The Bundesliga relegation battle is shaping up to be one of the most epic fights for survival we have ever witnessed from the German top flight.
Sure, 1. FC Heidenheim look very much destined for the second tier, as they sit in last place, 10 points from the relegation play-off place with nine rounds to go in the season.
However, who will get the other direct relegation spot and who will play in the said play-off against the third-place finishers of the second tier is anybody’s guess.
The Bundesliga Relegation Battle: Just Five Points Separate 10th To 16th Place
The Bundesliga relegation battle involves nearly half of the league at the moment. A mere five points separate the current occupants of the 16th place, the relegation play-off spot, FC St. Pauli and their crosstown rivals, Hamburger SV in 10th place.
If we take Heidenheim out of the equation, simply due to their near-impossible odds at staying in the league at this point, then the team in the most difficult situation, albeit not hopeless in terms of the Bundesliga relegation battle, is VfL Wolfsburg.
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Wolfsburg’s Fall From Grace
The Wolves currently occupy 17th place, second from bottom and are four points away from the relegation play-off place as well as 15th place, which would mean direct safety.
It is quite remarkable that the club have fallen that far, given their considerable financial muscle and support from the automobile giant Volkswagen. Wolfsburg have played in the Bundesliga continuously since their promotion to the top-flight in the summer of 1997.
They have one Bundesliga title (2009) and one German DFB Pokal title (2015) to their name.
In 2016, they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they lost out to Real Madrid, after beating Los Blancos in the first leg.
The architect of the last two of those successes, coach Dieter Hecking, has now been taken out of retirement to help Wolfsburg survive the Bundesliga relegation battle and save the club from impending doom.
The coaching change was not the only alteration of key personnel at the club recently. Sporting director Pirmin Schwegler joined the club earlier this winter, and he will work very closely with Hecking to secure survival.
The Wolves’ fall from grace is a result of expensive miscalculations on the part of the board.
They have plenty of star players on their team, such as Danish midfield maestro Christian Eriksen, Croatian international Lovro Majer, and Algerian international striker Mohamed Amoura.
The Other Teams Involved
The other teams involved in the Bundesliga relegation battle besides Heidenheim and Wolfsburg are FC St. Pauli, Mainz 05, 1. FC Köln, Werder Bremen, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Union Berlin and Hamburger SV.
Mainz have the disadvantage of also being involved in the UEFA Conference League, although the great momentum they have generated since the arrival of their new coach, Urs Fischer, in December and a few astute January signings should work in their favour.
We know what a world of difference momentum can make in football, especially in relegation battles.
On that note, Union and Köln should be especially worried, as they have both only just recently been sucked into this Bundesliga relegation battle.
That is by no means to say that they will be relegated, as the Bundesliga relegation battle will swirl on as the season progresses.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Darius Simka
Recording Date: 10.03.2026
