TSG 1899 Hoffenheim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
TSG Hoffenheim

Full name	Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V.
Nickname(s)	Die Kraichgauer (The Kraichgauers)
Founded	1 July 1899; 126 years ago (1899-07-01)
Ground	PreZero Arena
Ground Capacity	30,150
Owner	Dietmar Hopp
President	Jörg Albrecht
Manager	Christian Ilzer
League	Bundesliga
2020–21	Bundesliga, 11th of 18
Home colours Third colours

TSG Hoffenheim is a German professional football club. They are based in Sinsheim, a town in Germany. The club's full name is Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V.

The club started as a gymnastics club in 1899. The modern football club was formed in 1945. In 2000, Hoffenheim was playing in the fifth division. With help from Dietmar Hopp, a former player and software boss, the club quickly moved up. By 2008, they reached the top German league, the Bundesliga.

Even though they have not won a major trophy, Hoffenheim has done very well. In the 2017–18 season, they finished third in the Bundesliga. This was their best finish ever. It also meant they got to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

Since 2009, Hoffenheim has played their home games at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena. This stadium is also known as PreZero Arena. Before that, they played at the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion.

Club History

The club we know today was created in 1945. This happened when a gymnastics club (Turnverein Hoffenheim, started in 1899) and a football club (Fußballverein Hoffenheim, started in 1921) joined together. In the early 1990s, the club was a small amateur team. They played in the eighth division.

They slowly got better. By 1996, they were playing in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden, which was the fifth division.

Rising Through the Ranks

Around the year 2000, Dietmar Hopp came back to the club he played for as a youth. Hopp was a co-founder of a big software company called SAP. He used some of his money to help the club. His support quickly made a difference.

In 2000, Hoffenheim won the Verbandsliga. This moved them up to the fourth-tier Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. They won that league too, and in 2001, they moved up to the Regionalliga Süd, which was the third division. They finished 13th in their first year there. The next year, they improved a lot and finished fifth.

Hoffenheim kept getting better. They reached the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal cup in 2003–04. They beat some bigger teams before being knocked out.

Big Investments and Bundesliga Promotion

In 2006, the club decided to make their team even stronger. They brought in experienced players like Jochen Seitz and Tomislav Marić. They also signed young talents like Sejad Salihović. They hired Ralf Rangnick as manager, who had coached other Bundesliga teams.

These investments paid off. In the 2006–07 season, Hoffenheim finished second in the Regionalliga Süd. This meant they were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga, which is the second-highest professional league.

The 2007–08 season was Hoffenheim's first year in professional football. After a tough start, the team played much better. They climbed from 16th place to second place. They kept that spot until the end of the season. Because they finished second, they were automatically promoted to the Bundesliga. This was a huge achievement, as they had only spent one season in the 2. Bundesliga.

Life in the Bundesliga

Hoffenheim finished 7th in their first season in the Bundesliga. Their top scorers were Vedad Ibišević and Demba Ba. The next few seasons, they finished around 11th place.

In the 2012–13 Bundesliga season, the club almost got sent down to a lower league. They finished 16th, which meant they had to play in a special play-off game. They won against Kaiserslautern 5–2 over two games. Roberto Firmino scored two goals in the first game.

The 2013–14 Bundesliga season was interesting. Hoffenheim scored a lot of goals (72), but they also let in a lot (70). Roberto Firmino was their best player that season. He scored 16 goals and made 12 assists. He won the Bundesliga Breakthrough Player of the Season award.

In the 2014–15 Bundesliga season, they almost qualified for the Europa League. They finished 8th, just two points behind Borussia Dortmund.

European Football and Recent Years

In the 2016–17 season, a new coach, Julian Nagelsmann, took over. He brought in new players like Andrej Kramarić and Sandro Wagner. The team started with four draws, but then their form improved. By October, they were in 3rd place. On April 4, 2017, they beat Bayern Munich 1–0. This was a very important win for the club.

On April 21, 2017, they secured a spot in European football for the next season. They finished 4th in the 2016–17 Bundesliga. This meant they qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. They played against Liverpool in the play-off round. They lost both games and were knocked out. However, they still got to play in the UEFA Europa League group stages. They finished last in their group and were eliminated.

