Who are the Bundesliga captains for the 2026/27 season?
Who are the players leading their teams into the 2026/27 Bundesliga season? We've got the lowdown on the chosen skippers in Germany's top division...
Neuer is set to play his 16th Bundesliga season with record champions Bayern and, despite now being 40, he's still the club's first-choice goalkeeper this term.
He'll be assisted by experienced midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who remains vice-captain. After clinching the Bundesliga and DFB Cup titles last season, can Neuer go one better by sealing a historic treble?
Currently sidelined from action due to injury, Can is set to return to action sometime in the autumn. The former Bayern, Leverkusen, Juventus and Liverpool midfielder has been at BVB since 2020, racking up 144 Bundesliga appearances and scoring 16 goals.
However, he has only been BVB captain since July 2023, after inheriting the armband from Marco Reus. He didn't do too badly either, managing to reach the UEFA Champions League final in his first full season as BVB skipper. With vice-captain Nico Schlotterbeck also injured and fellow back-up leader Julian Brandt departing, Waldemar Anton is likely to wear the armband in the opening stages of the campaign.
Raum enters his second season as Leipzig captain after taking over the armband from long-serving defender Willi Orbán in 2025. The Germany international quickly established himself as a leader under former coach Ole Werner, with his energy and communication skills among the qualities that convinced Leipzig to hand him the captaincy.
New coach Martín Demichelis has been similarly impressed by Raum's leadership skills, confirming over the summer that the left-back will remain his captain for the 2026/27 campaign.
VfB Stuttgart: Atakan Karazor
Amid the many comings and goings at Stuttgart in recent seasons, club captain Karazor has remained an ever-present in the heart of the midfield while wearing the armband over the past two seasons. The Türkiye international has become an important cog in Sebastian Hoeneß' Stuttgart machine, and both men will be hoping to build on last season's success, where the club managed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Whether he will remain skipper for 2026/27, though, remains to be seen. When asked whether Karazor will be captain for the upcoming season, Hoeneß said, "I'm not thinking about it during the friendly matches. But of course, we'll make the decision at some point". Deniz Undav is currently vice-captain.
Baumann remains Hoffenheim captain and is entering another season as one of the Bundesliga’s most experienced players. The goalkeeper has been with the club since 2014 and is Hoffenheim’s all-time record appearance-maker ahead of Croatian icon Andrej Kramarić, who is Baumann's deputy.
Bayer Leverkusen: Robert Andrich
Andrich continues as Bayer Leverkusen captain following a turbulent 2025/26 campaign for the Werkself. The Germany international is entering a new era at the BayArena under head coach Carles Martínez and will be expected to provide experience as Leverkusen look to return to the upper reaches of the Bundesliga.
Andrich has reiterated his desire to stay at Leverkusen, although he did admit that he isn't "committing to anything right now because I don't know what will happen by the end of the transfer window". Nevertheless, he remains the leader, although it is still unclear who will be his vice-captain.
Despite no longer being a guaranteed starter at Freiburg, Günter has been retained as club captain. The 33-year-old is very much part of the furniture at Europa-Park Stadion, having been there since 2012. He may have only started 18 of Freiburg's 34 league games last term, but his exemplary application, both on and off the pitch, remains an indispensable asset for head coach Julian Schuster.
Alongside Günter, the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League finalists also have the vastly experienced Maximilian Eggestein and Vincenzo Grifo as vice-captains.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Robin Koch
Inheriting the captain's armband from goalkeeper Kevin Trapp on the eve of the 2025/26 season, Koch has very much grown into the role over the past 12 months or so. After the turmoil of multiple head coach changes and inconsistent form, Koch will hope this season represents a fresh start for himself and the club as a whole - especially with Adi Hütter back at the helm.
The 30-year-old has a wealth of experience at the highest level, something which could be invaluable to some of his new club teammates, and the club have already confirmed he will retain the armband. Who the vice-captains are, remains unclear.
Augsburg: Jeffrey Gouweleeuw
Heading into his eleventh season with Die Fuggerstädter, Gouweleeuw is set to continue as club captain under head coach Manuel Baum. The 35-year-old defender has made 284 appearances for Augsburg across a nine-year period since joining from Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar in 2016.
Croatian international Kristijan Jakić has been selected as Augsburg's vice-captain for the 2026/27 campaign, while goalkeeper Finn Dahmen will also offer support to his youngster teammates in the defensive line.
The Swiss defender has been Mainz's captain since 2022-23 and will retain skipper duties under head coach Urs Fischer for the foreseeable future. The 05ers enjoyed a strong finish to the 2025-26 campaign, steering themselves clear of the relegation zone with games to spare.
