FC Ingolstadt dismisses Sabrina Wittmann after seven games of third-tier season

Dismissal following slow league start

FC Ingolstadt dismissed head coach Sabrina Wittmann on Thursday morning, ending her tenure of more than two years as the first female head coach in German men's professional football. The decision came hours after Ingolstadt earned a 2:1 victory over fourth-tier TSV Landsberg in the Bavarian State Cup round of 16 on Wednesday evening. The club's management acted after a run of three defeats in four 3. Liga matches, which left Ingolstadt in 13th place with eight points from seven games. Ingolstadt previously played in the top-tier Bundesliga between 2015 and 2017 before competing in the second and third tiers. Managing director of sport and communication Harald Gärtner described the separation as the result of a review into the squad's development across consecutive seasons.

On a human and personal level, this decision was very difficult for us. We thank Sabrina for her commitment and the time we spent together at Ingolstadt.

Wittmann's career and path at Ingolstadt

Wittmann took charge of the Bavarian club in May 2024, initially on an interim basis succeeding Michael Köllner before securing the permanent head coaching role in June 2024. She guided Ingolstadt to a 10th-place finish in the 2024–2025 season and 12th place in 2025–2026. The 35-year-old completed her UEFA Pro License in January 2026 and signed a contract extension with the club in March 2026. Before coaching the senior men's team, Wittmann spent more than a decade working across the club's academy after joining in 2012 to coach the under-15 girls squad, later serving as director of football development. In an earlier podcast appearance, Wittmann noted that the pressure of being the first woman in the role felt like a heavy burden, adding that she had wanted to avoid being dismissed after only a few weeks.

Wittmann expressed her disappointment in an official statement released by the club following Thursday's decision.

Ingolstadt was more than just any club to me. It was my home. It's where I grew up playing football and made so many special memories.

Performance metrics and coaching turnover

Ingolstadt's decision followed consecutive finishes in the lower half of the 3. Liga table, where the club sought to mount a push toward the 2. Bundesliga. Despite entering the season with what club officials regarded as a reinforced squad, the team collected eight points from the opening seven league fixtures of the 2026–2027 campaign. Across all competitions, Wittmann oversaw 101 competitive fixtures before her departure on Thursday morning, including 86 league matches. The club stated that a successor to lead the third-tier first team will be announced in the near future.

Female coaching representation in German football

Wittmann's departure leaves all 56 head coaching positions across the top three divisions of German men's professional football occupied by male managers. According to data from the German Football Association (DFB), 36 women nationwide currently hold the Pro License required to manage professional teams in the country. Marie-Louise Eta previously took charge of five Bundesliga matches as interim head coach at 1. FC Union Berlin in April 2024 before moving to head coach of Union Berlin's women's team for the 2026–2027 season. In executive leadership, Hamburger SV appointed Kathleen Krüger to direct sports operations following an executive recruitment search.