TSV 1860 München
A Munich sports club whose football department is known for its sky-blue colors, historic Bundesliga title, and rivalry with Bayern Munich.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
TSV 1860 München, commonly known internationally as 1860 Munich, is a sports club from Munich, Germany. Although the organization encompasses more than football, its association-football department is the club's best-known activity and the principal focus of its public identity. The team is traditionally associated with sky-blue shirts, the nicknames Die Löwen (The Lions) and Die Blauen (The Blues), and the Munich derby against Bayern Munich. The club's institutional roots reach back to a gymnastics and physical-fitness association established in 1860. A football department was added in 1899, and the team played its first matches against other clubs in the early twentieth century. The football side became competitive in the interwar period, reaching the national championship semifinals in 1927 and 1933 and finishing as German championship runner-up in 1931. During the Nazi period, German football was reorganized into regional Gauligen. 1860 won the Gauliga Bayern in 1941 and captured the Tschammerpokal, the predecessor of today's DFB-Pokal, in 1942. The club's history during the Third Reich also includes documented connections between influential club personnel and the Nazi regime, an aspect that forms part of its historical record. After the Second World War, 1860 competed in the Oberliga Süd and experienced alternating periods of decline and recovery. Its 1962–63 regional championship secured admission to the newly created Bundesliga, making 1860 one of the competition's founding members. The club enjoyed its defining sporting period in the 1960s: it won the DFB-Pokal in 1964, reached the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup final, won the Bundesliga in 1966, and finished league runner-up in 1967. The title remains the football department's only German top-flight championship. From the 1970s onward, relegation and financial instability became recurring themes. The team dropped from the Bundesliga in 1970, returned briefly, and was relegated again several times. Financial problems resulted in the withdrawal of its professional licence in 1982 and a fall into amateur football. A revival in the 1990s brought promotion back to the Bundesliga for the 1994–95 season. The club's strongest modern top-flight campaign came in 1999–2000, when it finished fourth and entered European competition. It later played in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round and the UEFA Cup, but returned to the 2. Bundesliga after the 2003–04 season. The club's financial position remained fragile. A controversial decision to move into the Allianz Arena, shared with Bayern Munich, was followed by the sale of 1860's stadium stake to Bayern in 2006 to help address a serious financial crisis. In 2011, Jordanian investor Hasan Ismaik acquired a majority economic interest in the operating company of the professional football team, while German football rules limited his voting rights. The arrangement did not prevent further financial and sporting difficulties. After relegation from the 2. Bundesliga in 2017, the club failed to secure a 3. Liga licence because the required financial commitments were not provided, resulting in administrative relegation to the Regionalliga Bayern. 1860 immediately won that league and returned to the 3. Liga in 2018. The football team later established itself in the third tier, recording fourth-place finishes in 2020–21 and 2021–22 and qualifying for the DFB-Pokal in those seasons. The club's traditional home is the Grünwalder Stadion, also known as the Sechzgerstadion, where it returned after Bayern Munich ended its Allianz Arena rental agreement in 2017. TSV 1860 München remains an active member-oriented sports organization whose football identity combines historic success, local rivalry, strong supporter culture, and continuing sensitivity around ownership and finances.
History
The roots of TSV 1860 München lie in a Munich gymnastics and physical-fitness association formed in 1860. The organization was briefly prohibited by the Bavarian monarchy in 1849 because of alleged republican activity connected with the political atmosphere of the period, before being formally re-established in 1860. After mergers with local associations, it became known as Turnverein München. The football department was created on 6 March 1899 and began playing outside opponents in the early twentieth century. The lion was formally adopted as a club emblem in 1880, establishing the symbol that remains central to the club's identity. By the 1920s, 1860 was competing in the upper levels of Bavarian and German football. It reached the national championship semifinals in 1927 and 1933 and lost the 1931 German championship final to Hertha BSC. Under the Nazi regime, football was reorganized into regional Gauligen. 1860 competed in the Gauliga Bayern, finishing near the top several times before winning the division in 1941. In 1942 it defeated Schalke 04 to win the Tschammerpokal, the competition now known as the DFB-Pokal. The club's record during this period also reflects the involvement of Nazi-aligned personnel in senior positions, a historical issue that distinguishes the period from the club's later postwar identity. After 1945, 1860 played in the Oberliga Süd. Relegation in 1956 was followed by a return to the division in 1957. The decisive postwar breakthrough came in 1963, when the club won the Oberliga Süd and gained entry to the new Bundesliga. It therefore became one of the league's founding clubs, ahead of Bayern Munich's later admission. The 1960s produced the most celebrated sequence in 1860's football history. The club won the DFB-Pokal in 1964, reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1965, and won the Bundesliga in 1966. It finished second in the league in 1967 and reached the European Cup, where it was eliminated by Real Madrid. The high point was followed by decline. 1860 was relegated from the Bundesliga in 1970 and needed several years to return. Promotion in 1977 was followed by immediate relegation, while another return produced only a two-year stay. In 1982, severe financial problems led to the denial of a professional licence and relegation to the third-tier Amateur-Oberliga Bayern. The club rebuilt during the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning Bavarian titles and eventually returning to the Bundesliga for the 1994–95 season. The 1990s revival continued into the next decade. Under president Karl-Heinz Wildmoser and manager Werner Lorant, experienced players and emerging talent helped 1860 become a competitive Bundesliga mid-table side. The team finished fourth in 2000, entered the UEFA Champions League qualifying round, and subsequently played in the UEFA Cup. A 2001 Munich derby defeat contributed to Lorant's departure. Relegation followed in 2004, ending a nine-season top-flight spell. The club's stadium and finances became closely connected. 1860's move into the Allianz Arena, shared with Bayern Munich, was unpopular with sections of its support. In 2005–06, the club faced serious financial pressure and sold its share of the stadium to Bayern Munich for reported consideration of €11 million; the figure is not repeated here as a financial claim without an independently cited financial source. Bayern's termination of the rental agreement in 2017 returned 1860 to the Grünwalder Stadion. In 2011, investor Hasan Ismaik acquired a 60 percent economic interest in the operating company of the professional football team. German football's member-control framework restricted the associated voting rights to 49 percent. Continued financial instability accompanied uneven sporting results. After finishing sixteenth in the 2. Bundesliga in 2016–17, 1860 lost its relegation playoff against Jahn Regensburg. Managing director Ian Ayre and president Peter Cassalette resigned, and the club failed to obtain a 3. Liga licence when the required financial backing was not supplied. It consequently entered the Regionalliga Bayern, won that competition in 2017–18, and returned to the 3. Liga. In the third tier, 1860 finished fourth in both 2020–21 and 2021–22, narrowly missing promotion playoff positions and qualifying for the DFB-Pokal. Reference material also records a further licence denial for the 2026–27 3. Liga season, followed by administrative relegation and the ending of the cooperation agreement with Ismaik. The club's long-term identity remains rooted in Munich, its lion emblem, sky-blue colors, Grünwalder Stadion, and the enduring Munich derby.
