FC Bayern dominates league table and fan \ VOTINGS

It has almost become the norm for the first half of the Bundesliga season to continue until mid-January. With the conclusion of the first half of the season, it’s an opportunity to review the past few months. Insightful trends are already emerging: at the bottom of the table, teams like 1. FC Heidenheim, FC St. Pauli, and even European competition participants Mainz are fighting for survival, while TSG Hoffenheim, for example, are a positive surprise. As for the championship, FC Bayern Munich radiated unprecedented dominance and secured the autumn championship with a nine-point lead two matchdays before the end of the first half of the season, raising the question of whether the championship has already been decided — or will the second half of the season still be exciting?

Cologne. To answer these and other questions, FanQ surveyed more than 10,000 football fans on absolutfussball.com as well as the Munich-based platforms merkur.de, tz.de and abendzeitung-muenchen.de from January 12th to January 21st, 2026. The survey provides a snapshot of sentiment with clear majorities in many categories – and at the same time, insightful indications of where the league still has potential for development from a fan perspective.

Solid season, but no nail-biter

Overall, the verdict on the season so far is predominantly positive. The entertainment value of the Bundesliga is rated an average of 3.52 out of five stars, with positive ratings being the most prevalent: over half of those surveyed (55.2 %) award it four (35.6 %) or even a full five stars (19.6 %), while only 16.5 %give it just one (6.6 %) or two stars (9.9 %).

However, fans express themselves more reservedly regarding excitement. An average of 3.12 stars suggests a wide spread of opinions. While 40.5 %of supporters find the top German league anything but boring and give it four (29.9 %) or even five stars (10.6 %), there is also a not insignificant portion of respondents (27.7 %) who hold the opposite view, awarding only one (11.8 %) or two stars respectively (15.9 % ). This result indicates that sporting quality and drama are not always perceived in the same way.

Olise and Kane set the tone for the first half of the season

The individual awards show clear leading figures – and given the at times overwhelming superiority for large parts of the season so far, most of them are under contract with the German record champions. For instance, Michael Olise is voted Player of the First Half of the Season by the fans (40.4 %) and at the same time dominates the category for the best attacking player outside the classic striker position (64.2 %). His lead over the other nominees is significant in both ratings, for example, compared to his teammates Harry Kane (31.9 %) and Luis Díaz (8.5 %) or Can Uzun from Eintracht Frankfurt (9.4 %) and breakout star Lennart Karl (8.1 %).

The verdict is even clearer for the strikers: Harry Kane has almost unanimous support (90.7 %) and is considered by the overwhelming majority to be the most promising candidate for the golden boot at the end of the season (93.7 %). Although potential rivals such as Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart, 3.2 %), Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt, 1.7 %) and Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen, 0.9 %) are mentioned, they clearly remain secondary in the overall picture.

In central defensive midfield, Joshua Kimmich clearly stands out (55.7 %) against his congenial partner Aleksandar Pavlović (11.3 %), VfB’s defensive midfielder Angelo Stiller (11.0 %), and Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha (6.6 %). Unlike in this category, the opinion poll for defence is more balanced: voices here are distributed among several players, with slight advantages for Konrad Laimer (26.4 %) and Dayot Upamecano (24.9 %), while other players such as BVB defender Nico Schlotterbeck (14.3 %) also receive noticeable approval.

Goalkeeper question very much open, choice of manager clear

Only the award for best goalkeeper of the first half of the season does not go to a Bayern professional. This title has been earned by national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann of TSG Hoffenheim with convincing and consistent performances (32.3 %). Behind him follow BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel (21.1 %) and Marvin Schwäbe from the promoted side from Cologne (5.2 %).

However, the trainer vote is once again firmly in Munich's hands. Vincent Kompany receives more than two-thirds of all votes here (70.7 %) and clearly sets himself apart from all other candidates. The remaining mentions are broadly distributed and without any discernible competition for the leader, headed by TSG head coach Christian Ilzer (6.1 %) and Niko Kovač of Borussia Dortmund (5.5 %).

