Editing VfB Stuttgart (section)

==History==
===Foundation to WWII===
''Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart'' was formed through a 2 April 1912 merger of predecessor sides ''Stuttgarter FV'' and ''FC Krone Cannstatt'' following a meeting in the Concordia hotel in [[Cannstatt]]. Each of these clubs was made up of school pupils with middle-class roots<ref name="Brustring Vorwort">Hardy Grüne: [http://www.deutschesfachbuch.de/info/detail.php?isbn=3895335339&part=1&word= Mit dem Ring auf der Brust] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012010242/http://www.deutschesfachbuch.de/info/detail.php?isbn=3895335339&part=1&word= |date=12 October 2007 }} Vorwort S. 7</ref> who learned new sports such as [[rugby union]] and football from English expatriates such as [[William Cail]] who introduced rugby in 1865.<ref>{{cite book |title=Erinnerungen an den Cannstatter Fussball-Club |language = de |trans-title = Memories of the Cannstatter Fussball-Club |last=Heineken |first=Philipp |year=1930 |publisher=Verlag Hermann Meister |location=Heidelberg |page=10}}</ref>

====FV Stuttgart====
[[File:Rugby team of FV Stuttgart in 1894.jpg|thumb|left|FV Stuttgart in 1894]]
''Stuttgarter Fußballverein'' was founded at the Zum Becher hotel in Stuttgart on 9 September 1893.<ref>[http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1890_1899/Stuttgart/03/Saison.htm Chronik 19<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312014842/http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1890_1899/Stuttgart/03/Saison.htm |date=12 March 2012 }}</ref> ''FV'' were initially a rugby club, playing games at Stöckach-Eisbahn before moving to Cannstatter Wasen in 1894. The rugby club established a football section in 1908. The team drew players primarily from local schools, under the direction of teacher Carl Kaufmann, and quickly achieved its first success; in 1909, they were runners-up to ''FSV 1897 Hannover'' in the national rugby final, losing 6–3.<ref>[http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1900_1909/Stuttgart/09/Saison.htm Chronik 19<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312014836/http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1900_1909/Stuttgart/09/Saison.htm |date=12 March 2012 }}</ref> Rugby was soon replaced by association football within the club, as spectators found the game too complicated to follow.

In 1909, ''FV'' joined the Süddeutschen Fußballverband (South German Football Association),<ref>[http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1900_1909/Stuttgart/07/Saison.htm Chronik 19<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312014911/http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1900_1909/Stuttgart/07/Saison.htm |date=12 March 2012 }}</ref> playing in the second tier B-Klasse. In their second season ''FV'' won a district final against future merger partner ''Kronen-Klub Cannstatt'' before being defeated by ''FV Zuffenhausen'' in the county championship that would have seen the side promoted. They eventually advanced to the senior [[Südkreis-Liga]] in 1912.

====Kronenclub Cannstatt====
[[File:Football team of VfB Stuttgart in 1912.jpg|thumb|left|The first team in 1912]]
''Cannstatter Fußballklub'' was formed as a rugby club in 1890 and also quickly established a football team. This club was dissolved after just a few years of play and the former membership re-organized themselves as ''FC Krone Cannstatt'' in 1897 to compete as a football-only side.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1890_1899/Cannstatt/07/Saison.htm | title = Vereinschronik Kronen-Club 1897 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120922000415/http://www.hefleswetzkick.de/VFB/25_Chronik/1890_1899/Cannstatt/07/Saison.htm | archive-date = 22 September 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> The new team joined the Süddeutschen Fußballverband (SFV) as a second division club and won promotion in 1904. ''Krone'' possessed their own ground, which still exists today as the home of TSV Münster.

Following the 1912 merger of these two clubs, the combined side played at first in the [[Kreisliga Württemberg]] and then in the [[Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden]], earning a number of top three finishes and claiming a title there in 1927. The club also made several appearances in the final rounds of the SFV in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

===1930s and 1940s===
In 1933, VfB moved to [[MHPArena|Neckar Stadium]], the site of its current ground. German football was re-organized that same year under the [[Third Reich]] into sixteen top-flight divisions called [[Gauliga|Gauligen]]. Stuttgart played in the [[Gauliga Württemberg]] and won division titles in 1935, 1937, 1938, 1940, and 1943 before the Gauliga system collapsed part way through the 1944–45 season due to [[World War II]]. The club had an intense rivalry with [[Stuttgarter Kickers]] throughout this period.

