	The 1956 German football championship was contested by the nine qualified Oberliga teams and won by Borussia Dortmund, defeating Karlsruher SC in the final. The runners-up of the Oberligas, except Berlin, played pre-qualifying matches to determine which three of the four would go on to the group stage. The remaining eight clubs then played a home-and-away round of matches in two groups of four. The two group winners then advanced to the final.