The proposal for a joint venture between a newly formed women’s league association, Frauen-Bundesliga FBL e.V. (FBL), and the German Football Association (DFB) has broken down. The 14 Women’s Bundesliga clubs announced the collapse after their first general meeting in Frankfurt this week. The DFB said it “regretted” the clubs’ decision. Below are the key questions and answers about the dispute and its possible consequences for women’s football in Germany.
Why does the Women’s Bundesliga need reform?
German women’s domestic football has fallen behind leading European competitions, a gap reflected in the Champions League. The last German winner was 1. FFC Frankfurt in 2015. Since then, the trophy has largely gone to clubs from France (Lyon six times), Spain (Barcelona three times) and England (Arsenal most recently). Leagues in those countries have professionalized rapidly — in organization, investment and player pay — drawing many of Europe’s top players away from German clubs.
What steps have already been taken toward professionalization?
In 2022 the DFB launched FF27 (Women’s Soccer 2027), a programme intended to raise the profile and professional standards of the women’s game so German clubs could compete for European honours again by 2027. The top division was expanded from 12 to 14 teams for the 2024/25 season. Most clubs are sections of men’s Bundesliga clubs; SGS Essen and Carl Zeiss Jena are independent and currently near the bottom of the table. Attendance has been largely flat in recent years, though this season showed an increase — averaging roughly 3,600 spectators per game as of 6 February 2026, compared with about 6,400 in England’s WSL.
What was the proposed new structure?
Clubs and the DFB had discussed a joint-venture model similar to the men’s setup, where the German Football League (DFL) and the DFB cooperate to run and market the top divisions. The idea was to give clubs a greater role in managing the women’s Bundesliga while keeping a formal partnership with the federation.
Where did negotiations fail?
In December the 14 clubs formed the FBL without a formal deal with the DFB, accusing the federation of not keeping its promises. The clubs say the DFB later tried to add a rule requiring the federation’s approval for major league decisions, which they felt would undermine club control. The clubs maintain they should have final say because they invest substantially more into the competition than the DFB.
Money was central to the disagreement. In November the DFB told the Bundestag it would commit €100 million over eight years to professionalize the women’s game. Clubs reportedly proposed investing as much as €700 million into the league over forthcoming years. Despite intensive talks, no compromise was reached. FBL president Katharina Kiel has argued that the future of the women’s Bundesliga should be decided where the “sporting and economic engine” is — with the clubs.
What happens next?
Both sides say they want to continue negotiations, which will be essential if responsibilities and governance are to change. For now the DFB remains responsible for running the league and has said it will continue to do so “under its umbrella for the time being.” The season is just past its midpoint, and the DFB still relies on clubs’ cooperation. If talks collapse, clubs could boycott the existing competition and try to form a separate breakaway league — a course that would carry major risks for German women’s football.
This article was translated from German and edited by Jonathan Harding.