1. FSV Mainz 05 facts for kids
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| Full name | 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e.V. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Die Nullfünfer (the 05ers), Karnevalsverein (Carnival club) |
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| Founded | 16 March 1905 | |||
| Ground | MEWA Arena | |||
| Capacity | 33,305 | |||
| President | Stefan Hofmann | |||
| Manager | Bo Henriksen | |||
| League | Bundesliga | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga, 12th of 18 | |||
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1. FSV Mainz 05 is a professional sports club from Mainz, Germany. It was founded in 1905. The club is best known for its football team, which plays in the Bundesliga. This is the top football league in Germany.
Mainz 05 has local rivalries with Eintracht Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern. Besides football, the club also has teams for handball and table tennis.
Contents
Club History
How Mainz 05 Started
In 1903, there was an attempt to start a football club in Mainz, but it didn't work out. Two years later, in 1905, a new club was successfully created. It was called 1. Mainzer Fussballclub Hassia 1905.
Over the years, the club went through some changes. It joined with another team, FC Hermannia 07, in 1912. Then, after World War I in 1919, it merged again with Sportverein 1908 Mainz. This led to the formation of 1. Mainzer Fußball- und Sportverein 05. This is where the "05" in the name comes from! The team was strong and won several regional championships before World War II. They even qualified for the national championships in 1921.
Playing During Difficult Times
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the club played in the Bezirksliga Main-Hessen. They finished first in 1932 and 1933. These good results helped them join the Gauliga Südwest. This was one of 16 new top-level leagues created when German football was reorganized. Mainz 05 played only one season at this level before moving down. In 1938, the club had to merge with another team, Reichsbahn SV Mainz. They played as Reichsbahn SV Mainz 05 until the end of World War II.
The Journey to the Bundesliga
After World War II, Mainz 05 played in the Oberliga Südwest. They were usually a mid-table team, meaning they weren't at the very top or bottom. When the new professional league, the Bundesliga, started in 1963, Mainz 05 did not join it right away. For the next 40 years, they mostly played in the second division.
The club faced financial problems in the late 1970s and 1980s. Because of this, they played in a lower amateur league for a while. However, they won the German amateur championship in 1982.
Mainz 05 returned to professional football in 1988. They were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. At first, they often struggled to avoid being sent back down. But under coach Wolfgang Frank, Mainz became one of the first German clubs to use a "flat four zone defense." This was a new tactic at the time.
Mainz 05 tried three times to get into the top league but just missed out. In 2003, they were denied promotion in the very last minute of the final match! However, their hard work paid off. They were finally promoted to the Bundesliga in 2004 under coach Jürgen Klopp. They played in the top league for three seasons before being relegated in 2007. Two years later, in 2009, they earned promotion to the Bundesliga again.
In their first Bundesliga season (2004-05), Mainz 05 also earned a spot in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. They got this spot through the Fair Play award. This award recognizes teams that play fairly, respect opponents and referees, and whose fans and officials behave well. Because their home stadium was too small, Mainz played their UEFA Cup matches in Frankfurt. They won against teams from Armenia and Iceland. However, they lost to Sevilla, who went on to win the competition.
In the 2010–11 season, Mainz 05 had an amazing start. They won their first seven matches, which was a Bundesliga record at the time. They finished that season in fifth place, their best finish ever. This earned them another spot in the UEFA Europa League. They were knocked out in the qualifying rounds by a Romanian team.
At the end of the 2022–23 season, Mainz 05 played a crucial match against Borussia Dortmund. They drew 2-2, which meant Dortmund lost the league title to Bayern Munich.
The 2023–24 season was tough for Mainz 05. They were near the bottom of the league for most of it. But under coach Bo Henriksen, they improved a lot. They went unbeaten in their last nine matches, winning five of them. This great run helped them move from 16th to 13th place, keeping them in the Bundesliga.
In the 2024–25 season, Mainz 05 had a strong start. By March 2025, they were in third place, which made fans hope for a spot in the UEFA Champions League. However, they then had a tough period, going seven matches without a win. They ended up finishing sixth in the league. This result qualified them for the Conference League.
Recent Seasons
Here's how the club has performed in recent seasons:
| Season | Division | Tier | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 2. Bundesliga | II | 9th |
| 2000–01 | 2. Bundesliga | 14th | |
| 2001–02 | 2. Bundesliga | 4th | |
| 2002–03 | 2. Bundesliga | 4th | |
| 2003–04 | 2. Bundesliga | 3rd ↑ | |
| 2004–05 | Bundesliga | I | 11th |
| 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 11th | |
| 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 16th ↓ | |
| 2007–08 | 2. Bundesliga | II | 4th |
| 2008–09 | 2. Bundesliga | 2nd ↑ | |
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | I | 9th |
| 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 5th | |
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 7th | |
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 11th | |
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 6th | |
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 15th | |
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 14th | |
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 12th | |
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 12th | |
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 8th | |
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 9th | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 13th | |
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 6th |
- Key
| ↑ Promoted | ↓ Relegated |
Stadium Information
Mainz 05 plays its home matches at the Mewa Arena. This is a modern stadium that opened in 2011. It can hold 33,305 fans. The first event held there was a football tournament in July 2011.
Before the Mewa Arena, the team played at the Bruchwegstadion. This stadium was built in 1928 and could hold over 20,300 spectators. When Mainz 05 started doing well, their matches at the Bruchwegstadion were often full. For example, in the 2015–16 season, the average attendance at the Mewa Arena was 30,324 spectators.
