Cole Campbell: Who is the USA youth international Borussia Dortmund have sent on loan to Hoffenheim?
After a handful of Bundesliga appearances with Borussia Dortmund, Cole Campbell was sent on loan to Hoffenheim for the second half of the 2025/26 season in order to gain valuable playing time and make the next step in his development...
Data correct as of 5 January 2026
Cole Campbell
Age: 19 (born 20 February 2006)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Left/ right winger
Country: USA (11 youth caps, five goals)
Key stats
The Texan has been at Borussia Dortmund since summer 2022, producing 18 goals and 19 assists across his first 52 games at U17 and U19 level.
He is a product of the Atalanta United youth academy, but made his senior debut across the Atlantic, in Iceland, aged 15. The 5'11" left-footed winger made a total of six appearances for Hafnarfjordur in 2021/22, and ranks as the Icelandic top-flight outfit's second-youngest player.
Having briefly turned out for Breiðablik and hit the ground running with Dortmund, earning a spot in the BVB senior team's 2023/24 winter training camp, Campbell marked his maiden US U19 cap with a match-winning brace against England in March 2024. In 2024/25, he made his first steps in professional football, making several appearances for Borussia Dortmund II in the 3. Liga and scoring his first goal at that level against Alemannia Aachen.
Campbell's promise earned him a long-term deal in 2024 that ties him to Dortmund until 30 June 2028. Having made the first of five brief Bundesliga appearances against Augsburg in October 2024 and making his UEFA Champions League debut against Sturm Graz the following month, Campbell was sent on loan to Hoffenheim in January 2026 to seek more regular playing time.
Plays a bit like: Leroy Sané
Campbell is a menace whether deployed on his natural left side or as an inverted winger on the opposite flank. He's quick, skilful and a taker and maker of chances, with an attacking profile comparable to former Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sané.
Did you know?
Campbell is the son of former Iceland women's team forward Rakel Karvelsson, who was born in Los Angeles and played college football for North Carolina. The Dortmund youngster represented Iceland U17 on seven occasions, before having his one-time change of affiliation request approved by world football governing body, FIFA, in the early part of 2024. In a strange twist of fate, it was an encounter with former Werder Bremen and USMNT forward Aron Jóhannsson that sowed the seed for his switch to the USA.
"It's kind of funny,” Campbell recalled of meeting Jóhannsson. "I made the switch to Breiðablik a few months before I left for Dortmund. We were playing against the team that Aron Jóhannsson played for. After the game was over, he came over to me. I had never met him before and he was like, 'you're Cole, right?' I was like, 'yeah'. Then he told me I’ve got to consider playing for the US. I was like, 'really?' And he said it's such a great opportunity. It's such a big, big thing. He said he would do it all over again if he could. It kind of got me thinking."
What they're saying
"Cole is a very young and extremely exciting player, who took huge strides in the past year. We see so much potential in him." - Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl after Campbell put pen to paper on his first pro contract
"This is an important season for me. I want to make the breakthrough into the pros. I have to work hard for that and then we will see what is possible. I hope I get my chance soon." - Campbell following his maiden senior goal against Alemannia Aachen
"Cole is a talented winger with great potential who we’ve been watching for a long time. He has high speed and qualities in one-v-ones. He can be used in different ways on the wings. We’re convinced he can give our team added impetus.” - Hoffenheim managing director Andreas Schicker.
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