Transfers, Talent and Teams in Focus

As the best new signing of the first half of the season, Luis Díaz is the clear favourite (58.0 %). His lead over all other transfers is significant – for example, compared to Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt, 8.5 %) and Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig, 8.2 %) – and underscores the impact of his move from a fan perspective. There is also little cause for discussion among the young players: Bayern's shooting star Lennart Karl clearly dominates the U21 rankings (71.3 %) and is perceived as the outstanding young talent of the first half of the season. The other mentions follow at a great distance, including Said El Mala from 1. FC Köln (6.7 %) and SGE attacking player Can Uzun (4.8 %).

Clear trends are also emerging at team level. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, which narrowly avoided relegation last season, has surprisingly climbed to fifth place this season, consistently offering attractive attacking football under coach Christian Ilzer. It's no wonder, then, that TSG 1899 Hoffenheim represents the biggest surprise of the first half of the season (57.8 %) for most fans. 1. FSV Mainz 05, who finished sixth the previous year, went the opposite way. Having secured participation in the Conference League just six months ago, they are currently among the contenders for a ticket to the second division in 2025/26 and are therefore named by almost half of those surveyed as the disappointment of the first 17 matchdays (44.9 %). VfL Wolfsburg (20.7 %) and FC Augsburg (16.4 %) follow some way behind, also falling significantly short of expectations set before this season.

Title (almost) awarded, Europe remains hotly contested

The predictions paint an almost unanimous picture. Virtually all fans expect FC Bayern Munich to be champions, though the majority don't reckon they'll win it without a defeat (50.9 %). Almost as many even thought an unbeaten title win was possible (47.0 %), but were proven wrong after just two matches when the record champions stumbled at home in the Allianz Arena against FC Augsburg. Only a very small minority of survey participants still thought the competition could win the championship at the halfway point of the season (2.1 %). While this may have increased slightly after the 1-2 defeat against the Fuggerstädter and the subsequent 2-2 draw against the promoted side from Hamburg, Kompany's team still have a comfortable six-point lead.

FC Bayern (96.7 %), Borussia Dortmund (92.5 %), and RB Leipzig (74.3 %) are considered largely assured of Champions League places. Behind them, things are much more open: VfB Stuttgart (48.7 %) and Bayer Leverkusen (48.6 %) are almost neck and neck, with fans divided on who will ultimately secure the coveted fourth spot in the table. Eintracht Frankfurt (10.2 %) and TSG Hoffenheim (8.6 %), on the other hand, receive only little support.

Many respondents see 1. FC Heidenheim in acute danger in the relegation zone (84.7 %). FC St. Pauli (62.1 %) and 1. FSV Mainz 05 (59.3 %) are also frequently assigned to places 16 to 18. FCA (42.3 %), HSV (20.5 %) and the Wolves from the car city (15.2 %) are not out of the woods yet, especially since Mainz have already made up significant ground since new coach Urs Fischer took over at the beginning of December.

Overall picture

The FanQ survey on the first half of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season paints an overall consistent picture of sentiment. Players such as Michael Olise and Harry Kane clearly shape the perception of the first half of the season, as does Vincent Kompany in the coach ratings. There is also broad consensus on the predictions: FC Bayern Munich is considered the clear championship favourite, while several clubs with an increased risk profile are emerging at the bottom of the league table.

At the same time, the overall assessment of the league is more differentiated. While the entertainment value is rated positively by the majority (average of 3.52 stars), the perception of excitement remains noticeably more subdued (average of 3.12 stars). However, recent developments since the end of the survey could provide exactly the spark of confidence that many fans have been missing: FC Bayern's stumbling start to the second half of the season and the rediscovered consistency of top challengers Borussia Dortmund show that even the league leaders are vulnerable – and make the rest of the season all the more exciting.

Here's where to find the detailed Bundesliga season review for fans!

FanQ is the "voice of the fans". It is the only football platform where the opinion of the fans takes centre stage. The experienced FanQ editorial team provides daily surveys via the web and app. Fans can vote on their favourite clubs and all relevant football topics. FanQ is interactive. Fans can exchange opinions, interact socially and ask their own questions. This results in a representative picture of the mood. FanQ also creates long-term studies to research complex topics. Registration for the web community and use of the app are free of charge. FanQ is based in Cologne.

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