VfL Wolfsburg VfL Wolfsburg is one of only two Bundesliga clubs - alongside Bayer Leverkusen - that are wholly owned by a private company, making it an exception to German football's "50+1" rule. The club has been closely tied to the Volkswagen company since its founding on 12 September 1945, just after the end of the Second World War, when it emerged as a works team for employees of the car plant in a city built specifically for the factory.
The team adopted green and white as its colours, and its popular nickname is "Die Wölfe" (The Wolves). For most of its post-war history the club played in Germany's lower divisions, only reaching the Bundesliga in 1997, beginning an unbroken run of nearly three decades in Germany's top flight.
The historic breakthrough came in the 2008-09 season, when a team led by coach Felix Magath sensationally claimed the club's first-ever German championship. The key to success was the strike partnership of Edin Džeko and Grafite, who combined for 54 league goals, one of the best attacking records in Bundesliga history. Six years later, in 2015, Wolfsburg won its first-ever DFB-Pokal, beating Borussia Dortmund in the final, and shortly afterwards also lifted the German Super Cup.
On the European stage, the club's most memorable moment came in the spring of 2016, when in the Champions League quarter-final Wolfsburg beat ten-time European champions Real Madrid 2-0 at home - a side that went on to win the trophy that very season. Despite a subsequent 0-3 defeat in the return leg in Madrid and elimination from the competition, the victory remains one of the club's most surprising results on the international stage.
After nearly three decades of uninterrupted Bundesliga football, the club was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga in May 2026, losing the promotion-relegation play-off to SC Paderborn 07 - its first drop from the top flight in 29 years. Wolfsburg play their home matches at the Volkswagen Arena, a stadium that has carried the name of its main shareholder and sponsor since it opened in 2002.