Runners-up 1. FC Köln made its third appearance in the national title game, having won the previous years championship and lost in 1960.
The format used to determine the German champion was similar to the one used in the 1962 season. Nine clubs qualified for the tournament, with the runners-up of South and North having to play a qualifying match. The remaining eight clubs then played a home-and-away round in two groups of four, with the two group winners entering the final. In the previous year, a single round had been played in the group stages because of the 1962 FIFA World Cup, where Germany participated in, to reduce the schedule.
The 1963 edition marked the last year, where the German championship was decided in a final. From 1963 onwards, the championship would go to the new Bundesliga champion.
Qualified teams
The following teams qualified through the 1962–63 Oberliga season: