If you’ve been looking at the 2 bundesliga league table lately, you know it’s basically a fever dream of German football. It’s chaotic. It’s loud. Honestly, it’s probably the most stressful league in Europe right now. As we hit the middle of January 2026, the standings look more like a survival horror game than a professional sports ranking.
Schalke 04 is currently sitting at the top of the pile with 38 points after 18 matches. They’ve managed 12 wins, which is kinda impressive given where they were a couple of years ago. But don't let that fool you into thinking the title is a lock. SV Elversberg—yeah, you read that right—is breathing down their necks with 34 points. The gap is small. One bad weekend and everything flips.
Why the 2 bundesliga league table is lying to you
Most people just glance at the points and assume they know who’s going up. Big mistake. This league doesn't care about your "big club" pedigree. Hertha BSC, sitting in 6th with 29 points, is a prime example. They have the massive stadium and the history, but they’re stuck in a dogfight with Hannover 96 and SC Paderborn.
The middle of the table is a complete mess. Just look at the cluster from 12th down to 15th. You’ve got 1. FC Magdeburg, Preußen Münster, Fortuna Düsseldorf, and Eintracht Braunschweig all sitting on 20 points. Basically, half the league is one loss away from the relegation zone. It’s nerve-wracking for the fans.
The Elversberg Miracle and the Underdog Story
Nobody expected SV Elversberg to be in 2nd place. It’s wild. They’ve scored 33 goals, which is more than anyone else in the top five. Younes Ebnoutalib is the man of the hour there, leading the league with 12 goals. If you aren't watching him, you're missing out on the breakout star of the season.
Then you have SV Darmstadt 98. They’re in 3rd with 33 points, but they’ve played one less game than Schalke. If they win that game in hand, the race for the top spot gets even tighter. Isac Lidberg has been clinical for them, bagging 11 goals so far. It’s a three-horse race, but Paderborn is right there too, tied with Darmstadt on points.
The Relegation Nightmare No One Wants to Face
Down at the bottom, the 2 bundesliga league table tells a much sadder story. SG Dynamo Dresden and SpVgg Greuther Fürth are rooted to the bottom. Fürth has the worst defense in the league, having shipped 46 goals. That’s nearly 2.5 goals every single game. You can’t survive like that.
Dynamo Dresden isn’t doing much better. They’ve only managed 3 wins all season. It’s tough to watch such a passionate fanbase suffer through this. Arminia Bielefeld is currently in the relegation playoff spot (16th), but they actually have a positive goal difference. How often do you see that? Usually, if you're in the bottom three, your goal difference is a disaster. Bielefeld is just losing close games they should probably be drawing.
Stats that actually matter right now
- Most Goals: Younes Ebnoutalib (Elversberg) - 12
- Top Provider: Fabian Reese (Hertha BSC) - 7 assists
- Clean Sheets: Loris Karius (Schalke) and Tjark Ernst (Hertha) - 9 each
- The Speedster: Bryan Lasme has clocked a top speed of 36.39 km/h.
Seeing Loris Karius at the top of the clean sheet charts is a trip, isn't it? He’s found a real home at Schalke. His 9 clean sheets are a massive reason why they are leading the pack despite not being the most explosive team going forward. They only have 22 goals for—the lowest in the top seven—but their defense is like a brick wall.
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What to expect in the coming weeks
The January transfer window is wide open. Teams like Fortuna Düsseldorf are desperate for a striker who can actually finish. They’ve only scored 16 goals in 18 games. That’s pathetic for a club of their stature. Expect them to be busy.
Meanwhile, keep an eye on 1. FC Kaiserslautern. They are in 7th with 27 points. They’re the "dark horse" everyone ignores until they suddenly win four games in a row and end up in the promotion playoff spot. Naatan Skyttä has been their engine in midfield, and he was recently named the league's player of the season so far by several German outlets.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re following the league closely, don't bet against the home teams in this division. The atmosphere in stadiums like the Veltins-Arena or the Olympiastadion is genuinely intimidating. However, keep an eye on the "goals against" column for Greuther Fürth—until they fix that backline, they are a goldmine for "Over 2.5 goals" markets.
Also, watch the fitness of Fabian Reese. If he stays healthy, Hertha has a chance to climb. If he gets sidelined, their creative output drops off a cliff.
The race for the Bundesliga is a marathon, not a sprint. Right now, Schalke has the lead, but in this league, the only constant is that everything changes. Check the 2 bundesliga league table every Monday morning, because by Sunday night, the world usually looks completely different.
Keep an eye on the upcoming matchday where Schalke travels to Berlin to face Hertha. That game could redefine the top of the table. If Hertha wins, they’re right back in the mix. if Schalke wins, they might start pulling away. It's the kind of high-stakes drama that makes German football the best in the world.
Stop looking at the big names and start looking at the xG (Expected Goals). Teams like Paderborn are underperforming their metrics, meaning they might actually get better in the second half of the season. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, that's where the real info is hidden.