Frauen-Bundesliga Review: Bayern top at Christmas, HSV and Jena in the relegation zone | OneFootball

FC Bayern Munich Frauen maintained their six-point gap at the top in their final game of 2025. Alexandra Popp’s Wolfsburg is also in a different class from the rest of the teams. At the other end, Hamburger SV and Carl Zeiss Jena are in automatic relegation spots going into 2026.

Schüller’s farewell overshadowed Bayern’s win in Leverkusen

The league leaders were in action in the last game of the year away at Leverkusen. For the third time in four games, they missed a penalty-kick when Pernille Harder joined Giulia Gwinn and Georgia Stanway in doing so early in the first-half.

However, Momoko Tanikawa and Stanway converted their penalties in the final 15 minutes to secure a 3-0 win for Bayern. The left-back Franziska Kett scored the opener in the 16th minute for her first Frauen-Bundesliga goal.

Bayern went into the winter break with a six-point lead over second-placed Wolfsburg. José Barcala’s side only dropped points in the Hinrunde when they drew goalless at home to Carl Zeiss Jena on matchday 3. Bayern have a staggering +50 goal difference as they have only conceded four goals in the first 14 matches.

The defending champions extended the contracts of Harder, Magdalena Eriksson, and Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir to 2028 this week, but they will most likely bid farewell to Lea Schüller in January before her contract runs out at the end of the season.

The 28-year-old striker was very emotional at the end of Monday’s game as her move to Manchester United is close to completion. Schüller hit double figures in each of her first five full seasons at Bayern. She also netted seven goals in all competitions in an injury-hit campaign this term.

Popp climbed to top of the scoring chart

Wolfsburg ended the year with four consecutive league wins after a 3-1 victory over newly-promoted HSV.  Alexandra Popp tied Hoffenheim’s Selina Cerci at the scoring chart with a second-half brace.

The visitors took a surprise lead after the break, but She-Wolves responded with three goals in the last twenty minutes. French international Kessya Bussy scored Wolfsburg’s 49th league goal of the season in injury-time.

Bremen stay in third despite heavy defeat

The gap between Werder Bremen and the next three teams in the standings narrowed after matchday 15. Last season’s DFB-Pokal finalists lost 3-0 away at Freiburg with the starring performance of the 19-year-old Swiss midfielder Leela Egli.

Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt benefitted from Bremen’s slip with big scorelines against relegation-threatened Jena and SGS Essen. Cerci hit double figures with a brace in Hoffenheim's 5-1 win over Jena, while Frankfurt’s striker Nicole Anyomi ended the first half of the season with 16 goals in all competitions.

A third-place finish will secure a place in the second round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier. At the other end, Jena are joined by Hamburg in the automatic relegation spots. The duo are the only teams to register a single win this season.

In the other matchday 15 fixtures, Köln and Union Berlin secured narrow wins away from home in Leipzig and Nürnberg, respectively. The 2. Bundesliga is also taking a winter break after 14 matchdays.

Stuttgart and Sand are in automatic promotion places with 31 points, with Meppen the closest to them with 29 in third place. The second teams of Bayern and Frankfurt are in danger of relegation to the third division.

Frauen-Bundesliga will resume with a Friday night game between Union Berlin and Leverkusen on January 23rd. Wolfsburg play away at Jena, while Bayern end the matchday at home against Leipzig.