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.
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. In the 2023–24 season, the club finished 8th in the Bundesliga, which qualified them for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa Conference League, 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. Following the end of the season, defender Norman Theuerkauf retired whilst backup goalkeeper Vitus Eicher was released and young midfielder Christopher Negele agreed a deal to join SpVgg Unterhaching.
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, and Opta predicting a 17th-place finish.https://sport.sky.de/fussball/artikel/die-bundesliga-tabellenprognose-der-saison-2025-26/13415793/35311 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, 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.
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. A week later, Heidenheim lost their opening Bundesliga match 3–1 to VfL Wolfsburg, with Scienza scoring the Heidenheim goal, and were beaten 2–0 by RB Leipzig on 30 August. Left back Leart Paqarada was signed from 1. FC Köln on 28 August, and Scienza was sold to EFL Championship club Southampton on 1 September, transfer deadline day. Maximilian Breunig and Luka Janes left on loan, to 1. FC Magdeburg and Sonnenhof Großaspach respectively.
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, and a 2–1 away defeat to Hamburger SV on 20 September (with Adam Kölle scoring the Heidenheim goal), Heidenheim picked up a 2–1 home win over FC Augsburg. 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.
January to May
Players First-team squad
Out on loan
Competitions Bundesliga
League table
Match details +Bundesliga match detailsRoundDateTimeOpponentVenueResultF–AScorersAttendanceLeagueposition115:30VfL WolfsburgHome1–3Scienza 29'15,00015th215:30RB LeipzigAway0–243,49517th315:30Borussia DortmundHome0–215,00018th415:30Hamburger SVAway1–2Kölle 90+3'57,00018th515:30FC AugsburgHome2–1Kaufmann 47', S. Conteh 54'15,00017th615:30VfB StuttgartAway0–160,00018th715:30Werder BremenHome2–2Schimmer 67', Föhrenbach 83'15,00017th815:30TSG HoffenheimAway1–3Schimmer 75'24,12717th915:30Eintracht FrankfurtHome1–1Zivzivadze 32'15,00018th1015:30Bayer LeverkusenAway0–629,25718th1115:30Borussia MönchengladbachHome0–315,00018th1215:30Union BerlinAway2–1Schimmer 90', Schöppner 90+5'22,01216th1315:30SC FreiburgHome2–1Mainka 59', Schimmer 90+4'15,00016th1415:30FC St. PauliAway1–2Pieringer 64'29,54617th1517:30Bayern MunichHome0–415,00017th1615:301. FC KölnHome2–2Pieringer 15', Niehues 26'15,00017th1720:30Mainz 05Away1–2Schimmer 60'24,50018th1815:30VfL WolfsburgAway1–1Beck 45+1'19,36116th1915:30RB LeipzigHome0–314,00018th2017:30Borussia DortmundAway2–3Niehues 45+5', 48'81,36518th2115:30Hamburger SVHome0–215,00018th2215:30FC AugsburgAway0–130,10718th2319:30VfB StuttgartHome3–3Dinkçi 20', Ibrahimović 34' pen., S. Conteh 82'15,00018th2415:30Werder BremenAway0–240,00018th2515:30TSG HoffenheimHome2–4Kerber 63', 84'15,00018th2615:30Eintracht FrankfurtAway0–158,70018th2715:30Bayer LeverkusenHome3–3Behrens 56', Pieringer 72' pen., 85'15,00018th2815:30Borussia MönchengladbachAway2–2Mainka 26', Busch 64'52,12918th2915:30Union BerlinHome3–1Honsak 9', 36', Zivzivadze 79'15,00018th3015:30SC FreiburgAway1–2Zivzivadze 59'33,80018th3115:30FC St. PauliHome2–0Zivzivadze 3', Dinkçi 82'15,00018th3215:30Bayern MunichAway3–3Zivzivadze 22', 76', Dinkçi 31'75,00018th3317:301. FC KölnHome3–1Schöppner 8', 72', Ibrahimović 28'50,00017th3415:30Mainz 05Home0–215,00017th
DFB-Pokal
+DFB-Pokal match detailsRoundDateTimeOpponentVenueResultF–AScorersAttendanceFirst round15:30Bahlinger SCAway5–0Scienza 9', 61', Honsak 34', Kaufmann 77', S. Conteh 83'4,000Second round18:30Hamburger SVHome0–115,000
Transfers In DatePlayerFromFee1. FC KölnUndisclosedEintracht BraunschweigUndisclosed
Loans in Date fromPlayerFromDate untilBayern MunichEnd of seasonBorussia DortmundEnd of seasonTSG HoffenheimEnd of seasonVfB StuttgartEnd of seasonSC FreiburgEnd of season
Out DatePlayerToFeeReleasedRetiredSpVgg UnterhachingFree transferSouthamptonUndisclosed
Loans out Date fromPlayerToDate until1. FC MagdeburgEnd of seasonSonnenhof GroßaspachEnd of seasonDynamo DresdenEnd of seasonSchalke 04End of season
References