Can Hertha Berlin Escape Their Bundesliga 2 Rut?

Hertha Berlin were a comfortable and established Bundesliga side as recently as 2022-23, however since then they have been in serious trouble. Their slow slide down the German footballing pyramid has become obvious this season as, even though there are six or eight teams fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga, they are not one of them.

Hertha Berlin’s History

Hertha Berlin was founded in 1896 and enjoyed much success in their early years, winning the Berlin Championship final in 1905. There wasn’t a nationwide German football league for a long time, and so in the Berlin regional league, Hertha were a dominant force. After the Second World War, playing football in the German capital was difficult because the city had been split in two by West and East Germany. This is one of the reasons as to why Berlin is one of the biggest cities in Europe without at least one major footballing team.

After a period of financial difficulties in the 1990s, Hertha were promoted into the Bundesliga and remained a strong force in German football for some time. They were relegated twice from the Bundesliga in the early 2010s, but managed to bounce straight back into the top flight on both occasions. In 2017, they qualified for the Europa League, finishing sixth in the league, however they finished bottom of their group behind Athletic Club, Ostersunds and Zorya Luhansk.

🚨🇩🇪 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Hertha Berlin have been relegated from the Bundesliga after a 94th minute equaliser from VfL Bochum.

The club had been in the Bundesliga for 10 years. pic.twitter.com/5O7UpnahdP

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 20, 2023

Since then, they have struggled in the league. In 2022 they finished third from bottom of the Bundesliga and took part in the relegation playoff against Hamburger SV. Despite losing the first leg 1-0 at home, they managed to avoid relegation. However they could not remain in the Bundesliga for very long as they suffered relegation the following season.

This Season

Hertha Berlin didn’t actually start their season too badly. After 10 matches they sat in sixth and were strong candidates to battle for promotion. From their next 16 games however, Hertha lost 10, winning just three, and have fallen all the way to 14th. They don’t look like they will get relegated from the second division this season, however they are in relegation form, so if this was to continue, then next season could be a worry.

We need to talk about 2. Bundesliga.

Hertha v Hamburg on Saturday was played infront of 71,000 fans, with 20,000 away fans 😳

That’s incredible for second tier football 👏🏼

Here’s a video from the Hamburg away end 📣

pic.twitter.com/Jbi6jaDeDx

— Football Tipster (@Footy_Tipster) January 27, 2025

From a brief glance, it is difficult to tell where they are going wrong this season. They have an average of nearly 1.5 goals per game, and while they are conceding slightly more, it isn’t enough to be a significant problem, as they have conceded just two more than FC Magdeburg in fifth. What seems to be a major issue is that their goals come in flurries rather than a constant, which is why sometimes footballing stats like average goals per game really don’t paint the full picture. In their most recent game Hertha Berlin scored five as they beat Eintracht Braunschweig 5-1. In their previous seven matches, they only managed four.

What hasn’t helped was the sale of last season’s top scorer for the club Haris Tabakovic. The Swiss born striker played just one season in Berlin, scoring 25 goals before joining Hoffenheim in the summer. Despite being 30 years old, he suddenly rose to prominence after a few good seasons in Austria between 2020 and 2023 and now represents Bosnia and Herzegovina on the international stage.

What Does The Future Hold For Hertha Berlin?

Judging by how they have done recently, Hertha Berlin might have a few more difficult years ahead of them before they can start looking back up rather than down. Their recent recruitment hasn’t been good, not helped by the financial struggle that they are in right now as well. The only positive signing that they made in the summer was Michael Cuisance from Venezia, as the central midfielder has scored six and assisted five in this campaign. Next year, it looks as if the battle for the Bundesliga 2 title might be another hotly contested one, as a maximum of just three can earn promotion this time around and there are at least six teams all performing at the very top.

The 2. Bundesliga is absolutely insane pic.twitter.com/5NBacli5hp

— Max_Football (@Max_Football_) March 2, 2025

Like in England, the gap between the top flight and the second flight in Germany is getting bigger, which spells trouble for Hertha Berlin. The more time they spend in the Bundesliga 2, the more they fall behind their old rivals in the Bundesliga. Next season, it is vital that they at least challenge for promotion, otherwise they might never reclaim their place amongst the elite German clubs.