Who are the Bundesliga 2 captains for the 2025/26 season?
Which players are leading their sides out onto the pitch in the upcoming Bundesliga 2 season? Find out more about all 18 club captains with our overview...
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With 39-year-old Anthony Losilla retiring from playing at the end of last season to take up a position as assistant coach at Bochum, the Ruhr club will have a new captain for the first time since 2019. The team itself voted – and chose Bero. The Slovak's vice-captain is goalkeeper Timo Horn.
Holstein Kiel: Steven Skrzybski
Lewis Holtby's time with the Storks has come to an end and, as such, head coach Marcel Rapp has had to choose a new captain. Before the friendly match against Osnabrück, Rapp appointed Skrzybski in the role. Humbly, the forward commented on his added responsibility after the match: "It’s not about whether I wear the armband or not. We should be looking good on the ball - and it annoys me when we don’t." Alexander Bernhardsson, Carl Johansson and Stefan Schwab will all serve as vice-captains.
Given that Robin Fellhauer moved to Augsburg, the captaincy at the Kaiserlinde became vacant. New head coach Vincent Wagner announced that a decision had been made and that the new captain would lead the team out in the pre-season friendly against Dutch club Fortuna Sittard. Pinckert wore the armband in the 3-2 defeat, so the secret is out. "Of course it's an honour to be captain of the team. Nevertheless, there are a lot of players who will still be taking responsibility," said the defender modestly after the game.
New Paderborn boss Ralf Kettemann has likewise appointed a new captain. Götze will wear the armband going forward, replacing Raphael Obermair, who will continue to serve as one of the biggest leaders in the dressing room as vice-captain.
Fortuna Düsseldorf: Florian Kastenmeier
Following the departure of André Hoffmann, head coach Daniel Thioune has decided on goalkeeper Kastenmeier as Fortuna's new skipper. The 28-year-old is a long-standing key player, having been with the Rhineland club since the 2019/20 season. "It's a great honour for me to be handed the captain's armband at Fortuna. After so many years at the club, standing on the pitch as captain means a lot to me personally - it's something very special," said Kastenmeier on the announcement of his captaincy.
"The captain is staying put!" - Lautern head coach Torsten Lieberknecht announced without hesitation that Ritter will continue to lead the Red Devils onto the pitch in the coming season. Ritter wore the armband for the first time in December 2023 and has been full-time captain since the beginning of 2024/25.
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After extending his contract with Karlsruhe at the end of last season, it seems certain that Wanitzek will continue in the role of captain. He has worn the armband in every pre-season friendly, so Wanitzek will likely lead Karlsruhe into the start of the 2025/26 season. In May, the playmaker extended his contract, with Karlsruhe's managing director Michael Becker praising the veteran, saying: "Marvin is the face of this club; a player with character, attitude, and quality."
Even with new head coach Markus Fiedler coming through the doors at Magdeburg, Reimann will continue to lead the team as captain. The goalkeeper, who has been playing for the Blues since 2021, was made skipper last season for the 1974 European Cup Winners' Cup winners.
Since Ron-Robert Zieler left Hannover, the Reds have been in search of a new captain and found one in midfielder Leopold. "Enzo is a player who has been at Hannover for a while, who knows the club very well, and fully identifies with it. He leads by example and has strong leadership qualities," explained new head coach Christian Titz.
"That's what I assume," said Nuremberg coach Miroslav Klose when asked whether Knoche would remain captain in the upcoming season. Howvever, an official confirmation is still pending.
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Reese has been on Hertha's books since July 2023, and is now also captain of the Berlin side, as officially announced by the club. His two vice-captains are Toni Leistner and Deyovaisio Zeefuik. The trio make up Hertha's core leadership group.
"He embodies Darmstadt and its values and is able to assess many scenarios very well thanks to his long association with the club," announced Lilies head coach Florian Kohfeldt, explaining his decision to make goalkeeper Schuhen his captain.
Greuther Fürth: Branimir Hrgota
Hrgota has led the Clover Leaves onto the pitch as captain for the last five years, missing just six matches and coming on as a substitute twice in that time. In total, he has led his team out 128 times with the armband. Although Fürth coach Thomas Kleine has not yet officially confirmed him in the role, it is assumed that nothing will change. Hrgota has consistently served as captain during pre-season as well.
Karaman will remain as captain in the 2025/26 season. "His profile fits us 100 per cent and our aspirations align. Kenan can make the team better," said new boss Miron Muslic of his on-field leader, who was praised on social media for his emotional dressing room speeches last season.
Preußen Münster: Jorrit Hendrix
Preußen head coach Alexander Ende has appointed Hendrix as the new Münster captain. He succeeds Marc Lorenz, who has been chosen by his teammates to be part of the core leadership group. Mikkel Kirkeskov will serve as Hendrix’s deputy.
Eintracht Braunschweig: Sven Köhler
Köhler is the new captain at Eintracht Braunschweig with head coach Heiner Backhaus having handed the responsibility to the 28-year-old midfielder in the summer. "Köhli takes responsibility and has that confident presence a captain needs. With this decision, we also wanted to send him a clear signal that we see him as a leader," Backhaus explained.
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Arminia Bielefeld: Mael Corboz
Corboz was stepping into big boots after taking the armband a year ago. The midfield strategist succeeded club legend Fabian Klos as captain after he announced his retirement. With Corboz as captain, the team reached the DFB Cup final and earned promotion to Bundesliga 2. Corboz has not yet been officially confirmed by coach Mitch Kniat, but he did wear the armband in Arminia's final pre-season friendly against Monaco.
Dynamo Dresden: Stefan Kutschke
Both the club and head coach Thomas Stamm have confirmed that Kutschke will serve as captain for the upcoming season. His vice-captain, Niklas Hauptmann, will likewise remain in his role. With this leadership duo at the wheel, Dynamo achieved promotion in last season’s 3. Liga.
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