Anyone checking the Bundesliga table this month will no longer find Heidenheim in it. Greuther Fürth, Hannover 96 and Arminia Bielefeld are missing too. All four play in the 2. Bundesliga this season. 1. FC Köln is the only one of this group playing at the top level.
Heidenheim's stay in the Bundesliga ended last spring. The club finished 17th with 26 points and went down automatically, along with St. Pauli, who also finished on 26 points. Wolfsburg finished 16th and lost the play-off to Paderborn. The first leg ended 0-0, and Paderborn won the second 2-1 after extra time. In the 2. Bundesliga Schalke 04 won the title with 70 points and Elversberg went up as runners-up.
Hannover 96 came close. They finished fourth with 60 points, two fewer than Elversberg and Paderborn. Arminia Bielefeld ended 13th with 39 points and were never really involved in the promotion or relegation fight. Greuther Fürth had the most nervous finish. As 16th-placed side they played a play-off against Rot-Weiss Essen from the 3. Liga, lost 1-0 away and won 2-0 at home, which kept Fürth in the 2. Bundesliga.
In this season's 2. Bundesliga Heidenheim are doing best. After six matchdays, in the table of 21 September, Frank Schmidt's side are third with 13 points. Schmidt is in his twentieth season as the club's coach. Hannover are tenth with 7 points and have just appointed Sandro Wagner to succeed Christian Titz. Fürth are 12th with 6 points under Heiko Vogel, coach since December 2025. Bielefeld have only 5 points under Oliver Kirch and sit 13th.
After winning the 2. Bundesliga in 2024/25, Köln are in their second consecutive Bundesliga season. After four rounds they are 13th with 4 points from one win, one draw and two defeats. René Wagner has been coach since March 2026, when he succeeded Lukas Kwasniok. The three promoted clubs have made a reasonable start. Elversberg are seventh with 7 points, Schalke 11th with 5 and Paderborn 12th with 4.
For DreamTeam11 players this makes a difference. In Germany we follow the Bundesliga, so the 2. Bundesliga matches of Heidenheim, Fürth, Hannover and Bielefeld do not produce DT points this season. Players from Köln, Schalke, Elversberg and Paderborn do earn them. My guess is that Elversberg in particular have players who are still getting little attention, because a promoted side sitting in the top half after four games is clearly doing something right.
Which of these four clubs do you expect to see back in the Bundesliga next season?
Frequently asked questions
Which league do Heidenheim play in 2026/27?
Heidenheim play in the 2. Bundesliga. The club were relegated after finishing 17th in the Bundesliga in 2025/26. In the table of 21 September Heidenheim are third with 13 points after six matchdays.
Were Hannover 96 promoted to the Bundesliga?
No. Hannover 96 finished fourth in the 2. Bundesliga in 2025/26 with 60 points. Schalke 04 and Elversberg were promoted automatically, Paderborn via the play-off against Wolfsburg.
Are Greuther Fürth still in the 2. Bundesliga?
Yes. Fürth finished 16th in 2025/26 and stayed up through the play-off against Rot-Weiss Essen, losing 1-0 away and winning 2-0 at home.
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