1860 München

Origins of the club

The roots of the TSV's founding as a physical fitness and gymnastics association go back to a meeting held 15 July 1848 in a local pub, Buttlesche Brauerei zum Bayerischen Löwen. It was a time of revolutionary foment due to the 1848 Revolutions, and the club was banned in 1849 by the Bavarian monarchy for "republican activities".^[] The club was formally reestablished on 17 May 1860 and after mergers with a number of other local associations in 1862 was known as Turnverein München. A football department was created on 6 March 1899 and played its first matches against other squads three years later. On 13 March 1880 the club officially adopted the lion on their crest and the nickname Die Löwen.

1900–1945

In 1919 was renamed TSV München 1860. By the mid-1920s, they were playing competitive^[] football in the country's upper leagues, like the Bezirksliga Bayern, making a national semi-final appearance in 1927.^[] Die Löwen challenged for the championship in 1931, but lost a 3–2 decider to Hertha BSC.^[] Two years later, they made another semi-final appearance which they lost to Schalke 04 who were on their way to becoming the dominant side in German football through the 1930s and 1940s, both teams were supported and sponsored by the Nazi regime at the time.

In 1933, German football was re-organized under the Third Reich into 16 top-flight divisions known as Gauligen. TSV joined the Gauliga Bayern where they earned second-place finishes in 1934, 1938 and 1939 before finally winning a division championship in 1941.^[] Their subsequent play-off appearance saw them finish second in their pool to finalist Rapid Wien.^[] The following season they did not advance to the national play-off rounds, but did earn their first major honours by defeating Schalke 04 to win the Tschammerpokal, known today as the DFB-Pokal. TSV returned to the national play-offs again in 1943, progressing to the quarter-finals.

Post war

After World War II, 1860 played in the top flight Oberliga Süd as a mid-table side, but were relegated in 1955-56 after finishing last. 1860 returned to the Oberliga Süd in 1957-58 where they stayed until winning the league championship in 1963. By becoming champions, 1860 gained automatic entry into Germany's new professional league, the Bundesliga, ahead of rivals Bayern Munich, who would have to wait two seasons for their own top flight debut since the German Football Association (DFB) did not want two teams from the same city in the new league. Through the mid-1960s, 1860 won their second DFB-Pokal in 1964 and played the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup final against West Ham United – losing 2–0. In 1966, they came away as Bundesliga champions and qualified for the 1966–67 European Cup, but lost 3–2 on aggregate against Real Madrid in the second round. On 3 June 1967, they finished as runner-up in the Bundesliga.

The 1970s, 1980s and 1990s

Those performances were followed by poor showings in three consecutive seasons leading to relegation in 1970 to the Regionalliga Süd (II). It took 1860 seven years to make their way back to the first division, through a three-game play-off contest with Arminia Bielefeld, only to be immediately relegated again. One year later they were back, this time for a two-year stay, then in 1982 they were relegated once again, and then forced into the tier III Amateur Oberliga Bayern when financial problems led to the club being denied a licence.

The club's exile^[] from the Bundesliga would last a dozen years.^[] They were promoted to the top flight in 1994, but found themselves in immediate danger being sent back down again.^[] President Karl-Heinz Wildmoser and manager Werner Lorant, however, made several shrewd^[] purchases, including striker Olaf Bodden, winger Harald Cerny, attacking midfielder Daniel Borimirov, playmaker Peter Nowak and defensive stoppers Miroslav Stević, Jens Jeremies and Manfred Schwabl. Stars^[] like Abedi Pele, Thomas Häßler and Davor Šuker played for 1860 as their careers were winding down,^[] becoming crowd favourites and making important contributions.^[][]

2000s

Under the leadership of Wildmoser and Lorant, the combination of proven veterans and young talent helped the club avoid relegation and become a decent mid-table side.^[] In 2000, 1860 finished fourth in the Bundesliga and as a result played in the UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round, where they faced Leeds United. A 3–1 aggregate defeat, however, saw 1860 play in the UEFA Cup that season, advancing to the third round, where they were eliminated by Parma. After nine years at 1860, Lorant was dismissed by the club following a 1–5 derby defeat to Bayern Munich on 13 October 2001.

After a decade in the top division, 1860 finished the 2003–04 season in 17th-place that returned the club to the 2. Bundesliga. Wildmoser made the controversial decision to groundshare with rivals Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena, a move that outraged^[] fans and led to accusations of a sell-out.^[] His downfall came when he and his son Karl-Heinz Wildmoser Jr. were caught in a bribery scandal around the awarding procedure for the contract to build the stadium.^[]

In addition to closely being relegated to the Regionalliga Süd (III) in the 2005–06 season, 1860 experienced severe financial difficulties.^[] Stadium partner Bayern Munich bought out TSV's 50% interest in the Allianz Arena in late April 2006 for €11 million, providing the club with some immediate financial relief. Following this move, the DFB was satisfied with the financial health of the club and duly issued 1860 a licence to play in the 2. Bundesliga for the 2006–07 season.

TSV hired several new managers during the club's time in 2. Bundesliga period. The first was Rudi Bommer, followed by Reiner Maurer, Walter Schachner, Marco Kurz and Uwe Wolf.^[] Also, former Germany national team player Stefan Reuter as a general manager.^[] None of the new managers, however, could lead the squad back to the top-flight Bundesliga. Ewald Lienen was manager of 1860 from 13 May 2009 to the end of the 2009–10 season.

2010–present

Reiner Maurer was hired as manager of 1860 at the start of the 2010–11 season.^[]

1860 came close to insolvency for a second time in five years in 2011 when it needed €8 million to survive.^[] Help was offered to the club by local rival Bayern Munich, to the disgust of the supporters of each club,^[] since Bayern was^[] to lose €50 million in future stadium rent if the club defaulted on its rental contract obligations until 2025.^[] Eventually, the club was rescued by Jordanian investor Hasan Abdullah Ismaik, who, for €18 million, purchased 60% of the club's professional team's operating company, 1860 GmbH & Co. KGaA'. However his voting rights being restricted to 49% due to regulations governing German football, which is based around membership-led clubs and not entrepreneurial.^[] H. I. Squared International, a company controlled by Ismaik, took over the marketing of the club from IMG.

The 2014–15 season saw the club finish 16th in the 2. Bundesliga. This meant a place in the relegation play-offs against Holstein Kiel, during which it retained its league place with a 2–1 home win after a 0–0 draw in the first leg. 1860 survived courtesy of an injury time goal by defender Kai Bülow in front of 57,000 spectators in Munich.

In 2016–17, the team finished 16th in the 2. Bundesliga after a 1–2 defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim in the last game of the season. They played 1–1 and 0–2 respectively in the following relegation play-off against Jahn Regensburg and were therefore officially relegated. Managing director Ian Ayre and President Peter Cassalette resigned from their positions the following day. On 2 June 2017, it was announced that 1860 were unable to obtain a 3. Liga licence for the 2017–18 season as a result of investor Hassan Ismaik's unwillingness to pay the necessary fees. As a result, the club was relegated to the Regionalliga Bayern for the 2017–18 season.

They spent only one season in the Regionalliga as they won the league in 2017–18, thus securing their return to the 3. Liga. Their first season back in the third league saw them finish 12th. The team managed to reach 4th place in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 season, one position away from promotion play-offs spot. The team also qualified for the 2021–22 DFB-Pokal and 2022–23 DFB-Pokal competitions as a result of the 4th place finishes.