In the 2017–18 Bundesliga season, Hoffenheim had another great season. They finished third, which meant they automatically qualified for the Champions League again. The 2018–19 season was not as good. They finished last in their Champions League group. In the Bundesliga, they finished 9th. Andrej Kramarić was their top scorer with 22 goals. Julian Nagelsmann left the club at the end of that season.

Since then, the club has had a few different coaches. Alfred Schreuder, Sebastian Hoeneß, André Breitenreiter, and Pellegrino Matarazzo have all managed the team. As of July 2025, Christian Ilzer is the manager.

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Oliver Baumann (captain) 2 DF Robin Hranáč 5 DF Ozan Kabak 6 MF Grischa Prömel 7 MF Leon Avdullahu 8 MF Dennis Geiger 9 FW Ihlas Bebou 11 FW Fisnik Asllani 13 DF Bernardo 14 FW Gift Orban 15 DF Valentin Gendrey 16 MF Anton Stach 17 MF Umut Tohumcu 20 MF Finn Ole Becker 21 FW Marius Bülter 22 MF Alexander Prass 23 FW Adam Hložek 25 DF Kevin Akpoguma

No. Position Player 26 FW Haris Tabaković 27 FW Andrej Kramarić 28 DF Kōki Machida 29 FW Bazoumana Touré 33 FW Max Moerstedt 34 DF Stanley Nsoki 35 DF Arthur Chaves 36 GK Lúkas Petersson 37 GK Luca Philipp 38 FW Deniz Zeitler 52 FW David Mokwa 53 FW Erencan Yardımcı DF Tim Drexler MF Muhammed Damar MF Florian Grillitsch FW Mërgim Berisha FW Tim Lemperle

Players Out on Loan

No. Position Player GK Nahuel Noll (at Hannover 96 until 30 June 2026) DF Attila Szalai (at Kasımpaşa until 30 June 2026)

No. Position Player MF Florian Micheler (at Arminia Bielefeld until 30 June 2026) FW Bambasé Conté (at SV Elversberg until 30 June 2026)

Other Teams

• TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II (Reserve team)
• TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (women) (Women's team)

Club Staff

First Team Coaches

Manager	Christian Ilzer
Assistant manager	Dominik Deutschl Frank Fröhling Uwe Hölzl Benjamin Hübner
Goalkeeper coach	Alexander Stolz
Athletics coach	Philipp Lussi Martin Seiler
Rehab coach	Christian Weigl

Home Stadium

PreZero Rhein-Neckar-Arena, the senior team's current stadium.

Before they were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2008, Hoffenheim played at the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion. This stadium was built in 1999 and could hold 5,000 people.

In 2006, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim decided to build a new, bigger stadium. This new stadium, the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, can hold 30,150 fans. It was first planned for Heidelberg, but was built in Sinsheim instead.

They started their first Bundesliga season playing at the Carl-Benz-Stadion in Mannheim. Their new stadium opened on January 31, 2009.

Club Partnerships

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has made partnerships with other football clubs around the world. On September 25, 2020, they signed an agreement with the MLS club FC Cincinnati from the United States. They also have a partnership with Ghana premier League team Accra Hearts Of Oak. These three clubs formed a special alliance on September 20, 2020.

In March 2025, the club also started a partnership with an Indian club, Rajasthan United, which plays in the I-League.

Club Achievements

Here are some of the things Hoffenheim has achieved:

League Titles 2. Bundesliga Second place: 2007–08 Regionalliga Second place: 2006–07 Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (Fourth Division) Winners: 2000–01 Verbandsliga Nordbaden (Fifth Division) Winners: 1999–2000

A chart showing Hoffenheim's league performance over the years. Cup Wins North Baden Cup Winners: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05 Youth Team Success German Under 19 championship Winners: 2013–14 German Under 17 championship Winners: 2007–08 Under 19 Bundesliga South/Southwest Winners: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 Under 17 Bundesliga South/Southwest Winners: 2007–08 Under 15 Regionalliga Süd Winners: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16

Coaching History

Here are the coaches who have led the club in recent years:

