Two former greats and a historical friendly: unveiling Karlsruher SC | OneFootball

On Sunday 26 July at 16:30 CEST, Inter will bring their training camp in Germany to a close with a friendly against Karlsruher SC at the BBBank Wildpark, the city's main stadium.

The match will provide the reigning Italian champions with another opportunity to assess their preparations this summer, following the friendly against amateur side SV Aasen during their training camp in Donaueschingen.

Inter have never faced Karlsruher SC in an official fixture, but Sunday's meeting will not be the first encounter between the two clubs, whose histories are linked by several fascinating stories. Here's a closer look at the Nerazzurri's next opponents.

THE HISTORY OF KARLSRUHER SC

Karlsruhe is one of the largest cities in Baden-Württemberg, located not far from the French border. Home to both Germany's Federal Court of Justice and Federal Constitutional Court, it is informally known as the Residenz des Rechts ("Residence of the Law"). More curious, however, is its nickname Fächerstadt ("Fan City"), inspired by the distinctive fan-shaped layout of its streets.

Karlsruher SC was founded in 1894 as Karlsruher Fussball Club Phönix by a group of members who broke away from the local gymnastics club. Under that name, the club won its only German championship in 1908/09, during the early years of German football. Over the following decades, the club went through a series of mergers before Karlsruher SC was formed in 1952 through the union of KFC Phönix and VfB Mühlburg. Both predecessor clubs are still reflected in the team's full name: Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix.

The club enjoyed one of its most successful periods during the 1950s, winning back-to-back DFB-Pokals in 1955 and 1956 before reaching the German championship final in 1956.

Another golden era came in the 1990s, when KSC qualified for the UEFA Cup on three occasions, in 1993/94, 1996/97 and 1997/98. Their first campaign proved to be their most successful, ending in the semi-finals against Salzburg, who were then beaten by Inter in the final. In 1996/97, Karlsruher SC also lifted the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

The club currently competes in the 2. Bundesliga, Germany's second tier. Karlsruher SC have spent 24 seasons in the top flight, most recently in 2008/09. Last season, KSC finished tenth in the league.

TWO FAMILIAR FACES

One unforgettable season, 12 appearances and a European Cup triumph: Horst Szymaniak was the first German player in Inter's history. The midfielder wore the Nerazzurri shirt during the 1963/64 campaign, helping the Club lift the first European Cup in its history. Of his 12 appearances, six came in Serie A, one in the Coppa Italia and five in the European Cup. Szymaniak featured away to Everton in Liverpool in the first round (0-0), away to Monaco in the second leg of the Round of 16 (a 3-1 Inter win), in both quarter-final victories over Partizan (2-0 and 2-1), and in the first leg of the semi-final against Borussia Dortmund in Germany (2-2). Inter signed Szymaniak from Catania. Before spending two seasons with the Sicilian club, the midfielder had played for Karlsruher SC between 1959 and 1961.

The second player to have represented both clubs is far more recent: Hakan Çalhanoğlu. The Nerazzurri midfielder was born in Mannheim, Germany, just 70 kilometres from Karlsruhe. After beginning his football journey with local clubs, he joined KSC's Youth Sector in 2009 at the age of 15. Two years later, he made his professional debut in the 2. Bundesliga with the Blue and Whites. Following two seasons in which he made 55 appearances and scored 17 goals, Çalhanoğlu earned a move to Hamburger SV, where his career truly took off. The Türkiye international, who has recently returned from the 2026 FIFA World Cup with his national team, will not be available for Sunday's friendly at the BBBank Wildpark.

THE ONLY PREVIOUS MEETING

There are no previous competitive meetings between Karlsruher SC and Inter. However, the two clubs did face off in a friendly more than 70 years ago, on 25 June 1955,  a historic occasion for the German club.

At the time, Karlsruher SC were enjoying one of the most successful periods in their history, having just won the DFB-Pokal. Inter, meanwhile, had finished eighth in Serie A after winning back-to-back Scudetti. Alfredo Foni's Nerazzurri still featured legendary names such as Lennart Skoglund and Benito Lorenzi, although key figures István Nyers and captain Attilio Giovannini had departed at the end of the 1953/54 season. In May 1955, Angelo Moratti became Inter's new owner, and the team travelled to Germany for two friendlies: first against Nürnberg, losing 4-2, and then against Karlsruher SC.

Karlsruher SC won the match 2-1 thanks to goals from Dannenmayer and Traub, either side of Bruno Mazza's equaliser for Inter. The fixture is remembered by KSC supporters above all because it was the last match the Blue and Whites played at the Stadion Honsellstraße before moving to the newly built Wildpark later that year.

The match was described by Corriere della Sera at the time:

"The German side [...] immediately demonstrated the strength of its attack, whose cohesive and precise football fully deserved victory. Dannenmayer, the left-half, opened the scoring for the Germans in the 28th minute before Mazza equalised for the Nerazzurri five minutes later. Then, in the 77th minute, after sustained but unsuccessful pressure from Inter, right winger Traub scored the winning goal for his team."

Karlsruhe (Germany), 25 June 1955 Karlsruher SC 2-1 Inter Scorers: Dannenmayer 28', Mazza 33', Traub 77'.