1. FC Heidenheim's fairy tale run in the Bundesliga has come to an end after three seasons. Relegation to the 2. Bundesliga was mathematically confirmed in May 2026.
The club from the city of 50,000 inhabitants had achieved its historic promotion on 28 May 2023. Tim Kleindienst scored the decisive goal in the ninth minute of added time for a 3-2 victory in Regensburg. Under coach Frank Schmidt, who has led the club for almost 20 years, and the even longer-serving chairman Holger Sanwald, Heidenheim had risen from the Oberliga all the way to the Bundesliga.
The reasons for the drop are varied. After a surprisingly strong first Bundesliga season, which ended with an eighth-place finish and qualification for the Conference League, key performers left the club. Top scorers Tim Kleindienst, Jan-Niklas Beste, and Eren Dinkçi departed after the debut year. Last summer, Leo Scienza and the loan players from Bayern Munich, Frans Krätzig and Paul Wanner, also left.
The club struggled massively to find adequate replacements for these key players. Even signing players from the 2nd and 3rd divisions proved difficult. Desired candidates like Eren Dinkçi and Hennes Behrens could only be secured in the winter transfer window. These personnel gaps proved too large to maintain top-flight status, despite having survived via the relegation play-off the previous year.
Despite relegation, a remarkable record remains. In the first season, the club managed to finish among the top eight teams. In the second campaign, Heidenheim competed internationally in the Conference League, facing Premier League giants Chelsea. Domestically, spectacular victories against Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart were achieved.
Even in the final season, the team showed character. Late wins against Stuttgart, Leverkusen, and Bayern again demonstrated the often-cited 'roll-up-your-sleeves mentality'. Striker Budu Zivzivadze developed into a genuine goal threat in the second half of the season. However, a long winless series was ultimately followed by the bitter disappointment of relegation.
Frank Schmidt's contract runs until summer 2027, and his continued presence is seen as central to the club's identity in the second division. The coach coined the term 'Unkaputtbaren' (The Unbreakables) for his team. The club returns to its small, drafty stadium on the Schlossberg and its proven low-budget approach.
The current season in the 2. Bundesliga is already underway. Heidenheim sits in ninth place after two matchdays with three points. The record shows one win and one loss. In the two matches, the team scored five goals but conceded seven, resulting in a negative goal difference of minus two. The gap to league leaders 1. FC Nürnberg is three points.
The next match is on 29 August 2026. Heidenheim hosts eleventh-placed Dynamo Dresden. All upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures calendar. The task now is to establish themselves in the 2. Bundesliga and build a solid foundation for the future. The proven philosophy and team cohesion remain the club's greatest strengths.
