2025–26 1. FC Heidenheim season
1. FC Heidenheim 2025–26 football season
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The 2025–26 season was the 19th season in the history of 1. FC Heidenheim as a legally independent club, and the club's third consecutive season in the Bundesliga. In addition to the domestic league, the club participated in the DFB-Pokal.
| 2025–26 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Holger Sanwald | |||
| Head coach | Frank Schmidt | |||
| Stadium | Voith-Arena | |||
| Bundesliga | 17th (relegated) | |||
| DFB-Pokal | Second round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Budu Zivzivadze (6) All: Budu Zivzivadze (6) | |||
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Season summary
Background and pre-season
In 2023, Frank Schmidt, who had managed 1. FC Heidenheim since they were a fourth-tier club in 2007, led the club to promotion to the Bundesliga.[1][2] In the 2023–24 season, the club finished 8th in the Bundesliga, which qualified them for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa Conference League,[3] though the club narrowly avoided relegation back to the 2. Bundesliga in the 2024–25 season. After finishing 16th in the regular season, the club played SV Elversberg, who finished 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga, in the relegation play-offs; after a 2–2 draw at home in the first leg, the second leg went into second-half added time level at 1–1 before Léo Scienza scored a 95th-minute winner to preserve Heidenheim's Bundesliga status.[4] Following the end of the season, defender Norman Theuerkauf retired[5] whilst backup goalkeeper Vitus Eicher was released[6] and young midfielder Christopher Negele agreed a deal to join SpVgg Unterhaching.[7]
It was anticipated that Heidenheim would again be in a relegation battle, with Südwestrundfunk writing that the aim for the season would be to avoid relegation,[8] and Opta predicting a 17th-place finish.[9] Heidenheim brought in just two new players ahead of the new season, signing forward Arijon Ibrahimović and goalkeeper Diant Ramaj on season-long loans from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively,[8][10][11] though Mikkel Kaufmann returned to the first team from loan and young players Nick Rothweiler, Adam Kölle and Yannik Wagner were given first-team contracts.[8]
August to December
Heidenheim began the season on 16 August 2025 with a 5–0 DFB-Pokal first round win over Bahlinger SC, with Léo Scienza scoring twice, and Mathias Honsak, Mikkel Kaufmann and Sirlord Conteh scoring the remaining Heidenheim goals.[12] A week later, Heidenheim lost their opening Bundesliga match 3–1 to VfL Wolfsburg, with Scienza scoring the Heidenheim goal,[13] and were beaten 2–0 by RB Leipzig on 30 August.[14] Left back Leart Paqarada was signed from 1. FC Köln on 28 August,[15] and Scienza was sold to EFL Championship club Southampton on 1 September, transfer deadline day.[16] Maximilian Breunig and Luka Janes left on loan, to 1. FC Magdeburg and Sonnenhof Großaspach respectively.[17][18]
It took Heidenheim until 27 September to pick up their first points in the Bundesliga; after a 2–0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund on 13 September,[19] and a 2–1 away defeat to Hamburger SV on 20 September (with Adam Kölle scoring the Heidenheim goal),[20] Heidenheim picked up a 2–1 home win over FC Augsburg.[21] Despite the match being goalless at half-time, Mikkel Kaufmann scored from a low Sirlord Conteh cross in the 47th minute, before Conteh scored from Kaufmann's low cross seven minutes later, to put Heidenheim two goals ahead before Augsburg got one back in the 98th minute.[21]
January to May
Players
First-team squad
- As of 30 January 2026[22]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Competitions
Bundesliga
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1. FC Köln | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 49 | 63 | −14 | 32 | |
| 15 | Werder Bremen | 34 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 37 | 60 | −23 | 32 | |
| 16 | VfL Wolfsburg (R) | 34 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 29 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 17 | 1. FC Heidenheim (R) | 34 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 41 | 72 | −31 | 26 | Relegation to 2. Bundesliga |
| 18 | FC St. Pauli (R) | 34 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 29 | 60 | −31 | 26 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored; 6) Away goals scored; 7) Play-off.[23]
(Rules 4–6 only apply after home and away matches have been played between the tied teams.)
(R) Relegated
Match details
| Round | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | League position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 August 2025 | 15:30 | VfL Wolfsburg | Home | 1–3 | Scienza 29' | 15,000 | 15th | [13] |
| 2 | 30 August 2025 | 15:30 | RB Leipzig | Away | 0–2 | 43,495 | 17th | [14] | |
| 3 | 13 September 2025 | 15:30 | Borussia Dortmund | Home | 0–2 | 15,000 | 18th | [19] | |
| 4 | 20 September 2025 | 15:30 | Hamburger SV | Away | 1–2 | Kölle 90+3' | 57,000 | 18th | [20] |
| 5 | 27 September 2025 | 15:30 | FC Augsburg | Home | 2–1 | Kaufmann 47', S. Conteh 54' | 15,000 | 17th | [21] |
| 6 | 5 October 2025 | 15:30 | VfB Stuttgart | Away | 0–1 | 60,000 | 18th | [24] | |
| 7 | 18 October 2025 | 15:30 | Werder Bremen | Home | 2–2 | Schimmer 67', Föhrenbach 83' | 15,000 | 17th | [25] |
| 8 | 25 October 2025 | 15:30 | TSG Hoffenheim | Away | 1–3 | Schimmer 75' | 24,127 | 17th | [26] |
| 9 | 1 November 2025 | 15:30 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Home | 1–1 | Zivzivadze 32' | 15,000 | 18th | [27] |
| 10 | 8 November 2025 | 15:30 | Bayer Leverkusen | Away | 0–6 | 29,257 | 18th | [28] | |
| 11 | 22 November 2025 | 15:30 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Home | 0–3 | 15,000 | 18th | [29] | |
| 12 | 29 November 2025 | 15:30 | Union Berlin | Away | 2–1 | Schimmer 90', Schöppner 90+5' | 22,012 | 16th | [30] |
| 13 | 6 December 2025 | 15:30 | SC Freiburg | Home | 2–1 | Mainka 59', Schimmer 90+4' | 15,000 | 16th | [31] |
| 14 | 13 December 2025 | 15:30 | FC St. Pauli | Away | 1–2 | Pieringer 64' | 29,546 | 17th | [32] |
| 15 | 21 December 2025 | 17:30 | Bayern Munich | Home | 0–4 | 15,000 | 17th | [33] | |
| 16 | 10 January 2026 | 15:30 | 1. FC Köln | Home | 2–2 | Pieringer 15', Niehues 26' | 15,000 | 17th | [34] |
| 17 | 13 January 2026 | 20:30 | Mainz 05 | Away | 1–2 | Schimmer 60' | 24,500 | 18th | [35] |
| 18 | 17 January 2026 | 15:30 | VfL Wolfsburg | Away | 1–1 | Beck 45+1' | 19,361 | 16th | [36] |
| 19 | 24 January 2026 | 15:30 | RB Leipzig | Home | 0–3 | 14,000 | 18th | [37] | |
| 20 | 1 February 2026 | 17:30 | Borussia Dortmund | Away | 2–3 | Niehues 45+5', 48' | 81,365 | 18th | [38] |
| 21 | 7 February 2026 | 15:30 | Hamburger SV | Home | 0–2 | 15,000 | 18th | [39] | |
| 22 | 15 February 2026 | 15:30 | FC Augsburg | Away | 0–1 | 30,107 | 18th | [40] | |
| 23 | 23 February 2026 | 19:30 | VfB Stuttgart | Home | 3–3 | Dinkçi 20', Ibrahimović 34' pen., S. Conteh 82' | 15,000 | 18th | [41] |
| 24 | 28 February 2026 | 15:30 | Werder Bremen | Away | 0–2 | 40,000 | 18th | [42] | |
| 25 | 7 March 2026 | 15:30 | TSG Hoffenheim | Home | 2–4 | Kerber 63', 84' | 15,000 | 18th | [43] |
| 26 | 14 March 2026 | 15:30 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Away | 0–1 | 58,700 | 18th | [44] | |