VfB's Gauliga titles earned the team entry to the national playoff rounds, with their best result coming in 1935 when they advanced to the final where they lost 4–6 to defending champions [[FC Schalke 04|Schalke 04]], the dominant side of the era. After a third-place result at the national level in 1937, Stuttgart was not able to advance out of the preliminary rounds in subsequent appearances.

===Successes through the 1950s===
[[File:Stuttgart Performance Chart.png|260px|thumb|Historical chart of Stuttgart league performance]]
VfB continued to play first division football in the [[Oberliga Süd (1945–63)|Oberliga Süd]], capturing titles in 1946, 1952, and 1954. They made regular appearances in the German championship rounds, emerging as [[List of German football champions|national champions]] in 1950 and 1952, finishing as runner-up in 1953, and winning two [[DFB-Pokal]] titles in [[1953–54 DFB-Pokal|1954]] and [[1957–58 DFB-Pokal|1958]]. The team which won four titles in eight years was led by [[Robert Schlienz]] who had lost his left arm in a car crash. Despite these successes, no player from the Stuttgart squad had a place in the team that won the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]].

===Original Bundesligist===
Due to disappointing results in international competition including the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]] and [[1962 FIFA World Cup]], and in response to the growth of professionalism in the sport, the [[German Football Association]] (DFB) replaced the regional top flight competitions with a single nationwide professional league in 1963. Stuttgart's consistently solid play through the 1950s earned them a place among the 16 clubs that would make up the original [[Bundesliga]]. As an amateur organisation, and due to proverbial [[Swabia]]n austerity, the club hesitated to spend money, and some players continued to work in an everyday job. Throughout the balance of the decade and until the mid-1970s, the club would generally earn mid-table results.

In [[1972–73 Bundesliga|1973]], the team qualified for the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]] for the first time and advanced to the semi-finals of the [[1973–74 UEFA Cup|1974]] tournament where they were eliminated by eventual winners [[Feyenoord]] (1–2, 2–2).

===1975–2000: Era of president MV===
VfB Stuttgart was in crisis in the mid-1970s, having missed new trends in football such as club sponsorship. Attempts to catch up with new levels of professionalism by spending money failed. Towards the end of the [[1974–75 Bundesliga|1974–75 season]], with the team in imminent danger of being relegated to [[2. Bundesliga|Second Bundesliga]], local politician [[Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder]] was elected as new president. However, a draw in the final game of the season meant that VfB would be ranked 16th and lose its Bundesliga status. The first season in the second league, considered the worst in its history, ended with VfB being ranked 11th, having even lost a home game against local rival [[SSV Reutlingen]] in front of just 1,200 spectators.

With new coach [[Jürgen Sundermann]] and new talents like [[Karlheinz Förster]] and [[Hansi Müller]] (1975/76-1981/82), the team built around [[Ottmar Hitzfeld]] scored one hundred goals in [[1976–77 2. Bundesliga|1976–77]] and thus returned to the top-flight after just two seasons.

The young team were renowned for offensive and high-scoring play, but suffered from lack of experience. At the end of [[1977–78 Bundesliga|1977–78]], VfB was ranked fourth, but the average attendance of over 53,000 set the league record until the 1990s. In 1978/79 they finished second in the Bundesliga. They made another UEFA Cup semi-final appearance in [[1979–80 UEFA Cup|1980]] and delivered a number of top four finishes on their way to their first Bundesliga title – the club's third national title – in the [[1983–84 Bundesliga|1983/84]] season, now under coach [[Helmut Benthaus]].
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-0419-044, Uefa-Cup, Dynamo Dresden - VFB Stuttgart 1-1.jpg|thumb|[[Jürgen Klinsmann]] (centre) against [[Dynamo Dresden]] in the semi-final of the [[1988–89 UEFA Cup]]]]

In 1986, VfB lost the [[1985–86 DFB-Pokal|DFB-Pokal final]] 2–5 to [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]]. In the [[1989 UEFA Cup Final]], with [[Jürgen Klinsmann]] in their ranks, they lost out to [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]] (1–2, 3–3), where [[Diego Maradona]] was playing at the time.

