasner’s farewell was another defeat, in the German Cup final, to Leipzig, but he’d managed to get his charges over the line into Europe the week before thanks to two late, late goals to reverse the scoreline at home to Freiburg.
His replacement was former Frankfurt midfielder Dino Toppmöller, son of Klaus, who had managed Eintracht exactly 30 years earlier. This time competing in the Europa Conference, Frankfurt took advantage of Aberdeen’s 1-1 draw at home to HJK to take second place in the group, despite defeat to the Scots in the last game.
Scoring twice in the first ten minutes in the away leg, Eintracht let their lead slip to Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise, failing to progress beyond the first knock-out stage following a surprise 2-1 defeat at home. Toppmöller’s men finished the league season knowing they could make amends in 2024-25, having qualified for the new-format Europa League.
Stadium Guide
The field of dreams – and the story behind it
The Deutsche Bank Park is still known by its traditional name of the Waldstadion and more recent one of the Commerzbank-Arena. Set in woodland (‘Wald’) south of town towards the airport, the Waldstadion was opened in 1925 as the 35,000-capacity centrepiece (with monumental grandstand) of a sports complex that also featured a golf course.
After the war, capacity was increased to over 80,000. The grandstand was packed for the run to the 1959 German national title decider – both for Eintracht and local rivals Kickers Offenbach, who each used the Waldstadion as their big-match venue before meeting in the final in Berlin.
The next major development came for the 1974 World Cup, the grandstand demolished and capacity reduced to a half-seated 62,000. Frankfurt staging the opening match, as well as the infamous ‘Wasserschlacht’, the group decider between West Germany and Poland played on near unplayable waterlogged pitch.
With Eintracht’s demise, the Waldstadion became more known as an arena for rock concerts and other sports events – but when it came to rebuilding for the 2006 World Cup, football took priority.
With its signature steel-cable inner roof, and retractable outer one, avoiding a repeat of 1974 was obviously paramount – but still water overflowed from above during the Confederations Cup Final of 2005. But with the running track removed, few fans were complaining.
The 2006 World Cup saw some big names here – England, Brazil, France, Argentina – but few goals. For Euro 2024, local fans have five games to enjoy, including Germany-Switzerland, England-Denmark and one knock-out game. Looking ahead, Frankfurt will also host the Europa League final in 2027.
For big international fixtures, capacity is set just above 48,000, some 10,000 less than for domestic matches, when there are 9,300 standing spectators. Home fans fill the Kurve West in sectors 36-42 immediately behind the goal and seated tiers above.
Visiting supporters are also given standing room, sector 20, and upper tiers between 17E and 21J in a corner of the Kurve Ost adjacent to the Gegentribüne. Facing that is the Haupttribune with its VIP boxes, press area, club shop and worthwhile Eintracht Museum.
getting here
Going to the stadium – tips and timings
Two lines serve the stadium: the Stadion Straßenbahn stop, terminal of the 21 and the Saturday-only 20 trams north-east of the arena; and to the north-west, S-Bahn station Frankfurt (Main) Stadion, that serves the S7, S8 and S9 lines and regional trains. All run from the Hauptbahnhof: the S8 and S9 run to and from the airport one stop away. The stadium is in zone 3, a €2.60 single ticket from the Hauptbahnhof. Match tickets are valid on the day.
If you’re taking the tram from the Hauptbahnhof, the stop is right outside the station, before you cross over to O’Reilly’s. It’s a 17min journey and 10 stops, the match-day 20 direct in the immediate run-up to the game.
The stadium is a signposted 10min walk along the main road, to the right as you exit the tram – past the recommended Fan-Treff Waldstadion bar/kiosk.
getting in
Buying tickets – when, where, how and how much
Matches are allocated four categories, A-D, with the lowest prices of €21-€33 in the higher tiers and corners, in the yellow and orange sectors. Red sectors (€32-€44) occupy decent spots in various parts of the ground. Prime lilac/dark blue sectors over the halfway lines cost €41-€70. Standing tickets (€13-€18) in the Kurve West are invariably snapped out all season long.
Tickets are available at the club’s main fan shops – one at the stadium’s Haupttribüne, one at the club’s Riederwald HQ (Gustav Behringer Straße 10) in Bornheim, the Fanshop City at the Sportarena at central An Der Hauptwache 1 and, nearest the station, at Bethmannstraße 19.
Online print-at-home purchasing is also available. Note that you’ll have to print off your free transport separately.
what to buy
Shirts, kits, merchandise and gifts
The main Fan Shop (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm, match days for ticket holders) is just by the Eintracht Museum between the two towers in the main entrance to the stadium. Must-have items include the CD of Eintracht songs Alle zusammen, and, for real enthusiasts, the four-DVD Eintracht history collection, Träume in Schwarz und weiß. Note also the branded pitchers for Apfelwein.
There’s another match-day Fan Shop on a higher tier of the stadium, round the corner to the right as you walk out of the weekday one. Other outlets include the Riederwald HQ (Gustav Behringer Straße 10) by Schäfflestraße U-Bahn station (U4, U7) in Bornheim (Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, non-match Sat 10am-2pm); the Fanshop City (Mon-Wed 10am-8pm, Thur-Sat 10am-9pm) at the Sportarena at central An Der Hauptwache 1; and at Bethmannstraße 19, nearest the station.
museum & tours
Explore the club inside and out
The Deutsche Bank Park lays on guided tours for groups of ten and over. Tours for individuals (€9) are infrequent, perhaps one a week. The stadium office provides a weekly, German-language timetable.
The worthwhile Eintracht Frankfurt Museum (Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, €5) illustrates the club’s history in chronological order in two rooms. Starting with archive team line-ups, a selection of souvenirs and a modest café in the lobby, the exhibition runs from the game’s local development around the turn of the last century through the Nazi era, the 1959 team and the Grabowski years.
Documentation is in German but the original artefacts – the match ball from the 1960 European Cup Final, a sponge roller from the 1974 World Cup de facto semi-final, souvenirs from Grabowski’s farewell match – are easily understood.
Note also the match tickets from the 1954 World Cup, one from the 8-3 defeat against Hungary in which Eintracht’s Pfaff scored – and the photo of Grabowski lifting the German Cup in an exchanged HSV shirt in 1974.
Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for fans and casual visitors
Arriving by tram, you’ll find two bars by the Straßenbahn Stadion stop: the Fan-Treff Waldstadion, more of a kiosk but bearing the proud eagle of Eintracht – and local Bining Adler beer. Next door, bizarrely, is the more conventional bar belonging to the German National Alsatian Dog Association, and bears a rather realistic mural of panting canines and Eintracht badges.
At the stadium itself, Krombacher beer flows like the Main river, though the only bar is the modest café in the lobby of the Eintracht Frankfurt Museum.
Visitors to the club’s HQ in Bornheim can enjoy a refined drink at the Diva upscale lounge bar/restaurant at Riederwald (Gustav Behringer Straße 10) by Schäfflestraße U-Bahn station.
