Fortuna Dusseldorf, established in 1895, is a professional football club located in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
In 1963, Fortuna's performance did not qualify for the newly established Bundesliga's 16 teams, but three years later, the team successfully promoted to the Bundesliga and made its debut in the 1966-67 season. In 1971, the team returned to the Bundesliga after being relegated and competed there for 16 seasons, during which they finished third in the league twice.
From 2013 to 2017, Fortuna Düsseldorf was often in mid-table, struggling to avoid relegation and rarely challenging for a return to the Bundesliga. During this period, the club went through a series of coaching changes, with Oliver Reck, Frank Kramer, and former player Mike Büskens coaching the team at different times. However, success remained elusive. In March 2016, local resident Friedhelm Funkel took over as head coach of Fortuna Düsseldorf. In his first match in charge, Funkel led the team to a 4-3 victory over 1. FC Kaiserslautern, ending a month-long winless streak.