In [[1991–92 Bundesliga|1991–92]], Stuttgart clinched its fourth title, in one of the closest races in Bundesliga history, finishing ahead of [[Borussia Dortmund]] on goal difference. Internationally, they had been eliminated from UEFA Cup play that season ([[1991–92 UEFA Cup|1991–92]]) after losing their second round match to Spanish side [[CA Osasuna|Osasuna]] (2–3). As national champions, the club qualified to play in the [[UEFA Champions League]] in [[1992–93 UEFA Champions League|1992–93]], but were eliminated in the first round by [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] after a tie-breaking third match in [[Barcelona]] which was required due to coach [[Christoph Daum]] having substituted a fourth non-German player in the tie's second leg.

VfB did not qualify for any European competition again until 1997, by way of their third German Cup win, with coach [[Joachim Löw]]. They advanced to the [[1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final|1998 European Cup Winners' Cup final]], where they lost to [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in what was the penultimate year of the competition. Only one player of the "magic triangle", captain [[Krassimir Balakov]], remained after [[Giovane Élber]] and [[Fredi Bobic]] left. Löw's contract was not renewed, and he was replaced by [[Winfried Schäfer]], who in turn was sacked after one season.

Stuttgart's performance, however, fell off after this as the club earned just mid-table results over the next two seasons despite spending money on the transfer market and having veterans like Balakov.

===2000–2007: The post-MV-era return to success===
Due to high debts and the lack of results, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder finally resigned from VfB in 2000 to take over offices at the DFB, [[UEFA]], and [[FIFA]]. New president Manfred Haas had to renegotiate expensive contracts with players who seldom appeared on the field anyway. As in 1976, when Mayer-Vorfelder had taken over, the team had to be rebuilt by relying on talents from the youth teams. The VfB has Germany's most successful program in the German youth Championship.

Coach [[Ralf Rangnick]] had started a restructuring of the team that won the Intertoto Cup, but the resulting extra strain of the UEFA Cup participation ended in narrowly escaping from relegation in [[2000–01 Bundesliga|2001]] by clinching the 15th spot in the league table. Rangnick was replaced by [[Felix Magath]].

With players like [[Andreas Hinkel]], [[Kevin Kurányi]], [[Timo Hildebrand]], and [[Alexander Hleb]] earning themselves the nickname "the young and wild", the club soon re-bounded and finished as Bundesliga runners-up in the [[2002–03 Bundesliga|2002–03 season]]. In July 2003, [[Erwin Staudt]] became the new president of the club.

====2003–04 Champions League====
VfB qualified for their second Champions League appearance for [[2003–04 UEFA Champions League|2003–04]], beating [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] once and [[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]] twice to advance from the [[2003–04 UEFA Champions League group stage|group stage]] as runners-up to Manchester United. They were then matched against Chelsea in the [[2003–04 UEFA Champions League knockout stage|round of 16]], falling 0–1 and 0–0 over two legs.

Stuttgart continued to play as one of the top teams in the country, earning fourth and fifth place Bundesliga finishes in [[2003–04 Bundesliga|2003–04]] and [[2004–05 Bundesliga|2004–05]] respectively, and again taking part in the [[2004–05 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]], but without great success. In addition, coach Magath and several players left for another clubs: Kevin Kurányi for Schalke 04, [[Philipp Lahm]] for Bayern Munich and Alexander Hleb for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]].

Halfway through the disappointing [[2005–06 Bundesliga|2005–06 season]], [[Giovanni Trapattoni]] was sacked and replaced by [[Armin Veh]]. The new coach was designated as a stop-gap due to having resigned from [[F.C. Hansa Rostock|Hansa Rostock]] in 2003 to focus on his family and having no football job since 2004, save for coaching his home team [[FC Augsburg]] for one season. Supported by new manager [[Horst Heldt]], Veh could establish himself and his concept of focusing on promising inexpensive players rather than established stars. Team captain, [[Zvonimir Soldo]], retired, and other veterans left the team that slipped to ninth place and did not qualify for European competition for the first time in four years.

