Hannover 96

Founded on April 12, 1896, Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896 e.V. stands as a historic pillar of German sports in the capital city of Lower Saxony. While the organization encompasses disciplines ranging from badminton to floorball, its senior men's football team remains the most prominent entity for fans across the region. The club currently competes in the 2. Bundesliga after spending three decades in the top-flight Bundesliga between 1964 and 2019.

Their history includes two German championship titles won in 1938 and 1954. A defining moment arrived in 1992 when they defeated Bayern Munich to lift the DFB-Pokal trophy. This victory marked a significant milestone as Hannover 96 became the first second-division side in German history to win the national cup. [edit]

The club has navigated a turbulent path since their relegation in 2019. Recent seasons have shown defensive struggles with a negative expected goals difference during the 2025/2026 campaign. Match results in late 2026 included a 1-1 draw against VfL Bochum in May and a 0-1 defeat to rivals VfL Wolfsburg in August.

Sandro Wagner took over as head coach in September 2026 following previous tenures by coaches like Christian Titz and André Breitenreiter. The current squad features an average age of 24.0 with 50% foreign nationals. Recent transfer activity saw midfielder Marcel Hartel join from St. Louis CITY SC in August 2026. [edit]