Who are the Bundesliga 2 head coaches in 2026/27?
We know the 18 teams that will make up the 2026/27 Bundesliga 2 season – but who will be calling the shots from the dugout? From seasoned promotion specialists to exciting new appointments, meet the head coaches aiming to guide their clubs to success and, in and ideal world, a place in the Bundesliga.
Tobias Strobl (Wolfsburg)
Age: 38
Took charge: 4 June 2026
Strobl makes the step up from Germany's third tier after overseeing a sixth-placed league finish and winning the 2025/26 Westphalia Cup with Verl. The 38-year-old picks up the baton from Dieter Hecking, who recently vacated his role as interim coach to become Wolfsburg's new managing director for sport.
Strobl has signed a two-year contract with Wolves as they gear up for their first season outside the Bundesliga since 1996/97.
Marcel Rapp (St. Pauli)
Age: 47
Took charge: 6 June 2026
After guiding Holstein Kiel to promotion to the Bundesliga in 2024 and overseeing the club’s first top-flight campaign before his dimissal in February 2026, Marcel Rapp has taken the St. Pauli job. The former Hoffenheim youth coach has earned a reputation for developing young players and implementing an energetic, possession-based style of football.
Rapp succeeds Alexander Blessin at Pauli after they parted ways following relegation last season.
Frank Schmidt (Heidenheim)
Age: 52
Took charge: 17 September 2007
The longest-serving coach in German professional football history, Frank Schmidt has been in charge of Heidenheim since 2007. Under his leadership, the club has risen from the Oberliga to the Bundesliga, securing historic promotion in 2023 and later qualifying for European competition, cementing his status as one of German football’s most respected managers.
Schmidt stated with relegation looming that he would continue in the job - for at least another season. No other coach currently in the division has been at the helm of one club for more than five years.
Christian Titz (Hannover)
Age: 55
Took charge: 15 June 2025
Christian Titz arrived at Hannover in the summer of 2025 after an impressive spell at Magdeburg, where he transformed the club into one of Bundesliga 2’s most effective counter-attacking sides. Renowned for his possession-heavy philosophy and emphasis on structured build-up play, Titz previously enjoyed spells with Hamburg and Essen, as well as coaching in Hoffenheim’s academy.
Titz's team narrowly missed out on promotion last term, finishing fourth, so will hope to get the job done in 2026/27 as the Reds try to end a near eight-year stay in the second tier
Florian Kohfeldt (Darmstadt)
Age: 43
Took charge: 1 September 2024
Florian Kohfeldt took over at Darmstadt in September 2024, bringing extensive Bundesliga experience from spells with Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, as well as time in Belgium with Eupen.
Last season, he helped the Lilies secure a fifth-place finish in Bundesliga 2, and will be hoping to bridge the gap to the division's top clubs this time around.
Torsten Lieberknecht (Kaiserslautern)
Age: 52
Took charge: 22 April 2025
A promotion specialist with a wealth of experience in German football, Torsten Lieberknecht returned to Kaiserslautern in 2025 after previously managing Eintracht Braunschweig, Duisburg and Darmstadt.
A former FCK academy player, he famously led Braunschweig from the third tier to the Bundesliga during a decade-long spell in charge. Lieberknecht's winning percentage as Kaiserslautern boss is just shy of 50 percent.
Stefan Leitl (Hertha Berlin)
Age: 48
Took charge: 18 February 2025
Stefan Leitl took over at Hertha Berlin in February 2025, tasked with helping the capital club back to the top flight. The 48-year-old previously guided Greuther Fürth to promotion to the Bundesliga in 2021, although they went on to finish bottom the following season.
Leitl then spent two-and-half years at Hannover, where his best finish was 10th in Bundesliga 2, before overseeing 11th- and seventh-placed finishes in his first 18 months at the Hertha helm.
Miroslav Klose (Nuremberg)
Age: 48
Took charge: 11 June 2024
Germany’s all-time leading scorer, Miroslav Klose took charge of Nuremberg in 2024 after beginning his coaching career with Bayern Munich's youth teams and a spell at Austrian side Rheindorf Altach.
A FIFA World Cup winner in 2014, the former striker is looking to translate his legendary playing career into success in the dugout. So far, he has guided Nuremberg to back-to-back mid-table finishes in Bundesliga 2.
Uwe Rösler (Bochum)
Age: 57
Took charge: 6 October 2025
Former Manchester City forward Uwe Rösler arrived at Bochum in 2026 after a coaching career that has taken him to Norway, England, Sweden and Denmark. The ex-East Germany international has won league titles with Lillestrøm and Viking, while also enjoying successful spells with Molde and Malmö.