| 27 | 21 March 2026 | 15:30 | Bayer Leverkusen | Home | 3–3 | Behrens 56', Pieringer 72' pen., 85' | 15,000 | 18th | [45] |
| 28 | 4 April 2026 | 15:30 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Away | 2–2 | Mainka 26', Busch 64' | 52,129 | 18th | [46] |
| 29 | 11 April 2026 | 15:30 | Union Berlin | Home | 3–1 | Honsak 9', 36', Zivzivadze 79' | 15,000 | 18th | [47] |
| 30 | 19 April 2026 | 15:30 | SC Freiburg | Away | 1–2 | Zivzivadze 59' | 33,800 | 18th | [48] |
| 31 | 25 April 2026 | 15:30 | FC St. Pauli | Home | 2–0 | Zivzivadze 3', Dinkçi 82' | 15,000 | 18th | [49] |
| 32 | 2 May 2026 | 15:30 | Bayern Munich | Away | 3–3 | Zivzivadze 22', 76', Dinkçi 31' | 75,000 | 18th | [50] |
| 33 | 10 May 2026 | 17:30 | 1. FC Köln | Home | 3–1 | Schöppner 8', 72', Ibrahimović 28' | 50,000 | 17th | [51] |
| 34 | 16 May 2026 | 15:30 | Mainz 05 | Home | 0–2 | 15,000 | 17th | [52] |
DFB-Pokal
| Round | Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | Result F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 16 August 2025 | 15:30 | Bahlinger SC | Away | 5–0 | Scienza 9', 61', Honsak 34', Kaufmann 77', S. Conteh 83' | 4,000 | [12] |
| Second round | 28 October 2025 | 18:30 | Hamburger SV | Home | 0–1 | 15,000 | [53] |
Transfers
In
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 August 2025 | DF |  Leart Paqarada (KOS) | 1. FC Köln | Undisclosed | [15] |
| 12 January 2026 | FW |  Christian Conteh (GER) | Eintracht Braunschweig | Undisclosed | [54] |
Loans in
| Date from | Pos. | Player | From | Date until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June 2025 | FW | Arijon Ibrahimović (GER) | Bayern Munich | End of season | [10] |
| 1 August 2025 | GK | Diant Ramaj (GER) | Borussia Dortmund | End of season | [11] |
| 2 January 2026 | DF | Hennes Behrens (GER) | TSG Hoffenheim | End of season | [55] |
| 15 January 2026 | DF |  Leonidas Stergiou (SUI) | VfB Stuttgart | End of season | [56] |
| 30 January 2026 | FW |  Eren Dinkçi (TUR) | SC Freiburg | End of season | [57] |
Out
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2025 | GK | Vitus Eicher (GER) | Released | [6] | |
| 30 June 2025 | MF | Norman Theuerkauf (GER) | Retired | [5] | |
| 30 June 2025 | MF | Christopher Negele (GER) | SpVgg Unterhaching | Free transfer | [7] |
| 1 September 2025 | MF |  Léo Scienza (BRA) | Southampton | Undisclosed | [16] |
Loans out
| Date from | Pos. | Player | To | Date until | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 2025 | FW | Maximilian Breunig (GER) | 1. FC Magdeburg | End of season | [18] |
| 2 September 2025 | MF | Luka Janes (GER) | Sonnenhof Großaspach | End of season | [17] |
| 2 January 2026 | DF | Thomas Keller (GER) | Dynamo Dresden | End of season | [58] |
| 20 January 2026 | GK | Kevin Müller (GER) | Schalke 04 | End of season | [59] |