====Bundesliga champions 2006–07====
[[File:Sami Khedira.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Sami Khedira]] with the [[Meisterschale]]]]
Despite early-season losses and ensuing criticism in [[2006–07 Bundesliga|2006–07]], including a 3–0 loss at home to [[1. FC Nürnberg]], Veh managed to turn the collection of new players like Mexicans [[Pável Pardo]], and [[Ricardo Osorio]], Brazilian [[Antônio da Silva (footballer)|Antônio da Silva]] and fresh local talents, including [[Mario Gómez]], [[Serdar Tasci]], and [[Sami Khedira]], into a strong contender that led the league on 12 November 2006 for the first time in two years. Stuttgart established themselves among the top five and delivered a strong challenge for the Bundesliga title by winning their final eight games. In the penultimate week on 12 May 2007, Stuttgart beat [[VfL Bochum]] 3–2 away from home, taking the Bundesliga lead from Schalke 04 and at minimum securing a spot in the [[2007–08 UEFA Champions League|2007–08 Champions League]]. After trailing 0–1 in the final match of the season against [[FC Energie Cottbus|Energie Cottbus]], Stuttgart came back to win 2–1 and claim their first Bundesliga title in 15 years. The victory celebrations in Stuttgart, totalling 250,000 people, even topped those of [[Germany national football team|Germany]]'s third place win over [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]] in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]].

In addition, VfB had their first ever chance to win the [[double (association football)|double]] as they also reached the final of the German Cup for the first time since their victory there ten years former. Their opponents in the cup final in Berlin were 1. FC Nürnberg, a team that had beaten them twice by three goals in regular season, 3–0 and 4–1, and had last won the cup in 1962. With the game level at 1–1 in the first half, Stuttgart's scorer [[Cacau]] was sent off. Nürnberg gained a 2–1 lead early in the second half, but the ten men of VfB managed to fight back and equalize. In the second half of extra time, however, with both teams suffering from exhaustion and the humid conditions, Nürnberg scored the winning goal.

===2007 to 2018: Decline and two relegations===
====2007–08 UEFA Champions League====
The 2007–08 UEFA Champions League draw on 30 August 2007 paired the German champions with [[La Liga|Spanish]] giants [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]], [[Ligue 1|French]] champions [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]] and [[Scottish Premier League|Scottish]] [[Old Firm]] side [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]]. Like in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League season, Stuttgart's 2007–08 European campaign started with a match at [[Ibrox Park]] in [[Glasgow]] against Rangers. It ended in a 2–1 defeat. The second match at home against Barcelona was likewise lost, 0–2, as well as the third match, against Lyon at home, with the visitors coming out 2–0 winners from two-second-half strikes. Five defeats and just one win (over Rangers) meant the early exit on the European stage. In the league, they managed to finish in sixth place after a poor start. New German international star Mario Gómez scored 19 goals.

Subsequently, UEFA Cup qualification was ensured in the summer by succeeding in the [[2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup]].

====Post-championship seasons 2008–12====
[[File:Neckarstadion 2011 - 2.jpg|left|thumb|Stuttgart against [[Borussia Dortmund]] in 2011]]
The [[2008–09 Bundesliga|2008–09 season]], like the one before it, got off to a bad start. After matchday 14 in November, VfB was only 11th in the table and as a result, Armin Veh was sacked and replaced by [[Markus Babbel]]. After exiting the German Cup after a 1–5 thrashing from Bayern Munich in January, prospects improved considerably and the team ended third in the table, with second place just being missed after a loss to Bayern on the last matchday. That meant the chance of making the [[2009–10 UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] again.

Internationally, VfB mastered the group stages of the [[2008–09 UEFA Cup]], but lost to Cup defenders [[FC Zenit Saint Petersburg|Zenit Saint Petersburg]] in the round of the last 32 in February.

Stuttgart went into the 2009–10 season with Mario Gómez leaving for Bayern Munich, just as [[Pavel Pogrebnyak]] arrived from Zenit Saint Petersburg and Alexander Hleb returning on loan from Barcelona.