Rösler guided Bochum to a respectable ninth-place finish after taking over with the team in the bottom two and with only three points from the first eight games of the 2025/26 season.
Maximilian Senft (Karlsruhe)
Age: 43
Took charge: 21 May 2026
Maximilian Senft replaced Christian Eichner at Karlsruhe following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season. A former poker player, Senft spent the early part of his coaching career as an assistant, mainly to Thomas Letsch and Gerhard Struber – the latter at several clubs.
In 2023, the 36-year-old became SV Ried head coach, earning promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga before ensuring a seventh-place finish in the top flight this past season.
Thomas Stamm (Dynamo Dresden)
Age: 43
Took charge: 19 May 2024
Swiss coach Thomas Stamm joined Dynamo Dresden in 2024 after several successful years at Freiburg, where he led the club’s second team. He is highly regarded for his work with young players, which is evidenced by his 3. Liga title success with Freiburg's second team in 2021/22.
After moving to Dresden, he guided them back to Bundesliga 2 at the first attempt and staved off relegation last season with a game to spare.
Tim Walter (Holstein Kiel)
Age: 50
Took charge: 24 February 2026
Tim Walter returned to Holstein Kiel midway through the 2025/26 campaign, having previously spent the 2018/19 season at the helm twice led Hamburg into the promotion play-off. The 50-year-old also coached VfB Stuttgart for half of 2019/20 after making his name in Bayern’s academy.
Walter helped the Storks through a tricky transition period last term as they ultimately finished their first season back in Bundesliga 2 following relegation from the top tier in 12th.
Oliver Kirch (Arminia Bielefeld)
Age: 40
Took charge: 1 July 2026
Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Oliver Kirch was appointed Arminia Bielefeld head coach in the summer of 2026, having been a part of the club's youth academy between 2018 and 2020.
Kirch is stepping into his highest-profile role yet, after enjoying head coach spells with Hamburg U19s and Borussia Mönchengladbach's second team – who play in Germany's fourth tier – last season.
Petrik Sander (Magdeburg)
Age: 65
Took charge: 3 November 2025
Petrik Sander stepped up from his role as head coach of Magdeburg's second team to succeed Markus Fiedler in November of last year. The change was an inspired one from the club, as Sander helped drag the club out of the relegation zone and to safety.
Prior to joining the Magdeburg setup, the Quedlinburg native had stints at the likes of Aalen, Koblenz and Carl Zeiss Jena.
Name: Lars Kornetka
Club: Eintracht Braunschweig
Age: 48
Took charge: 11 March 2026
Long regarded as one of German football’s most respected assistants, Lars Kornetka stepped into the top job at Eintracht Braunschweig back in March. From his nine games with Braunschweig at the end of last season, Kornetka won three and drew two as the Lions beat the drop on goal difference.
Kornetka previously held assistant roles with Austria, PSV Eindhoven and Bayer Leverkusen, as well as analyst jobs at Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, RB Leizig and Schalke.
Heiko Vogel (Greuther Fürth)
Age: 50
Took charge: 1 December 2025
Heiko Vogel returned to Greuther Fürth in 2025, having previously coached Basel to the Swiss league title before managing clubs in Austria, Belgium and Germany.
Vogel inherited a Fürth side that looked destined for the drop after 14 matchdays. However, after helping the side leapfrog Fortuna Düsseldorf on the final matchday of the season, he masterminded a relegation play-off victory against third-tier Rot-Weiss Essen.
Timo Schultz (Osnabrück)
Age: 48
Took charge: 17 June 2025
Timo Schultz took charge of Osnabrück in the summer of 2025 after previous spells with St. Pauli, Basel and Cologne. A former St. Pauli player, he has been instrumental in transforming the fortunes of Osnabrück, as he took a side that finished 14th in the 3. Liga the season prior to the summit last term - sealing a return to the second tier in the process.
Claus-Dieter Wollitz (Energie Cottbus)
Age: 60
Took charge: 1 July 2021
One of the most familiar faces in Cottbus history, Claus-Dieter Wollitz has enjoyed three spells as head coach of the Brandenburg club. He guided Energie back into professional football in 2024 and took them into Bundesliga 2 last season after finishing as 3. Liga runners-up.
Across his 24-year coaching career, which started at Uerdingen back in 2002, Wollitz has built a stellar reputation, having also been in charge of Osnabrück, Viktoria Cologne and Magdeburg.
