In December 2025, Mainz parted ways with popular head coach Bo Henriksen after just one win in their first 12 Bundesliga matches in 2025/26. Sitting at the bottom of the table, second team manager Benjamin Hoffman was put in caretaker charge for visiting Borussia Mönchengladbach, a match decided by an unfortunate own goal from defender Danny da Costa. The defeat left Mainz six points from safety after just 13 games.
Two months later, in February 2026, under the leadership of former Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer, the picture is very different. Mainz have only lost once in the past nine matches in all competitions. Increase the team to 16th place, just a solitary point behind Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg and Hamburg, Fischer gave the Nullfünfer a new lease of life and more than a chance to retain their Bundesliga status.
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Naturally, after being appointed mid-season, the former Union head coach was given the task of getting straight into the meat of the season. The first match was a difficult trip to Lech Poznań on the penultimate matchday of the UEFA Conference League championship stage. Despite their lead, they did well not to come away empty-handed after Nikolas Veratschnig was ordered to walk midway through the second half.
Next up was a visit to undefeated Bayern Munich in a match that promised a Bundesliga baptism of fire for the Swiss, even if the result would prove to be the antithesis of what was expected. Leading 2-1 until a controversial penalty from Harry Kane a few minutes from time, Mainz conceded the orchestra master their toughest test of the season up to that point and blamed themselves for not converting the performance into a three-pointer.
In that match at the Allianz, Mainz deployed a 5-4-1 defensive formation that Fischer kept in place for the visit of St. Pauli the following week. After a 0-0 draw against Alexander Blessin’s side, the winter break gave Fischer the opportunity to get to work with his new players on the training pitch.
When the league resumed in January, they reverted to the 3-5-2 setup that had served Fischer so well with the Union in the 22/23 season. The tactical shake-up allowed some players to flourish during the Nullfunferespecially Nadiem Amiri and Jae-Sung Lee. Both attacking midfielders were given the freedom to express themselves and did so to great effect.
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Fischer has also used crosses and set pieces to great effect since taking charge. In the impressive draw against Bayern, Mainz’s equalizer came thanks to a precise free kick from William Bøving and a powerful header from young defender Kacper Potulski.
While the goal in which Mainz took the lead was nothing short of exceptional, captain Stefan Bell collected the ball just before the halfway line and then sent a superb ball over the top to Jae-Sung Lee who brilliantly guided his header inside the far post on the turn. In the 3-1 home win over Wolfsburg, all three goals came from corners – the first two directly and the third thanks to a penalty that Amiri sent past Kamil Grabara, who had already saved a penalty earlier in the match.
Mainz’s upward trajectory under Urs Fischer
With the momentum building, the coming weeks will provide a clearer indication of just how far Mainz’s revival can take them. A series of matches against Augsburg, Hamburg and Werder Bremen looms, with each game having obvious importance in the relegation battle. These are the archetypal six points that can define a season, and for Mainz they represent an opportunity to move out of the bottom three for the first time since matchday five.
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What is not in doubt is the scale of the turnaround Fischer has overseen since he took office in December. He revitalized a squad that seemed destined to end the club’s 17-year stay in Germany’s top flight. They now find themselves not only confident of survival, but whispering it, looking ahead to a Conference League run that could well end in a trophy.
