The West Germany national speedway team competed in the inaugural Speedway World Team Cup in 1960[1][2] and the following year in 1961, the East Germany national speedway team competed in the World Cup for the first time.

[3][4] Traditionally the West German team were much stronger and produced the majority of the leading riders from the German nations.

The German team reached the final of the World Team Cup in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998[6] but failed to make any impact over the next two decades, until they competed in consecutive finals of the Speedway of Nations in 2018 and 2019.

[7] Since the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix era, international caps earned by riders is largely restricted to international competitions, whereas previously test matches between two teams were a regular occurrence.

This means that the number of caps earned by a rider has decreased in the modern era.