On the European level, Stuttgart started the season with a huge success by qualifying for the group stage of the [[2009–10 UEFA Champions League]]. Stuttgart entered that competition for the third time in six years (after 2003 and 2007) by defeating Romanian side [[FC Politehnica Timișoara|Politehnica Timișoara]] in the [[2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round|Champions League play-off round]] on 18 and 26 August 2009. VfB were then drawn into Group G against Spanish side [[Sevilla FC|Sevilla]], Scottish champions Rangers, against whom they had also been drawn against in their previous two Champions League Group stage appearances, and Romanian champions [[FC Unirea Urziceni|Unirea Urziceni]]. With two wins (one each against Rangers and Unirea), three draws (one each against all opponents) and a loss (to Sevilla) they managed second spot in the group, thus qualifying for the round of the last 16, where they had to face title holders Barcelona in late winter. After a 1–1 home draw, Stuttgart were eliminated after a 4–0 loss at [[Camp Nou]].

In the [[2009–10 DFB-Pokal]], they did not proceed further than the last 16 either, losing to second-tier side [[SpVgg Greuther Fürth]]. That defeat came in the course of a disappointing first half of the [[2009–10 Bundesliga]]. As a consequence of slipping to 16th spot in December, young coach Markus Babbel was fired after matchday 15 and replaced by the more experienced Swiss [[Christian Gross]]. Under his tenure, VfB improved their situation domestically as well as internationally before the winter break. During that break, [[Thomas Hitzlsperger]], [[Jan Šimák]] and [[Ludovic Magnin]] left the club; [[Cristian Molinaro]] was loaned out from [[Juventus FC|Juventus]]. In the later half of the season, the team – as in the 2008–09 season – were the best performing side of the second half of the Bundesliga, and under Gross they climbed into the upper half of the table and, eventually managed to secure European football for the following season by qualifying for the Europa League.

The [[2010–11 Bundesliga|2010–11 season]] was a mediocre one—after again spending the first half of the season almost always in the [[relegation]] zone (17th and 18th spot), with Christian Gross being fired and interim coach [[Jens Keller]] taking over for the rest of the first leg, [[Bruno Labbadia]] was hired as new coach in January and managed to save VfB from relegation. Eventually, the team finished 12th after a decent second-half performance. In July 2011, Erwin Staudt did not participate again in the election of the president and [[Gerd E. Mäuser]] was elected as president.

In the following [[2011–12 Bundesliga|2011–12]] season, they managed to constantly climb up the table; this was especially thanks to a long unbeaten streak in the spring. Subsequently, VfB qualified for the [[2012–13 UEFA Europa League]]. Key players during that season were [[Martin Harnik]], who scored 17 goals, as well as winger [[Gōtoku Sakai]] and forward [[Vedad Ibišević]], who both came to Stuttgart in January 2012.
[[File:VfB-Team February 2013.jpg|thumb|Stuttgart in 2013]]

With effect from 3 June 2013, Gerd E. Mäuser announced his resignation as president of VfB Stuttgart.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2013/veraenderung-vorstand-vfb-stuttgart/page/2207-1-1-.html |title=Management changes |publisher=VfB Stuttgart |date=10 April 2013 |access-date=10 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702160629/http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2013/veraenderung-vorstand-vfb-stuttgart/page/2207-1-1-.html |archive-date=2 July 2014}}</ref> On 2 July 2013, the supervisory board of the club named [[Bernd Wahler]] as the candidate for the presidential elections.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vfb.de/en/verein/verein-meldungen/2013/vorstellung-praesidentschaftskandidaten-vfb-stuttgart-bernd-wahler/page/2382-1-1-.html |title=Board name presidential candidate |publisher=VfB Stuttgart |date=2 July 2013 |access-date=2 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702162800/http://www.vfb.de/en/verein/verein-meldungen/2013/vorstellung-praesidentschaftskandidaten-vfb-stuttgart-bernd-wahler/page/2382-1-1-.html |archive-date=2 July 2014}}</ref> On 22 July 2013, Wahler was elected by 97.4% of the votes cast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vfb.de/en/verein/verein-meldungen/2013/mitgliederversammlung-2013/page/2454-1-1-.html |title=Bernd Wahler is VfB President |publisher=VfB Stuttgart |date=22 July 2013 |access-date=22 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702164305/http://www.vfb.de/en/verein/verein-meldungen/2013/mitgliederversammlung-2013/page/2454-1-1-.html |archive-date=2 July 2014}}</ref>