Start	End	Coach
1979	1982	Helmut Zuber
1982	1982	Meinard Stadelbauer
1982	1984	Rudi Ebel
1984	1985	Klaus Keller
1986	1989	Helmut Jedele
1989	1990	Gerhard Boll
1990	1992	Egon Ludwig
1992	1994	Hans Schreiner
1994	1998	Roland Schmitt
1998	1998	Alfred Schön
1998	14 March 1999	Raimund Lietzau
15 March 1999	30 September 1999	Günter Hillenbrand
31 August 1999	12 March 2000	Riko Weigand
2000	30 June 2000	Alfred Schön
1 July 2000	19 November 2005	Hansi Flick
19 November 2005	23 December 2005	Roland Dickgießer*
10 January 2006	21 May 2006	Lorenz-Günther Köstner
24 May 2006	30 June 2006	Alfred Schön*
1 July 2006	1 January 2011	Ralf Rangnick
2 January 2011	30 June 2011	Marco Pezzaiuoli
1 July 2011	9 February 2012	Holger Stanislawski
10 February 2012	3 December 2012	Markus Babbel
3 December 2012	31 December 2012	Frank Kramer*
1 January 2013	2 April 2013	Marco Kurz
2 April 2013	26 October 2015	Markus Gisdol
26 October 2015	10 February 2016	Huub Stevens
11 February 2016	30 June 2019	Julian Nagelsmann
1 July 2019	9 June 2020	Alfred Schreuder
10 June 2020	26 July 2020	Matthias Kaltenbach*
27 July 2020	17 May 2022	Sebastian Hoeneß
24 May 2022	6 February 2023	André Breitenreiter
8 February 2023	11 November 2024	Pellegrino Matarazzo

*As caretaker coach.

Recent Seasons in the Bundesliga

Here's how the club has performed in the Bundesliga in recent years:

Key

European Competitions

Hoffenheim first played in European competitions in 2017. They qualified for the play-off round of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. Their first European match was on August 15, 2017. They lost 2–1 to Liverpool in that game.

European Match Results

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Result
2017–18	UEFA Champions League	Play-off	Liverpool	1–2	2–4	3–6
	UEFA Europa League	Group Stage	Braga	1–2	1–3	4th
			Ludogorets Razgrad	1–1	1–2
			İstanbul Başakşehir	3–1	1–1
2018–19	UEFA Champions League	Group Stage	Shakhtar Donetsk	2–3	2–2	4th
			Manchester City	1–2	1–2
			Lyon	3–3	2–2
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	Group Stage	Gent	4–1	4–1	1st
			Red Star Belgrade	2–0	0–0
			Slovan Liberec	5–0	2–0
		Round of 32	Molde	0–2	3–3	3–5
2024–25	UEFA Europa League	League Phase	Midtjylland	N/A	1–1	27th
			Dynamo Kyiv	2–0	N/A
			Porto	N/A	0–2
			Lyon	2–2	N/A
			Braga	N/A	0–3
			FCSB	0–0	N/A
			Tottenham Hotspur	2–3	N/A
			Anderlecht	N/A	4–3

Player Records

Here are some records for players at TSG Hoffenheim.

Most Games Played for the Club Rank Player Years Played Games 1 Oliver Baumann 2014–present 363 2 Sebastian Rudy 2010–2017 2019–2023 327 3 Andrej Kramarić 2016–present 325 4 Pavel Kadeřábek 2015–2025 286 5 Sejad Salihović 2006–2015 249 6 Andreas Beck 2008–2015 237 7 Kevin Vogt 2016–2024 226 8 Marcel Throm 2000–2008 205 9 Florian Grillitsch 2017–2022 2023–present 195 10 Marvin Compper 2008–2013 171

Most Goals Scored for the Club Rank Player Years Played Goals 1 Andrej Kramarić 2016–present 143 2 Sejad Salihović 2006–2015 67 3 Vedad Ibišević 2007–2012 54 4 Roberto Firmino 2011–2015 49 5 Thomas Ollhoff 2002–2006 42 6 Demba Ba 2007–2011 40 7 Kevin Volland 2012–2016 36 8 Ihlas Bebou 2019–present 35 9 Christoph Teinert 2000–2003 34 10 Mark Uth 2015–2018 33

• Players in bold are still playing for Hoffenheim.

Women's Team

The women's team started playing in the 2006–07 season. They quickly moved up through the lower leagues. The women's team plays their games at the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadion.

See also

In Spanish: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim para niños