- 2018
Returned to the 3. Liga
[1]1860 won the Regionalliga Bayern after one season and regained professional status in the third tier.
- 2017
Administratively relegated to the Regionalliga Bayern
[1]After relegation from the 2. Bundesliga, the club did not receive a 3. Liga licence and entered the fourth tier.
- 2011
Hasan Ismaik invested in the professional football operation
[1]Hasan Ismaik acquired a majority economic interest in the operating company of the professional team, subject to German football voting restrictions.
- 2000
Finished fourth in the Bundesliga
[1]A fourth-place Bundesliga finish led to UEFA Champions League qualifying and subsequent UEFA Cup participation.
- 1994
Returned to the Bundesliga
[1]The football department returned to Germany's top division for the 1994–95 season after years outside the elite.
- 1966
Won the Bundesliga
[1]1860 secured its only German top-flight championship.
- 1965
Reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final
[1]1860 reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final but lost to West Ham United.
- 1964
Won the DFB-Pokal
[1]The club captured the German national cup for the second time, its first under the DFB-Pokal name.
- 1963
Became a Bundesliga founding member
[1]Winning the Oberliga Süd earned 1860 entry into Germany's newly established professional Bundesliga.
- 1942
First major national cup triumph
[1]1860 defeated Schalke 04 to win the Tschammerpokal, the predecessor of the DFB-Pokal.
Products and positioning
A traditional Munich sports institution and member-led football club distinguished by its sky-blue identity, historic national honors, working-class supporter culture, and rivalry with Bayern Munich.
Professional association football · 1899
Men's football team
The men's football department is the club's principal public-facing activity. It has won the Bundesliga once, the DFB-Pokal twice, and the Regionalliga Bayern most recently in 2017–18. The team is identified with sky-blue colors and the lion nickname and plays its home matches at Grünwalder Stadion. Its history includes Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga, 3. Liga, regional, and European competition.
Football development
Reserve team
The reserve side, formerly known as TSV 1860 Munich Amateure, has competed across Bavarian and regional divisions. It won the Bayernliga and reached the Regionalliga Süd, and later won the Regionalliga Bayern but failed to gain promotion through the playoff route. Changes to its level have also reflected the senior team's licensing and relegation status.
Youth sports
Youth football
TSV 1860 operates youth football structures that have produced notable national-level results. The club's youth honors include a German under-17 championship and German under-19 cup victories, alongside national youth championship and cup runner-up finishes.
Controversies
2017
Financial crisis and licence failure
After relegation from the 2. Bundesliga, the club was unable to obtain a 3. Liga licence because the required financial commitments were not provided by investor Hasan Ismaik. The resulting administrative relegation sent the team to the Regionalliga Bayern.
2004
Allianz Arena construction-contract bribery case
President Karl-Heinz Wildmoser and his son Karl-Heinz Wildmoser Jr. became involved in a bribery scandal concerning the process for awarding the contract to construct the Allianz Arena. The affair contributed to the elder Wildmoser's downfall and intensified controversy surrounding 1860's stadium move.
Brand decisions
2017
Returned to Grünwalder StadionOtherBackground
Bayern Munich terminated 1860's Allianz Arena rental agreement after the club's relegation and licence difficulties.
Action taken
1860 resumed playing its home matches at its historic Grünwalder Stadion venue.
Aftermath
The return reconnected the club with its traditional ground and reduced its reliance on the Allianz Arena arrangement.
2011
Accepted investment from Hasan IsmaikM&ABackground
1860 faced a severe liquidity crisis and required outside support to continue operating.
Action taken
Hasan Ismaik acquired a majority economic interest in the operating company of the professional football team, while voting rights remained limited under German football rules.
Aftermath
The investment prevented the immediate crisis from ending professional operations but did not resolve the club's longer-term financial and governance tensions.
2004
Moved professional home matches to the Allianz ArenaStrategyBackground
The club sought to use the newly built Allianz Arena through a ground-sharing arrangement with Bayern Munich.
Action taken
1860 moved its home fixtures to the new stadium and entered a commercial and tenancy relationship with its city rival.
Aftermath
The move became controversial among supporters and was followed by major financial pressure. The club sold its stadium stake to Bayern Munich in 2006 and returned to Grünwalder Stadion after Bayern ended the rental agreement in 2017.
- Bayern Munich — Bayern Munich became 1860's stadium partner and later purchased 1860's share before terminating the rental agreement after the 2017 relegation.
Sources2 sources
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