“I’ve experienced it all at this club, all of the ups and downs, but this up is the most special one. It’s very emotional for me.”
That’s Ulrich Zwetz – a lifelong Arminia fan and football commentator at Radio Bielefeld who has covered the club since 1994.
Those ups and downs include eight promotions to the Bundesliga – accompanied by eight relegations – as well as four separate spells in the third tier.
The club’s financial position was dire as recently as 15 years ago.
Arminia have only featured in 19 of the Bundesliga’s 62 seasons, never finishing higher than eighth, and last played in the top flight in 2021-22, before suffering back-to-back relegations and narrowly avoiding a first drop to the fourth tier.
They clinched the third division title last Saturday after securing promotion a week earlier, but a cup run was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
“Nobody really felt like this was possible, given where we came from and the team being relatively new,” Arminia season ticket holder Eva-Lotta Bohle told BBC Sport.
Last summer, sporting director Michael Mutzel oversaw a squad overhaul that gave manager Michel Kniat, who has never managed above the 3. Liga, 13 new arrivals.
Arminia didn’t really find their form in the league until February, but their cup journey began last August with a 2-0 defeat of second-tier Hanover 96.
Top-flight Union Berlin, Freiburg and Werder Bremen were all seen off inside 90 minutes at Arminia’s Schuco Arena – then came the big one.
