East Germany at the FIFA World Cup Germany in 1990 and did not compete again after the 1990 World Cup. East Germany at the FIFA World Cup After the division of Germany in 1949, West Germany was declared Germany's official successor team. East Germany was accepted as a FIFA member only in 1952 and entered the qualification tournament for the first time for 1958, but finished last in their qualification group behind Czechoslovakia and Wales. They appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on one occasion in 1974. During the tournament they played West Germany, who were hosts in that year, for the first and
2014 FIFA World Cup knockout stage victory in a World Cup semi-final (three previous semi-finals ended in 6–1 scorelines). Klose's goal was his 16th overall throughout his World Cup appearances, allowing him to beat Ronaldo for the record of all-time top scorer in World Cup finals tournaments. Germany's seven goals took their total tally in World Cup history to 223, surpassing Brazil's 221 goals to first place overall. <section begin=k1 /><section end=k1 /> The two teams had met in eight previous matches, including four times in the FIFA World Cup: Netherlands won 4–0 in the second group stage of the 1974 FIFA World Cup and 2–1