Cologne, Rhine-Ruhr · Germany · Bundesliga
Power-ranking history
Against expectation
Every German top-flight match this club has played in the Bundesliga, scored against the odds an Elo rating gave it before kick-off. Over 52 seasons from 1963-64 to 2023-24 it has beaten them by +3.1 match points.
Season points use that season’s own scoring, two for a win before 1995-96 and three from it; the bars use match points so the whole series is comparable.
1991-92 table not final: source truncated on 1992-04-25, last 4 matchdays absent, 340 of 380.
What the squad was worth
Total market value of the squad, EUR millions, by month; the player count beside it is the size of the priced squad.
How this is measured
Drawn as a step, not a curve: Transfermarkt reprices every squad in December and June (marked with a small tick on the axis) and revalues continuously between, so the line only moves when a real valuation changed, never by interpolation.
A month renders no value at all once the priced squad falls below 15 players, so a thin squad is never shown as a cheap one. The series is floored at July 2012on purpose: earlier Transfermarkt totals reflect which players happened to be priced yet rather than the squad’s real worth, and are excluded rather than shown misleadingly low.
Upstream (dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets) has been paused since July 2026, so the series ends where the source ends rather than where the season does.
Player valuations from Transfermarkt via github.com/dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets (CC0).
What the squad was worth€155m
The money ledger
Fees paid and received each season, and what the squad was worth once the trading is netted out.
How this is measured
Spent is the fees paid for players arriving, received the fees for players leaving, both in EUR millions by the July-to-June season of the move. A move with no fee on record (a free, a loan, an undisclosed sum) is counted, never priced: the small figure beside each total is the moves with a fee, plus those without (so 4+3 is four priced arrivals and three unpriced), and a quiet window is not mistaken for a cheap one. Wages are not here: they are estimates nobody licenses, and fees are documented.
Appreciationis the season’s change in squad value with the net spend taken out: buy 100m of players and finish 100m higher is zero; finish 120m higher and the club made 20m of players better, or the market repriced them. It needs a priced squad at both ends of the season (the same 15-player floor as the value chart), so it is blank rather than guessed for a season that lacks one.
The source has been paused since 6 July 2026, so the final row holds only the opening days of its window.
Transfer fees and player valuations from Transfermarkt via github.com/dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets (CC0).
The money ledger−€10m
Grown or bought: in 2026-27, trading −€9m and appreciation —. Over the last 5 seasons (2022-23–2026-27), trading −€16m and appreciation unpriced.
The director’s ledger: 65 arrivals graded since 2022-23, 92% EV-positive. €50m deployed for a 2.5× multiplier.
Show all 15 seasons
Money against football
Every priced club-season in the six leagues: points against expectation across, squad value gained beyond the net spend up. This club’s seasons are joined.
Tap or drag on the plot: the nearest club-season, its points and its money.
Greatest games
1. FC Köln's top matches by the club Game Score: closeness, stakes, quality and upset over one unified rating of league and European play.All-time board.
| # | Date | Stage | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979-04-25 | European Cup · Semifinals · 2nd leg, agg 3-4 | HL 0-1 v Nottingham Forest | game score 83.7 |
| 2 | 1979-04-11 | European Cup · Semifinals · 1st leg | AD 3-3 v Nottingham Forest | game score 75.8 |
| 3 | 1980-12-10 | UEFA Cup · Third Round · 2nd leg, agg 5-4 | HW 4-1 v VfB Stuttgart | game score 75.0 |
| 4 | 1990-04-04 | UEFA Cup · Semifinals · 1st leg | AL 2-3 v Juventus | game score 74.5 |
| 5 | 1980-06-04 | DFB-Pokal · Final | NL 1-2 v Fortuna Düsseldorf | game score 73.0 |
| 6 | 1973-06-23 | DFB-Pokal · Rheinderby · Final | NL 1-2 v Borussia Mönchengladbach | game score 72.9 |
| 7 | 1991-06-22 | DFB-Pokal · Final | ND 1-1 v Werder Bremen(pens 4 / 3) | game score 71.4 |
| 8 | 1989-12-06 | UEFA Cup · Third Round · 2nd leg, agg 3-2 | HW 3-0 v Red Star Belgrade | game score 70.6 |
| 9 | 1974-03-06 | UEFA Cup · Quarterfinals · 1st leg | HL 1-2 v Tottenham Hotspur | game score 70.4 |
| 10 | 1981-04-08 | UEFA Cup · Semifinals · 1st leg | AL 0-1 v Ipswich Town | game score 70.0 |
Footprint
The Heartbreak Index26.6 · #27
The Tortured · Major trophy, 1983
The Heartbreak Index26.6 · #27
The Tortured · Major trophy, 1983
- Major trophy since 198311.8
- Major final appearance since 19915.5
- League title since 19781.7
relegated from the top flight, 2024 · relegated from the top flight, 2018 · relegated from the top flight, 1998 · relegated from the top flight, 2002
One formula, every club the site covers. See the whole board →
Season-by-season
Most recent season first. Covers Bundesliga only. Rows tagged "national playoff" are pre-modern formats where the workbook records only playoff participants, not round-robin standings.
Show all 62 seasons
Domestic Cup Finals
Most recent first. Every domestic cup final the club has played, including losses. Scheduled finals (date not yet passed) are flagged.
European competition appearances
Most recent first. One row per entry showing the deepest round reached. A Cup Winner badge marks tournaments the club won: gold for the European Cup / Champions League, silver for every other UEFA or Intercontinental trophy.