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Mainz 05
Mainz 05 crest.svg
Full name 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e.V.
Nickname(s) Die Nullfünfer (the 05ers),
Karnevalsverein (Carnival club)
Founded 16 March 1905; 120 years ago (1905-03-16)
Ground MEWA Arena
Ground Capacity 33,305
President Stefan Hofmann
Manager Bo Henriksen
League Bundesliga
2020–21 Bundesliga, 12th of 18
Third colours

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.

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

Mainz Performance Chart
Historical chart of 1. FSV Mainz league performance

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.

A panorama view of the Mewa Arena

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 Armenia Mika 4–0 0–0 4–0
2Q Iceland Keflavík 2–0 2–0 4–0
1R Spain Sevilla 0–2 0–0 0–2
2011–12 UEFA Europa League 3Q Romania Gaz Metan Mediaș 1–1 1–1 2–2 (3–4 (p))
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 3Q Greece Asteras Tripoli 1–0 1–3 2–3
2016–17 UEFA Europa League Group C Belgium Anderlecht 1–1 1–6 3rd
France Saint-Étienne 1–1 0–0
Azerbaijan 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:

No. Position Player
1 Germany GK Lasse Rieß
2 Austria DF Phillipp Mwene
5 Germany DF Maxim Leitsch
6 Japan MF Kaishū Sano
7 South Korea MF Lee Jae-sung
8 Germany MF Paul Nebel
9 France FW Arnaud Nordin
11 Germany FW Armindo Sieb (on loan from Bayern Munich)
14 South Korea MF Hong Hyun-seok
15 United States DF Lennard Maloney
16 Germany DF Stefan Bell
17 Germany FW Benedict Hollerbach
18 Germany MF Nadiem Amiri
19 France DF Anthony Caci
21 Germany DF Danny da Costa
No. Position Player
22 Austria DF Nikolas Veratschnig
24 Japan MF Sōta Kawasaki (on loan from Kyoto Sanga)
25 Norway DF Andreas Hanche-Olsen
27 Germany GK Robin Zentner
30 Switzerland DF Silvan Widmer (captain)
31 Germany MF Dominik Kohr
33 Germany GK Daniel Batz
44 Germany FW Nelson Weiper
47 Germany DF Maxim Dal
Australia DF Kasey Bos
Austria DF Konstantin Schopp
Germany MF Niklas Tauer
Germany FW Ben Bobzien
Germany FW Marco Richter

Players on Loan

These players are still part of Mainz 05 but are currently playing for other teams:

No. Position Player
Germany MF Tom Krauß (at 1. FC Köln until 30 June 2026)

Coaching Staff

Here is the current coaching team for Mainz 05:

Manager Denmark Bo Henriksen
Assistant manager Denmark Mikkel Jespersen
First-team coach Denmark Michael Silberbauer
Germany Sören Hartung
Fitness coach Germany Sven Herzog
Fitness coach Germany Axel Busenkell
Goalkeeping coach Germany Stephan Kuhnert
Analyst Germany Jannes Ehresmann

Past Managers

Here is a list of the managers who have led Mainz 05 over the years:

  • Germany Paul Oßwald (1933–35)
  • Germany Helmut Schneider (1946–48)
  • Germany Berno Wischmann (1950 – October 50)
  • Germany Hans Geiger (October 1950–52)
  • Germany Georg Bayerer (1952–53)
  • Hungary Emil Izsó (1953 – Dec 54)
  • Germany Heinz Baas (1959–66)
  • Germany Erich Bäumler (1967–68)
  • Germany Bernd Hoss (1971–74)
  • Germany Uwe Klimaschefski (1 July 1974 – 21 September 1974)
  • Germany Gerd Menne (1 Oct 1974 – 7 December 1975)
  • Germany Gerd Higi (interim) (5 December 1975 – 31 December 1975)
  • Germany Horst Hülß (16 January 1976 – 30 June 1980)
  • Germany Herbert Dörenberg (1980 – March 83)
  • Germany Lothar Emmerich (March 1983–84)
  • Germany Horst-Dieter Strich (1984–88)
  • Germany Horst Hülß (1 July 1988 – 13 February 1989)
  • Germany Robert Jung (14 February 1989 – 30 June 1992)
  • Croatia Josip Kuze (1 July 1992 – 15 October 1994)
  • Germany Hermann Hummels (20 October 1994 – 17 April 1995)
  • Germany Horst Franz (18 April 1995 – 13 September 1995)
  • Germany Manfred Lorenz (interim) (14 September 1995 – 23 September 1995)
  • Germany Wolfgang Frank (25 September 1995 – 2 March 1997)
  • Germany Manfred Lorenz (interim) (3 March 1997 – 10 March 1997)
  • Germany Reinhard Saftig (11 March 1997 – 23 August 1997)
  • Germany Manfred Lorenz (interim) (23 August 1997 – 15 September 1997)
  • Austria Dietmar Constantini (24 August 1997 – 9 April 1998)
  • Germany Wolfgang Frank (9 April 1998 – 17 April 2000)
  • Germany Dirk Karkuth (18 April 2000 – 30 June 2000)
  • Belgium René Vandereycken (1 July 2000 – 14 November 2000)
  • Germany Manfred Lorenz (interim) (15 November 2000 – 21 November 2000)
  • Germany Eckhard Krautzun (21 November 2000 – 28 February 2001)
  • Germany Jürgen Klopp (28 February 2001 – 30 June 2008)
  • Norway Jörn Andersen (1 July 2008 – 3 August 2009)
  • Germany Thomas Tuchel (3 August 2009 – 11 May 2014)
  • Denmark Kasper Hjulmand (15 May 2014 – 17 February 2015)
  • Switzerland Martin Schmidt (17 February 2015 – 22 May 2017)
  • Germany Sandro Schwarz (1 July 2017 – 10 November 2019)
  • Germany Achim Beierlorzer (18 November 2019 – 28 September 2020)
  • Germany Jan-Moritz Lichte (28 September 2020 – 28 December 2020)
  • Germany Jan Siewert (interim) (28 December 2020 – 4 January 2021)
  • Denmark Bo Svensson (4 January 2021 – 2 November 2023)
  • Germany Jan Siewert (2 November 2023 – 12 February 2024)
  • Denmark Bo Henriksen (13 February 2024 – present)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: 1. F.S.V. Mainz 05 para niños

  • The Football Club Social Alliance
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