FC Ingolstadt 04

Two clubs from the same city, one with roots in a railwaymen's sports association from 1919 and the other a gymnastics club dating to 1881, put their football departments together. The new body was entered in the register of associations on 5 February 2004; the football began that July. The colours settled the question of inheritance in the plainest way available — black and white came from ESV Ingolstadt, and purple and white from MTV Ingolstadt gave way to red.

Oberliga Bayern in 2005–06, Regionalliga Süd under Thorsten Fink two years later, and then, in 2014–15, the 2. Bundesliga title that carried Ingolstadt into the top flight for the first time. Ralph Hasenhüttl was the manager who took them up. Moritz Hartmann finished as the club's leading scorer in that first Bundesliga season.

Marvin Matip captained the side through the promotion years and left with 263 appearances.

The Audi Sportpark, opened to the club in 2010 after years in the grounds the two predecessors had used, though international fixtures reduce it to 12,000 all-seater.

Augsburg remains the fixture supporters mark first; the meetings with SSV Jahn Regensburg go by the Danube Derby.