Hamburg competed in this season's editions of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and European Cup Winners' Cup.
HSV qualified for this season's European Cup Winners' Cup by having won the DFB-Pokal in the previous season.
The club reached the final of the competition for the second time in club history, their first being a loss to Italian side Milan in 1967–68.
[1] HSV defeated Belgian side Anderlecht in the final on 11 May 1977, winning the match 2–0 thanks to goals by Georg Volkert and Felix Magath.
[2] Source: World Football