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, St. Pauli, Werder Bremen and Hamburg amongst the teams in trouble.
18th: Heidenheim
Points: 13
Goals scored/conceded: 19/47 (-28)
Next fixture: Augsburg (a)
After narrowly avoiding relegation by defeating Elversberg in the play-off last term, Heidenheim are once again embroiled in a battle to beat the drop in what is their third campaign amongst the elite.
Eight defeats and just one victory in their opening 11 matches immediately put them in trouble, and while they managed back-to-back victories over Union Berlin and Freiburg to stop the rot, they have again slipped into a winless run.
They have had trouble at both ends of the pitch, scoring the least amount of goals (19) and conceding the most (47). Time is slowly running out for Frank Schmidt’s men as they look to avoid finishing in the bottom three, where they have spent the whole season so far.
Watch: Watch: Elversberg 1-2 Heidenheim (agg. 3-4) - relegation play-off secong leg highlights
17th: St. Pauli
Points: 17
Goals scored/conceded: 20/35 (-15)
Next fixture: Bayer Leverkusen (a)
The 2025/26 term started positively for Pauli, picking up seven points from their first three Bundesliga games, including a win in the first Hamburg Bundesliga derby in 14 years at the Volksparkstadion. However, things quickly turned sour, with the Kiezkicker losing each of their subsequent nine fixtures.
They started 2026 very slowly, failing to beat the likes of Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburg and Augsburg. Like last season, when Pauli ended as the lowest scorers in the top flight, finding the back of the net has proven to be their biggest problem.
Meanwhile, although five other teams have conceded more goals, Pauli have not been as sturdy in defence as last time out. However, they'll hope a big home win against Stuttgart on Matchday 21 can prove to be a catalyst for better things to come.
Watch: St. Pauli 2-1 Stuttgart - highlights
16th: Werder Bremen
Points: 19
Goals scored/conceded: 22/39 (-17)
Next fixture: Bayern Munich (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 it didn’t work out that way.
In his 20 games in charge, he managed just 19 points, with the summer exit of captain and striker Marvin Ducksch deeply felt – just three teams have scored fewer than their 22 goals in the league this term.
Daniel Thioune has been charged with arresting Bremen’s slide down the table, and his first task will be to end the team’s 11-game winless Bundesliga run.
15th: Wolfsburg
Points: 19
Goals scored/conceded: 29/44 (-15)
Next fixture: RB Leipzig (a)
Given Wolfsburg’s pedigree as Bundesliga and DFB Cup winners in the last 17 years, as well as their participation in the UEFA Champions League just five years ago, it is surprising that they find themselves in the bottom half of the table once more.
Having finished 12th and 11th in 2023/24 and 2024/25 respectively, the Wolves are again in difficulty. While their offensive performance has been respectable, only two sides have conceded more than their 44 strikes – a number exacerbated by the 8-1 loss to Bayern Munich immediately after the winter break.
Daniel Bauer who replaced Paul Simonis as head coach earlier in the season, will be hoping the January additions of Kento Shiogai, Jeanuël Belocian and Jonas Adjetey can give his team extra impetus to move away from danger in coming matchdays.
Watch: Bayern Munich 8-1 Wolfsburg - highlights
14th: Mainz
Points: 21
Goals scored/conceded: 25/33 (-8)
Next fixture: Borussia Dortmund (h)
By Matchday 12 of this current campaign, last season’s top-six finish and corresponding qualification for the UEFA Conference League seemed a distant memory. The paltry six points they had amassed were a joint-club record at that point of a campaign, and they found themselves rooted to the bottom of the table.
As such, Bo Henriksen was relieved of his duties and was replaced by Urs Fischer – a decision that has already had a huge impact. A 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in his first Bundesliga game in charge set the tone, and the 05ers have lost just one game under their new head coach so far.
The gap to the bottom two has now opened up to four points and given Mainz’s current form, you wouldn’t bet against them moving further up the division over the next few weeks.
Watch: Bayern Munich 2-2 Mainz - highlights
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