Bundesliga relegation battle 2025/26: Who is in trouble at the wrong end of the table?
The Bundesliga relegation battle is heating up, with Heidenheim, Wolfsburg and St. Pauli among the teams in trouble heading into the final three rounds of fixtures.
Heidenheim currently sit bottom, but Frank Schmidt’s side are not the only team in desperate need of points as we enter the final straight of the 2025/26 campaign.
How does relegation work in Germany?
Club: Heidenheim
Position: 18th (automatic relegation)
Points: 22
Goal difference: -31 (35-66)
Next fixture: Bayern Munich (a)
After narrowly avoiding relegation by defeating Elversberg in the play-off last term, Heidenheim are on the brink of a return to Bundesliga 2.
Having suffered eight defeats and registered only one victory in their opening 11 matches, back-to-back wins over Union Berlin and Freiburg offered hope of a revival, but they then proceeded to go 15 games without a win.
That finally came to an end on Matchday 29 via another excellent 3-1 victory over Union, which they built on by defeating St. Pauli 2-0 on Matchday 31 to boost their remote hopes of survival.
Watch: Heidenheim 2-0 St. Pauli - highlights
Club: Wolfsburg
Position: 17th (automatic relegation)
Points: 25
Goal difference: -25 (41-66)
Next fixture: Freiburg (a)
Having finished 12th and 11th in 2023/24 and 2024/25 respectively, the Wolves are in difficulty this year. While their tally of 41 goals is respectable, no team has conceded more in the league this season.
Daniel Bauer became the second Wolfsburg coach to be dismissed this term following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Hamburg on Matchday 25. His replacement Dieter Hecking then started his tenure by gaining a valuable point against Hoffenheim before defeats against Werder Bremen, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, a battling draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 31, which came off the back of victory over Union the previous week - the Wolves' first win in 13 Bundesliga games - renewed hopes of a turnaround at the critical point of the season.
Watch: Union Berlin 1-2 Wolfsburg - highlights
Club: St. Pauli
Position: 16th (play-off)
Points: 26
Goal difference: -27 (26-53)
Next fixture: Mainz (h)
The 2025/26 term started positively for Pauli, who picked up seven points from their first three Bundesliga games, including a win in the first top-flight Hamburg derby in 14 years. However, things quickly turned sour, with the Kiezkicker losing each of their subsequent nine fixtures.
Alexander Blessin’s side had been on a bit of a minor revival, losing just two of their six games prior to their Matchday 29 thumping by Bayern Munich to leave them facing a scramble for safety in the final few weeks. However, a confidence-zapping 2-0 defeat at Heidenheim on Matchday 31 means they are now just one point above the automatic relegation spots.
Club: Hamburg
Position: 15th
Points: 31
Goal difference: -16 (34-50)
Next fixture: Eintracht Frankfurt (a)
Hamburg waited seven years to return to the Bundesliga after their first-ever relegation, and currently looked well-placed to stay amongst the elite heading into the final stretch.
They have not been any lower than 14th since Matchday 5, and a run of one defeat in nine games earlier in the campaign - a streak which also included a 2-2 draw with future champions Bayern - saw them move away from trouble at the bottom.
However, they were the last team to win an away game in the top flight this season, while only Heidenheim have won less often on the road. Four losses from their past five, including a Nordderby loss to Werder Bremen, means they still have work to do to avoid the drop.
Watch: Hamburg 1-2 Hoffenheim - highlights
Club: Cologne
Position: 14th
Points: 31
Goal difference: -8 (45-53)
Next fixture: Union Berlin (a)
The Billy Goats were winless in eight games - during which René Wagner replaced Lukas Kwasniok as interim head coach - until Matchday 29, when they secured a crucial 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Bremen.
Another point against Pauli, which came courtesy of a late penalty equaliser, boosted their chances of survival further, and they will lean on the likes of breakout star Saïd El Mala to get over.
Club: Union Berlin
Position: 13th
Points: 32
Goal difference: -20 (35-55)
Next fixture: Cologne (h)
Now in their seventh season in the Bundesliga, this campaign has been one of mid-table stability for a side that has either been challenging for Europe or involved directly in a relegation battle ever since their promotion in 2019.
Nevertheless, a run of two wins in 14 saw those behind them close the gap, and ultimately led to the departure of head coach Steffen Baumgart. As his replacement, Union made the historic decision to appoint Marie-Louise Eta until the end of the season, making her the first woman to take charge of a Bundesliga game. She started her reign with a 2-1 home defeat against Wolfsburg on Matchday 30, which was followed by a 3-1 reverse in Leipzig on Matchday 31.
Watch: Eta breaking new ground at Union
Club: Werder Bremen
Position: 12th
Points: 32
Goal difference: -18 (36-54)
Next fixture: Augsburg (h)
Following three years of Bundesliga solidity at the Weserstadion, Ole Werner moved on to RB Leipzig during the summer. Horst Steffen, who had taken Elversberg to the brink of the top flight in 2024/25, appeared to be a shrewd appointment as his replacement, but he earned only 19 points from his 20 games at the helm.
Daniel Thioune has been charged with arresting Bremen’s slide down the table. The 51-year-old started his tenure with three consecutive defeats, but Bremen finally ended that slump with a much-needed victory against Heidenheim before moving out of the bottom three with a thumping win at Union. Following another series of three successive losses, victory over Hamburg in the Nordderby has seen the Werderaner put some distance between themselves and the bottom three.
Watch: Werder Bremen 3-1 Hamburg - highlights
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: 11th
Points: 32
Goal difference: -14 (36-50)
Next fixture: Borussia Dortmund (h)
After finishing 10th in 2024/25, the Foals picked up only one point and failed to score in their opening three games of the current campaign as head coach Gerardo Seoane was replaced by Eugen Polanski.
Polanski had to wait six games for his maiden victory, but it was a crucial one as Gladbach put fellow relegation rivals St. Pauli to the sword on Matchday 9. A morale-boosting win over Cologne in the Rhine derby followed, with that success coming in the middle of a five-game unbeaten streak.
Since Matchday 13, though, Gladbach have tasted victory only twice - their latest success a 2-0 victory over Pauli on Matchday 26, which preceded draws against Cologne, Heidenheim and Mainz, and an away reverse at Leipzig.
Watch: Wolfsburg 0-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach - highlights
Every from ninth-placed Augsburg and below could still mathematically go down. Only eight points separate St. Pauli in 16th with Mainz up in tenth.