Widmer's leadership qualities were on full display in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Conference League, where Mainz showed great resilience to reach the quarter-finals. He is also set to bring some valuable FIFA World Cup experience back to the Rhineland, having featured as a late substitute in several of Switzerland's six matches. Nadiem Amiri and Robin Zentner are part of the leadership group and could deputise for Widmer as captain if required.
Union Berlin: Christopher Trimmel
While not quite a one-club man, having started his career at Austrian side Rapid Vienna, Trimmel is as synonymous with Union Berlin's rise over the past decade as just about anyone. The defender has been at the club since 2014 and has worn the captain's armband since 2018.
Despite turning 39 earlier this year, Trimmel remains an important member of Union's squad, with new head coach Mauro Lustrinelli confirming he will remain as the dressing room's leader, with Rani Khedira as vice-captain.
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Tim Kleindienst
The 2025/26 season was arguably Kleindienst's most challenging to date. A brutal knee injury not only ruled him out of all but three Bundesliga matches, but it also scuppered his hopes of representing Germany at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, as a show of faith in his star forward's abilities, Gladbach head coach Eugen Polanski has retained Kleindienst as club captain for another season, with Nico Elvedi replacing the outgoing Rocco Reitz as second-in-command. Here's hoping the armband brings Kleindienst some long-overdue luck.
Danish forward Yussuf Poulsen was the man tasked with leading HSV back into the Bundeliga last season. However, he has since lost the club captaincy to midfielder Remberg, who emerged as one of Hamburg's most important players in the 2025/26 campaign.
The German is the 33rd player to captain Hamburg since the Bundesliga was founded back in 1963, having already worn the armband in two matches previously. Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nicolas Capaldo have been appointed as vice-captains by head coach Merlin Polzin, while Poulsen is also part of the leadership group.
The goalkeeper has been an important figure at the club since joining from Brøndby in 2021, quickly establishing himself as Cologne’s first-choice stopper. His experience at the highest level will be particularly valuable as the Billy Goats prepare to face the demands of another Bundesliga campaign. Schwäbe, a former Germany Under-21 international, didn't miss a minute of league football last term as Cologne narrowly avoided relegation.
Beyond him, head coach René Wagner has introduced a new structure, including a group that will include several leading players and representatives from every staff area to ensure all issues are encountered and solved.
Friedl remains Werder Bremen captain for the 2026/27 season after reiterating his desire to do so, continuing a leadership role he has held since 2022. The Austrian international has become one of the most important figures at the Weserstadion since joining Bremen from Bayern Munich in 2018.
Primarily a centre-back, Friedl’s position naturally places him at the heart of Werder’s defence, while his experience has made him a key voice within the dressing room. Entering his fifth season as captain, Friedl will once again be tasked with leading Bremen both on and off the pitch. Jens Stage is amongst those on the list of deputies.
Schalke: Kenan Karaman
Few captains connect with a fan base quite like Karaman has with the Schalke faithful. The talismanic forward was instrumental in helping the Ruhr side return to the top flight last season, after scoring 14 goals in 32 Bundesliga 2 outings - his best-ever haul in a league season.
Unsurprisingly, Schalke head coach Miron Muslić has retained him as club captain, with up to six other players, including defenders Timo Becker and Nikola Katić and returning striker Edin Džeko, as part of the leadership group. Crucially for the Royal Blues, Karaman has played over 100 times in the Bundesliga previously, which might make all the difference if a tight relegation battle ensues.
Elversberg's rise from the Regionalliga to the Bundesliga is the stuff of fairytales, and one man who has been there for almost the entirety of the journey is right-back Pinckert. The 26-year-old has been with the club since 2022, racking up 100 league appearances in the third and second tiers of German football. A model of consistency, Pinckert is now tasked with leading Elversberg into their first-ever Bundesliga season and, even more dauntingly, trying to keep them there long-term.
The final of the newly promoted captains is Götze, who is entering his third season as a Paderborn player. The experienced midfielder is no stranger to the Bundesliga, having played six times for Freiburg in the top-flight back in the 2018/19 campaign. In the intervening seven years, Götze has worked his way back up from the fourth tier of German football with Freiburg's Under-23 team to a Bundesliga 2 promotion playoff.
The upcoming season is set to be one to remember for the 28-year-old, especially if he faces off against brother Mario Götze when Eintracht Frankfurt come to town. Raphael Obermair is amongst the players ready to step up if required.
