The red-and-white party started right after the final whistle blew on VfB’s 4-2 win over Arminia Bielefeld at the Olympiastadion: first the boys from Cannstatt lifted the DFB Cup trophy high into the Berlin night before joining their fans in the terraces to celebrate.
The trophy belongs to VfB as the 2025 cup winners. The victory also means that Sebastian Hoeneß’s side have qualified for the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League, marking the second successive year that VfB will play in European competition. There was plenty of reason to celebrate, then, and the party unfolded in three stages.
Stage one: A long night in Berlin
Hoeneß set the tone for the celebrations in the Olympiastadion, saying, “we’ve got a long night ahead of us”. And his players duly obeyed. From the stadium, the official VfB party moved to ‘Spindler & Klatt’ in the Kreuzberg area of the German capital, as officials, board members, staff, players, family, friends and sponsors came together to toast the success.
“You’ve made history and together we’ve finally brought this trophy back to Stuttgart after a 28-year wait,” said CEO Alexander Wehrle. The party kicked into gear with a packed dancefloor and emotions riding high at the photo stand with the trophy.
Stage two: Reception at City Hall
The team flew back to Stuttgart at midday on Sunday. After landing there was a reception at the City Hall, including an entry into the city’s ‘Golden Book’ and a welcome from lord mayor Frank Nopper, who paid tribute to the triumph.
“We’re back home – and we’ve brought the trophy with us,” said VfB President Dietmar Allgaier, in a speech full of gratitude and joy.
Furthermore, Allgaier, Wehrle, board member for sport Fabian Wohlgemuth, Hoeneß and the entire team entered their names in the city’s ‘Golden Book’ and received medals of honour from Baden-Württemberg state capital Stuttgart.
Stage three: Parade and the Schlossplatz
After that the team was celebrated by thousands of fans on the city’s streets as the party continued all the way to the Schlossplatz.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to be up here on this stage,” said Hoeneß in an address to an estimated crowd of 50,000 fans crammed into the city centre to celebrate the club’s fourth DFB Cup triumph. “It looks amazing from up here. Thank you so much for your support, you guys are fantastic.”
