1. FC Union Berlin in European football
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1. FC Union Berlin, commonly known as Union Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. The club has competed in UEFA competitions a total of four times in its history – first in the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, and then in three successive seasons between 2021–22 and 2023–24 in all three of UEFA's competitions, the Conference League, the Europa League and the Champions League.
| Club | 1. FC Union Berlin |
|---|---|
| Seasons played | 4 |
| Most appearances | Rani Khedira (20) |
| Top scorer | Taiwo Awoniyi (4) Robin Knoche (4) |
| First entry | 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup[a] 2001–02 UEFA Cup |
| Latest entry | 2023–24 UEFA Champions League |
History
1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup
Although Union Berlin's first European campaign came in 2001–02, the club actually qualified for Europe for the first time in 1968 when, while playing in the DDR-Oberliga, they won the FDGB-Pokal, thus qualifying for the 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup. Initially drawn against FK Bor of Yugoslavia, the events of the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia saw UEFA alter the draw to split clubs from Eastern and Western Europe. This led to Union Berlin being drawn against Dynamo Moscow of the Soviet Union. But, anger at UEFA's handling of the situation led to several socialist countries, including East Germany, withdrawing their sides from European competitions that season.[2][b]
2001–02 UEFA Cup
Union Berlin's first European foray came as a result of their reaching the 2001 DFB-Pokal final.[2] Although Union lost the final 2–0 against Schalke, they gained a place in the following season's UEFA Cup as a result of Schalke finishing second in the Bundesliga, thus qualifying for the Champions League.[3][4]
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Attendance | Away | Attendance | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | UEFA Cup | First round |  Haka |
3–0 | 12,111 | 1–1 | 1,720 | 4–1 |
| Second round |  Litex Lovech |
0–2 | 11,255 | 0–0 | 3,250 | 0–2 |
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League
Union Berlin were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in 2019. Having finished eleventh in their debut season, the club then finished seventh the following year to qualify for the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League. This was the first time they had qualified for Europe by league position, thanks to last minute winner in a final day win over RB Leipzig.[5]
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Attendance | Away | Attendance | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | UEFA Europa Conference League | Play-off round | KuPS |
0–0 | 5,632 | 4–0 | 22,159 | 4–0 |
| Group E |  Slavia Prague |
1–1 | 4,380 | 3–1 | 15,286 | 3rd | ||
 Maccabi Haifa |
3–0 | 23,342 | 1–0 | 22,150 | ||||
 Feyenoord |
1–2 | 30,000 | 1–3 | 36,100 |
2022–23 UEFA Europa League
Union Berlin continued progression in the Bundesliga by finishing fifth in 2021–22, which gave them a second successive European campaign, this time in the Europa League, the club's first time in the competition since its debut European campaign. This campaign was also the first that saw Union play their European home games at their own stadium, the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.[6]
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Attendance | Away | Attendance | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | UEFA Europa League | Group D |  Union Saint-Gilloise |
0–1 | 21,512 | 1–0 | 5,597 | 2nd |
 Braga |
1–0 | 21,082 | 0–1 | 17,782 | ||||
 Malmö FF |
1–0 | 21,800 | 1–0 | 16,057 | ||||
| Play-off | Ajax |
3–1 | 21,800 | 0–0 | 54,322 | 3–1 | ||
| Round of 16 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
3–3 | 21,605 | 0–3 | 15,681 | 3–6 |
2023–24 UEFA Champions League
Union Berlin's fourth-place finish in the 2022–23 Bundesliga was the club's highest ever league position to date. This allowed them a place in the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League, the first time that the club had played in Europe's premier competition.[7]
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Attendance | Away | Attendance | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | UEFA Champions League | Group C |  Real Madrid |
2–3 | 73,420 | 0–1 | 65,207 | 4th |
| Braga |
2–3 | 73,445 | 1–1 | 15,855 | ||||
 Napoli |
0–1 | 72,062 | 1–1 | 42,449 |
Overall record
Correct as of match played 12 December 2023, vs Real Madrid[8][9][10]
Record by competition
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −4 | Group stage (2023–24) |
| UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 13 | +1 | Round of 16 (2022–23) |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 | Group stage (2021–22) |
Record by nation
| Nation | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | Litex Lovech |
| Czech Republic | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | Slavia Prague |
| Finland | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | Haka, KuPS |
| Israel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | Maccabi Haifa |
| Italy | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | Napoli |
| Netherlands | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | Ajax, Feyenoord |
| Portugal | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | Braga |
| Spain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | Real Madrid |
| Sweden | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | Malmö FF |
Record by match
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Haka |
3–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 |
| 2R | Litex Lovech |
0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | ||
| 2021–22 | UEFA Europa Conference League | PO | KuPS |
0–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 |
| Group E | Slavia Prague |
1–1 | 1–3 | 3rd | ||
| Feyenoord |
1–2 | 1–3 | ||||
| Maccabi Haifa |
3–0 | 1–0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | UEFA Europa League | Group D | Union Saint-Gilloise |
0–1 | 1–0 | 2nd |
| Braga |
1–0 | 0–1 | ||||
| Malmö FF |
1–0 | 1–0 | ||||
| KRPO | Ajax |
3–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | ||
| R16 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
3–3 | 0–3 | 3–6 | ||
| 2023–24 | UEFA Champions League | Group C | Real Madrid |
2–3 | 0–1 | 4th |
| Braga |
2–3 | 1–1 | ||||
| Napoli |
0–1 | 1–1 |
UEFA coefficient
As of 27 April 2026
Source:[11]
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 88 |  Leicester City | 23.481 |
| 89 |  Celje | 23.000 |
| 90 |  Union Berlin | 23.000 |
| 91 |  Raków | 22.250 |
| 92 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 22.000 |
Non-UEFA competitions
Intertoto Cup
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Intertoto Cup | Group B7 |  KB |
0–3 | 0–1 | 3rd place |
| Katowice |
3–0 | 0–1 | ||||
| Union Teplice |
0–1 | 1–1 | ||||
| 1986 | Intertoto Cup | Group 2 | Bayer Uerdingen |
3–2 | 0–3 | 1st place |
 Lausanne-Sport |
1–0 | 1–1 | ||||
| Standard Liège |
4–1 | 2–1 |
Notes
- Union Berlin qualified for the 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup after winning the FDGB-Pokal. Subsequently, the DFV withdrew all of its clubs from UEFA-sanctioned European competition for the 1968–69 season.[1]
- The withdrawal applied to UEFA-sanctioned competitions; in addition to Union Berlin, this also applied to Carl Zeiss Jena, who missed out on their place in the European Cup. However, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was not a UEFA-sanctioned competition, which meant that both Hansa Rostock and Lokomotive Leipzig were able to participate in Europe that season.[1]