After barely avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga in the [[2014–15 Bundesliga|2014–15 season]], Stuttgart were relegated to the [[2. Bundesliga]] in the [[2015–16 Bundesliga|2015–16 season]] after finishing in 17th place, having been unable to lift themselves out of the bottom three positions until the end of the season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/bundesligafootball/table|title=Bundesliga|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> Following matchday 13, a home match against FC Augsburg and their second consecutive 4–0 loss, Stuttgart decided to terminate [[Alexander Zorniger]]'s contract and appointed [[Jürgen Kramny]] as their manager for an indefinite period. After Stuttgart were relegated to the [[2. Bundesliga]], Wahler resigned as president on 15 May 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wahler|first=Bernd|date=15 May 2016|title=Erklärung des Präsidenten – Bernd Wahler zu seiner Amtsniederlegung.|url=http://www.vfb.de/de/aktuell/meldungen/news/2016/erklaerung-des-praesidenten/page/11491-1-3-.html|website=VfB Stuttgart}}</ref> Kramny was subsequently sacked as coach.

On 17 May 2016, [[Jos Luhukay]] was announced as the new head coach.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.vfb.de/de/aktuell/meldungen/news/2016/jos-luhukay-neuer-vfb-cheftrainer/page/11494-1-3-.html| title = Luhukay neuer Trainer |publisher=VfB Stuttgart |date=17 May 2016 |access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref> In July 2016, [[Jan Schindelmeiser]] became the sporting director and member of the executive board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vfb.de/en/verein/verein-meldungen/2016/jan-schindelmeiser-neuer-sportvorstand-pressemitteilung/page/4392-1-1-.html |title=Jan Schindelmeiser becomes Sporting Director |publisher=VfB Stuttgart |date=8 July 2016 |accessdate=7 October 2016}}</ref> Head coach Luhukay resigned on 15 September 2016 and was replaced by [[Hannes Wolf (football manager)|Hannes Wolf]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2016/hannes-wolf-wird-neuer-cheftrainer/page/4503-1-1-.html|title=Hannes Wolf is the new VfB coach|publisher=VfB Stuttgart|date=20 September 2016|access-date=20 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001210109/http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2016/hannes-wolf-wird-neuer-cheftrainer/page/4503-1-1-.html|archive-date=1 October 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the end of the season, Stuttgart returned to the [[Bundesliga]] as the 2. Bundesliga champions. On 22 December 2017, after nearly 10 years since his departure, Bundesliga title winning striker Mario Gomez returned to the team from fellow Bundesliga side [[VfL Wolfsburg]], The team made a solid return season to the Bundesliga, finishing in 7th place. However, they slumped to 16th [[2018–19 Bundesliga|the following season]], eventually ending up relegated via play-offs against [[1. FC Union Berlin|Union Berlin]].

===2019–present: Re-emergence ===
[[File:MarioGomez.jpg|thumb|120px|[[Mario Gómez]] in 2019]]
Stuttgart appointed [[Thomas Hitzlsperger]] as the sporting CEO, and in April they appointed [[Sven Mislintat]] as the sporting director, coming from [[Borussia Dortmund]] and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]. In July 2019, Stuttgart was relegated to the second division, and started to rebuild the team. In mid-season, December 2019, former coach [[Tim Walter]] was fired and [[Pellegrino Matarazzo]] was signed. After one season, Stuttgart returned to the Bundesliga after finishing second in the [[2019–20 2. Bundesliga|2019–20 2. Bundesliga season]].

