For Schalke, it continued the club's most successful era, having won the 1934, 1935 and 1937 final and going on to win the 1940 and 1942 ones as well.

[5] While, in the following season, the German championship was still played with eighteen clubs as well but it gradually expanded through a combination of territorial expansion of Nazi Germany and the sub-dividing of the Gauligas in later years, reaching a strength of thirty one in its last completed season, 1943–44.

Group 3 was contested by the champions of the Gauligas Baden, Mitte, Ostmark and Württemberg:[5]

Group 4 was contested by the champions of the Gauligas Hessen, Schlesien, Südwest and Westfalen:[5]

Two of the four clubs in the 1939 semi-finals had reached the same stage in the previous season, Hamburger SV and FC Schalke 04, while Admira Wien and Dresdner SC replaced Fortuna Düsseldorf and previous seasons champions Hannover 96 in comparison to 1938:[6]