das  Auswärtsspiel

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈaʊsˌvɛːɐ̯tˌʃpiːl/

⚽ What exactly is an Auswärtsspiel?

An Auswärtsspiel (neuter noun, article: das) in sports refers to a match that a team or individual athlete plays not on their own home ground or in their own arena, but at the opponent's venue. It is the opposite of a Heimspiel (home game).

The term is composed of:

• auswärts: adverb, meaning 'away', 'not at home', 'abroad'
• Spiel: noun, meaning 'game', 'match'

For the visiting team (die gastierende Mannschaft), an Auswärtsspiel often means a longer journey (längere Anreise) and playing in front of the opponent's crowd (gegnerisches Publikum), which can be perceived as a disadvantage.

📖 Grammar in Detail: das Auswärtsspiel

The word "Auswärtsspiel" is a noun of neuter gender. The article is always das.

Declension

Example Sentences

1. Das nächste Auswärtsspiel unserer Mannschaft findet in München statt.
   (Our team's next away game takes place in Munich.)
2. Viele Fans reisen mit zum Auswärtsspiel, um ihr Team zu unterstützen.
   (Many fans travel to the away game to support their team.)
3. Der Trainer bereitet die Spieler auf das schwere Auswärtsspiel vor.
   (The coach is preparing the players for the difficult away game.)
4. Die Statistik der letzten Auswärtsspiele ist nicht sehr ermutigend.
   (The statistics from the last away games are not very encouraging.)
5. Wir haben das letzte Auswärtsspiel knapp verloren.
   (We narrowly lost the last away game.)

🗣️ How 'Auswärtsspiel' is used

The term das Auswärtsspiel is firmly established in sports jargon (Sportjargon), especially in team sports like football (Fußball), handball (Handball), basketball, or ice hockey (Eishockey).

• Typical Context: Match reports (Spielberichte), season planning (Saisonplanung), fan discussions (Fan-Diskussionen), sports news (Sportnachrichten).
• Common Collocations:
  • ein schweres/leichtes Auswärtsspiel (a difficult/easy away game)
  • das nächste/letzte Auswärtsspiel (the next/last away game)
  • im Auswärtsspiel gewinnen/verlieren/unentschieden spielen (to win/lose/draw in the away game)
  • zum Auswärtsspiel fahren/reisen (to drive/travel to the away game)
  • die Auswärtsspiel-Bilanz (the away game record)
• Distinction: The clear opposite is das Heimspiel (home game). A game on neutral ground (neutraler Boden) (e.g., a cup final in a designated stadium) is strictly speaking neither a home nor an away game, but is sometimes perceived similarly depending on the fan distribution.

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

Article Mnemonic: Think of das Spiel (the game). No matter where it takes place, whether heimwärts (homewards) or auswärts (away), it always remains das Spiel. Therefore: das Auswärtsspiel.

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine going aus (out) of the house (which implies going 'away' or auswärts) to travel to the Spiel (game) – but not to your own home ground, rather far away, to the opponent's place. That's the Auswärtsspiel (away game).

🔄 Similar and Opposite Terms

😄 A Little Joke

Der Trainer fragt seine Mannschaft vor dem Auswärtsspiel: "Habt ihr die Zahnbürsten eingepackt?"
Antwortet ein Spieler: "Wieso, Chef? Wollen wir die Gegner etwa sauber wegputzen?"

Translation:

The coach asks his team before the away game: "Have you packed your toothbrushes?"
A player replies: "Why, coach? Are we planning to brush the opponents cleanly aside?" (Wegputzen can mean 'to clean away' but colloquially also 'to beat someone soundly/easily').

✍️ Poem about the Auswärtsspiel

Der Bus rollt an, die Stimmung steigt,
Ein Auswärtsspiel, das uns heut zeigt,
Ob Mut und Kraft auch in der Ferne,
Begleiten uns're Fußballsterne.

Des Gegners Fans, sie lärmen laut,
Doch uns're Mannschaft, gut gebaut,
Kämpft auf dem Rasen, fremd und grün,
Will Punkte aus der Ferne zieh'n.

Translation:

The bus rolls on, the mood does rise,
An away game, showing 'neath the skies,
If courage, strength, when far from home,
Accompany our stars who roam.

The opponent's fans, they cheer so loud,
But our team, standing strong and proud,
Fights on the pitch, so strange and green,
To pull some points from this away scene.

❓ Little Riddle

Ich bin ein Kampf, doch nicht daheim,
Ich führ' die Mannschaft weit, ganz allein.
Der Gegner hat den Platz, die Fans im Rücken,
Oft muss man reisen, über Brücken.

Was bin ich?

Translation:

I am a battle, but not fought at home,
I lead the team far off, to roam.
The opponent has the pitch, the fans behind,
Often one travels, bridges to find.

What am I?

Solution: das Auswärtsspiel (the away game)

💡 Other Interesting Facts

Word Composition

Auswärtsspiel is a compound noun (Kompositum), composed of:

• auswärts (adverb, here acting as a determiner)
• Spiel (noun, the base word)

The gender of the compound noun is determined by the base word: das Spiel → das Auswärtsspiel.

Trivia

• In many league systems, points for away wins are valued the same as home wins, but away victories are often considered psychologically more valuable or harder to achieve.
• The "away goals rule" (Auswärtstorregel) was a regulation in many cup competitions (e.g., UEFA Champions League) where, in case of an aggregate tie after two legs, the goals scored away counted double. It has since been abolished in many competitions.