Stuttgart stayed in the Bundesliga in the [[2020–21 VfB Stuttgart season|2020–21 season]], finishing in ninth place in the league.<ref name="Bundesliga Tabelle 2020/21">{{cite web |title=Bundesliga Tabelle 2020/21 |url=https://www.kicker.de/bundesliga/tabelle/2020-21 |website=[[Kicker (magazine)|Kicker]] |access-date=14 May 2022 |language=German}}</ref> In the [[2021–22 VfB Stuttgart season|2021–22 season]], the team narrowly avoided relegation; a last-minute-win against [[1. FC Köln]] on the last match day guaranteed them a spot in the first league for a third consecutive season.<ref name="We are staying up!">{{cite web |title=We are staying up! |url=https://www.vfb.de/en/vfb/team/saison/bundesliga/2122/34-vfb-stuttgart----1--fc-koeln/ |website=vfb.de |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref> In the [[2022–23 VfB Stuttgart season|2022–23 season]], Stuttgart managed to stay in the Bundesliga for a fourth consecutive season, but again only very closely, with Stuttgart finishing in 16th place and only qualifying for the next season thanks to successful play-offs.

The [[2023–24 VfB Stuttgart season|2023–24 season for Stuttgart]] has been one of the most successful ones of the club's history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.de/magazine/sport/fussball/bundesliga/doppel-hack-erledigt-stuttgart-vfb-verpasst-beste-klub-hinrunde-39062566 |title="Doppel-Hack" erledigt Stuttgart: VfB verpasst beste Klub-Hinrunde |website=web.de |language=de |date=14 January 2024 |access-date=3 February 2024 }}</ref> Stuttgart was frequently called "the surprise team of the season". In Bundesliga, they played their best season ever based on the number and rate of victories. They remained in 3rd place of the [[2023–24 Bundesliga|Bundesliga]] for most of the matchdays, only behind Leverkusen and Bayern, until they surpassed Bayern Munich on the final matchday to finish as Bundesliga runners-up. It was the club's best performance since winning the league in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/champions-league-europe-relegation-matchday-permutations-2023-24-27006 |title=Bundesliga fireworks on frantic final day |publisher=Bundesliga |date=18 May 2024 }}</ref> They also reached the quarter-finals in [[2023–24 DFB-Pokal|the DFB Pokal]], where they defeated [[1. FC Union Berlin]] and [[Borussia Dortmund]] before losing to eventual winners [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]] 3–2. Strikers [[Serhou Guirassy]] and [[Deniz Undav]] were among the top goalscorers worldwide, with Guirassy even breaking the all-time Stuttgart record of most goals in a season despite missing some games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportschau.de/fussball/bundesliga/bundesliga-spielbericht-vfb-stuttgart-eintracht-frankfurt-104.html |title=Guirassy und Undav servieren auch Frankfurt ab |website=sportschau.de |language=de |date=15 April 2024 }}</ref> Deniz Undav, [[Alexander Nübel]], [[Chris Führich]], [[Maximilian Mittelstädt]] and [[Waldemar Anton]] were nominated for the preliminary squad of the Germany national team for the [[UEFA Euro 2024]], a club record high for number of players ever selected from the club in a major tournament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/n-bel-surprised-nomination-germanys-151501516.html |title=Nübel 'surprised' with nomination to Germany's Euro 2024 squad |publisher=Yahoo! |date=16 May 2024 }}</ref>

The club began [[2024–25 VfB Stuttgart season|2024–25 season]] with a heartbreaking 4–3 shootout loss in the [[2024 DFL-Supercup]] to Leverkusen after a 2–2 draw in regular time, a competition they qualified in lieu of finishing 2nd in the league the previous season. They were not unable to repeat the heroics of last time, as the club finished in 9th, even setting a miserable club record of six straight defeats in Bundesliga home games. They finished 26th in the [[2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase]], missing out on knockout playoffs after a 4–1 defeat to PSG on final matchday. Their Champions League campaign included a memorable 1–0 away win against [[Juventus FC]]. However, the club still qualified for Europe as they broke an 18-year long trophy drought by winning the [[2024–25 DFB-Pokal]], winning 4–2 against third-tier side [[Arminia Bielefeld]] in the final, thus qualifying for [[2025–26 UEFA Europa League]] and for hosting the newly renamed [[Franz Beckenbauer Supercup]] against league winners Bayern Munich in the [[2025 Franz Beckenbauer Supercup|2025 edition]].