The Cannstatt boys played a total of 49 competitive matches in 2025, and each one had its own story. On top of that, there were activities off the pitch, visits around the region and key decisions made. All of this would have been nothing, however, without the backing of the fans – which is why the magnificent support also features prominently in our review of the year.
January 2025 | One journey ends, another begins
VfB’s exploits in the UEFA Champions League last season were simply unforgettable. January saw a 3-1 win away to Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia, followed by a 4-1 defeat at home to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, which confirmed VfB’s exit from the league phase of Europe’s premier club competition. It was nevertheless a special European journey – and one that thankfully continued a couple of months later in the UEFA Europa League.
February 2025 | 16,000 fans at Hoffenheim
A staggering 16,000 fans followed Sebastian Hoeneß’s team to the away match at Hoffenheim. On the pitch, it ended in a 1-1 draw.
March 2025 | Head coach Hoeneß signs extension
There was great delight at the club’s general assembly when CEO Alexander Wehrle announced that Hoeneß had signed a one-year extension to his contract as VfB head coach through to 30 June 2028. The 43-year-old took charge in April 2023 with VfB at the bottom of the Bundesliga table.
April 2025 | Rollercoaster ride at the Alten Försterei
On 19 April, Stuttgart were involved in a thrilling 4-4 draw at 1. FC Union Berlin and contributed to the highest-scoring first half in the history of the Bundesliga. VfB went on to finish ninth in the table with 50 points from 34 matches.
May 2025 | DFB Cup winners!
Hoeneß’s men overcame then third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 in the final and brought the German cup to Cannstatt for the fourth time. There were huge celebrations at Berlin’s Olympiastadion and on the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart, where the cup-winners received a heroes’ welcome the next day.
June 2025 | MHP Arena plays host to Nations League
The UEFA Nations League finals were held in southern Germany from 4 to 8 June, with Munich and Stuttgart the venues. The semi-final between Spain and France (5-4) as well as the third-place play-off between Germany and France (0-2) took place at the MHP Arena. Three VfB players featured in the tournament: Maximilian Mittelstädt, Deniz Undav and Nick Woltemade, who moved to Newcastle United later in the summer. Alexander Nübel was also part of the Germany squad, but Angelo Stiller missed out because of an ankle injury.
July 2025 | Going out into the region
VfB also like to regularly travel around the local region, with two examples of this coming during pre-season. Hoeneß’s side played their first friendly ahead of the 2025/26 campaign at SV Fellbach, with around 3,500 fans watching a 7-1 win for VfB in the JAKO friendly. In Reutlingen, where the Cannstatt boys met Spanish team Celta Vigo, a crowd of around 7,000 witnessed a 2-1 victory.
August 2025 | Home win and tifo for ‘100 years of the hoop’
Paying homage to the club’s long tradition and to mark the 100th anniversary of the iconic red hoop, fans produced the biggest tifo of all time at the MHP Arena, covering all four stands. And the result on the pitch was fitting too, with VfB beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-0 thanks to a header from new signing Chema.
September 2025 | Good start in Europa League
Europe, we meet again… Celta Vigo again visited Stuttgart in the opening match of the league phase of the Europa League, with two other summer signings, Badredine Bouanani and Bilal El Khannouss, securing a 2-1 win at home. It is the second season in a row that VfB are represented on the continental stage and the first time that this has happened since 2007/08 to 2010/11 (four consecutive campaigns).
October 2025 | Setting examples off the pitch
Time and again, the VfB pros show their commitment to social issues, taking responsibility beyond the football pitch, and October was a prime example of this. Together with the VfB women's team, the Cannstatt boys got involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also known as ‘Pinktober’, promoting early detection, education and support around the disease.
November 2025 | A month of individual records
What do Atakan Karazor, Deniz Undav, Angelo Stiller and Josha Vagnoman have in common? They all achieved personal milestones in November. Captain Karazor, who has been at VfB since 2019, made his 200th competitive appearance for the team. Undav set a club record of six consecutive Bundesliga goals for the team and was also the best striker in Europe’s top five leagues in November, while Stiller and Vagnoman both reached 100 appearances for the Cannstatt club. Incidentally, Nübel and Mittelstädt also achieved this in December.
December 2025 | Cup defence still alive
The story of this year would not be complete without a happy ending in the DFB Cup. Appropriately, VfB triumphed 2-0 at Bundesliga 2 outfit VfL Bochum in the round of 16 on 3 December and the holders are through to the quarter-finals in the new year. The story continues…