Club Culture
Mainz is famous for its carnival celebrations. It's one of the biggest carnival cities in Germany. Because of this, Mainz 05 is sometimes called the "Carnival club." After every goal scored by Mainz at a home match, a famous German carnival song called "Narrhallamarsch" is played.
Reserve Team
The club also has a reserve team called Mainz 05 II. As the main team got better, the reserve team also moved up through the leagues. They first reached the Oberliga level in 1999. Then, they were promoted to the Regionalliga in 2003. After a couple of seasons, they went back down to the Oberliga. In 2008, they were promoted to the Regionalliga West again. In 2014, they earned promotion to the 3. Liga, which is a higher professional league.
European Competitions
Mainz 05 has played in European football competitions several times. Here's a summary of their results:
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  Mika |
4–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 |
| 2Q |  Keflavík |
2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 1R |  Sevilla |
0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | ||
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q |  Gaz Metan Mediaș |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 (3–4 (p)) |
| 2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q |  Asteras Tripoli |
1–0 | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| 2016–17 | UEFA Europa League | Group C |  Anderlecht |
1–1 | 1–6 | 3rd |
 Saint-Étienne |
1–1 | 0–0 | ||||
 Gabala |
2–0 | 3–2 | ||||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Conference League | PO |
Club Achievements
Mainz 05 has won several titles and awards over the years:
- League Titles
- German amateur champions: 1982
- Regionalliga Südwest (Second Division) champions: 1973
- Oberliga Südwest (Third Division) champions: 1981, 1988, 1990
- Amateurliga Südwest (Third Division) champions: 1978
- Regional Titles
- Kreisliga Hessen (Top Division) champions: 1921
- Bezirksliga Rheinhessen-Saar (Top Division) champions: 1927
- Bezirksliga Main-Hessen (Hessen group) (Top Division) champions: 1932, 1933
- South West Cup winners: 1980, 1982, 1986
- Youth Team Titles
- German Under 19 champions: 2009, 2023
- Under 17 Bundesliga South/Southwest champions: 2014
- Other Awards
- DFB-Pokal semi-finalists: 2009
- UEFA Fair Play selection: 2005
- Reserve Team Titles
- Oberliga Südwest (Fourth Division) champions: 2003, 2008
- South West Cup winners: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Current Players
Here are the players currently on the Mainz 05 squad:
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Players on Loan
These players are still part of Mainz 05 but are currently playing for other teams:
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Coaching Staff
Here is the current coaching team for Mainz 05:
| Manager |  Bo Henriksen |
| Assistant manager | Mikkel Jespersen |
| First-team coach | Michael Silberbauer Sören Hartung |
| Fitness coach | Sven Herzog |
| Fitness coach | Axel Busenkell |
| Goalkeeping coach | Stephan Kuhnert |
| Analyst | Jannes Ehresmann |
Past Managers
Here is a list of the managers who have led Mainz 05 over the years:
- Paul Oßwald (1933–35)
- Helmut Schneider (1946–48)
- Berno Wischmann (1950 – October 50)
- Hans Geiger (October 1950–52)
- Georg Bayerer (1952–53)
Emil Izsó (1953 – Dec 54)- Heinz Baas (1959–66)
- Erich Bäumler (1967–68)
- Bernd Hoss (1971–74)
- Uwe Klimaschefski (1 July 1974 – 21 September 1974)
- Gerd Menne (1 Oct 1974 – 7 December 1975)
- Gerd Higi (interim) (5 December 1975 – 31 December 1975)
- Horst Hülß (16 January 1976 – 30 June 1980)
- Herbert Dörenberg (1980 – March 83)
- Lothar Emmerich (March 1983–84)
- Horst-Dieter Strich (1984–88)
- Horst Hülß (1 July 1988 – 13 February 1989)
- Robert Jung (14 February 1989 – 30 June 1992)
Josip Kuze (1 July 1992 – 15 October 1994)- Hermann Hummels (20 October 1994 – 17 April 1995)
- Horst Franz (18 April 1995 – 13 September 1995)
- Manfred Lorenz (interim) (14 September 1995 – 23 September 1995)
- Wolfgang Frank (25 September 1995 – 2 March 1997)
- Manfred Lorenz (interim) (3 March 1997 – 10 March 1997)
- Reinhard Saftig (11 March 1997 – 23 August 1997)
- Manfred Lorenz (interim) (23 August 1997 – 15 September 1997)
Dietmar Constantini (24 August 1997 – 9 April 1998)- Wolfgang Frank (9 April 1998 – 17 April 2000)
- Dirk Karkuth (18 April 2000 – 30 June 2000)
- René Vandereycken (1 July 2000 – 14 November 2000)
- Manfred Lorenz (interim) (15 November 2000 – 21 November 2000)
- Eckhard Krautzun (21 November 2000 – 28 February 2001)
- Jürgen Klopp (28 February 2001 – 30 June 2008)
Jörn Andersen (1 July 2008 – 3 August 2009)- Thomas Tuchel (3 August 2009 – 11 May 2014)
- Kasper Hjulmand (15 May 2014 – 17 February 2015)
Martin Schmidt (17 February 2015 – 22 May 2017)- Sandro Schwarz (1 July 2017 – 10 November 2019)
- Achim Beierlorzer (18 November 2019 – 28 September 2020)
- Jan-Moritz Lichte (28 September 2020 – 28 December 2020)
- Jan Siewert (interim) (28 December 2020 – 4 January 2021)
- Bo Svensson (4 January 2021 – 2 November 2023)
- Jan Siewert (2 November 2023 – 12 February 2024)
- Bo Henriksen (13 February 2024 – present)
See also
In Spanish: 1. F.S.V. Mainz 05 para niños
- The Football Club Social Alliance
