1938–39 Gauliga
The 1938–39 Gauliga was the sixth season of Germany’s top football league and the last completed before World War II. It had 18 regional divisions, with the Gauliga Sudetenland running as a knockout among regional champions. Overall, 175 clubs competed—five fewer than the previous season.
The champions moved on to the 1939 German championship, which was won by FC Schalke 04, who beat Admira Wien 9–0 in the final. This was Schalke’s fourth national title and sixth Gauliga-era championship.
Four teams finished the league undefeated: FC Schalke 04, Hindenburg Allenstein, VfR Mannheim and SV Dessau 05. SV Algermissen finished the season without a win.
Hamburger SV scored the most goals (87), while ESV Wacker Wiener Neustadt conceded the most (87). SV Dessau 05 and Hamburger SV collected the most points (35), and SV Algermissen had the fewest (2).
That season also saw the fifth Tschammerpokal, now the DFB-Pokal. The 1939 edition was won by 1. FC Nürnberg, who defeated SV Waldhof Mannheim 2–0 on 28 April 1940.
The Gauligas expanded from 16 to 18 divisions. After the March 1938 Anschluss, Gauliga Ostmark was formed, and in September 1938 the Sudetenland joined as Gauliga Sudetenland. German occupation of parts of Czechoslovakia began in 1939, with Gauliga Böhmen und Mähren organized later in 1943. In Bohemia and Moravia, the Czechoslovak First League continued separately for 1938–39.
Champions entered the German championship group stage. Dresdner SC, Hamburger SV, Admira Wien and Schalke 04 won their groups and advanced to the semi-finals, with Schalke 04 and Hamburger SV reaching the final, which Schalke won.
Schalke 04 claimed their sixth consecutive Gauliga title; Fortuna Düsseldorf their fourth; SV Dessau 05 and Hamburger SV their third in a row; Vorwärts-Rasensport Gleiwitz defended their 1937–38 Gauliga title.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:32 (CET).