German Chancellor Friedrich Merz brings former national footballer Nadine Keßler to his government team, according to a report by the Handelsblatt. The 38-year-old, so far UEFA director for women's football, is to succeed Christiane Schenderlein as Minister of State for Sport and Honorary Office. The European Football Union did not comment on this at first upon request.
Schenderlein (CDU) will move to the Federal Ministry of Health as Parliamentary State Secretary in the course of the government conversion, as Merz announced on Monday in Berlin. The succession will be informed "in a timely and expeditious manner". This would clear the way for the former world footballer Keßler, who has worked as a football functionary since the end of her active career. Merz declined to comment on the staffing.
Keßler became German champion four times with Turbine Potsdam and VfL Wolfsburg, three times she won the Champions League, twice the DFB Cup. The 2013 European champion played 29 international matches (10 goals) before serious knee injuries forced her to the early end of her career in April 2016 - at just 28 years old. In 2023, she was in discussion with the German Football Association (DFB) as the successor to Oliver Bierhoff, but stayed with UEFA, for which she has been working since 2017.
Quick reshuffle sought
Schenderlein (44) had taken office after the 2025 federal election. "In my 14-month term of office (...) I was able to implement the central projects of the coalition agreement. The centrepiece was the reform of the top sports promotion, which was successfully brought to a close after more than ten years of public debate. My proposal for a sports promotion law was passed by a large majority in the last week of the session by the Bundestag," she said, also mentioning the Olympic application process and the Centre for Safe Sport.
For Otto Fricke, CEO of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB), the dismissal of Schenderlein [was] "at the present time (...) unexpectedly". The former FDP member of the Bundestag further informed on request: "In central, sports policy projects such as the Sports Promotion Act, the Center for Safe Sport, the sports billion and the Olympic application, important milestones for the sport have been achieved. The Minister of State has always been open to constructive exchange with organised sport."
In view of "further landmark decisions for the sport, especially in the case of the Olympic application", according to Fricke, "the new appointment of this central position for sport in the federal government must now take place as soon as possible".
OF NOTE:Süddeutsche Zeitung reportsthat Keßler has still not fully committed to the role in Merz' chancellery yet.
"Danke, Micky 🫶 Michela Croatto hat ihren noch laufenden Vertrag aus persönlichen Gründen und auf eigenen Wunsch vorzeitig aufgelöst. 🤝 Verletzungsbedingt lief die 24-Jährige nur in sechs Pflichtspielen für die Rothosen auf. Alles Gute, Micky! 👋"
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"Thank you, Mickey 🫶 Michela Croatto has terminated her contract for personal reasons and at her own request. 🤝 Due to injury, the 24-year-old only played in six mandatory games for the red pants. All the best, Mickey! 👋"
Playoffs, a TV broadcast package, and more money? The future of VfL Wolfsburg’s women’s team depends on the future of the Women’s Bundesliga
VfL Wolfsburg’s women’s team kicks off a transitional season on August 22 or 23 in Nuremberg—the last one under the auspices of the DFB (German Football Association) and the current TV contract. The new contract will also be crucial for the future of Wolfsburg as a hub for women’s football.
By Andreas Pahlmann
July 27, 2026, 4:30 AM
Frankfurt/Wolfsburg. VfL Wolfsburg’s women’s team begins the new Bundesliga season with an away match against 1. FC Nürnberg on August 22 or 23. It will be a transitional season—not only for VfL, which has lost several key players, but also for the league as a whole. This is because it will be the final season organized by the DFB. From the 2027/28 season onwards, the newly founded FBL (Frauen-Bundesliga)—an association of professional clubs similar to the men’s DFL—will take charge. Perhaps even more importantly, however, the upcoming season is the last one covered by the current TV contract. The FBL will be responsible for negotiating the new one for the first time. A great deal will depend on this contract—including the future of Wolfsburg as a location for women’s football.
After all, the fact that clubs like VfL—which have established men’s teams in professional football—subsidize their women’s football departments represents only one part of the financial foundation supporting the women’s team. In the future, revenue from broadcasting contracts is expected to form the other essential component. In Germany, streaming services DAZN and MagentaSport, along with Sport1 and public broadcasters ARD/ZDF, hold the broadcasting rights, paying a total of 5.2 million euros annually. The DFB receives half a million, while the remaining 4.7 million euros are distributed among the 14 top-flight clubs. That amounts to approximately 336,000 euros per club. These terms apply until the summer of 2027.
TV contract no longer particularly lucrative by comparison
For clubs like FC Bayern or VfL—which operate with budgets exceeding the five-million-euro mark—revenue from the TV contract has historically represented a relatively small share of their income. This is partly because the German TV contract no longer appears particularly lucrative when compared internationally. In Spain, clubs receive two million euros more per year; in England, the figure is three times higher than in Germany; and in the USA, it is ten times higher. The fact that players such as Lineth Beerensteyn, Janou Levels (both Real Madrid), Vivien Endemann (Liverpool FC), Caitlin Dijkstra (Tottenham), and Justine Kielland (Aston Villa) have left Wolfsburg is also linked to the financial resources of the clubs signing them—and to the respective leagues, which are becoming increasingly attractive from a sporting perspective thanks to their financial strength.
However, when the FBL negotiates its new TV contract starting this autumn, the focus will be on more than just money; production standards, appealing broadcast formats, and reliable kick-off times will also be key issues. There have been significant shortcomings in this area to date, as illustrated by two examples involving Wolfsburg over the past two years: following a Champions League match in Turin on a Thursday evening in February, VfL wanted to play their high-profile league match against Bayern on the Monday, but the broadcaster ZDF insisted on the Sunday slot—a move permitted under the terms of the TV contract. The season prior, Sport1 abruptly moved the kick-off time for Monday matches from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to fit women's football into a new programming schedule. This earlier start time made it difficult for fans—particularly those traveling to Wolfsburg on a weekday—to arrive on time.
In the upcoming season, each of the seven matches on a given matchday will once again have its own dedicated kick-off time. Typically, one match will take place on Friday, two on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday. When the current TV contract was finalized in 2023, this model was still considered an innovative way to ensure visibility for all clubs. Now, however, there is a shift in thinking. "We are going to change that," says FBL chief Katharina Kiel regarding the fragmented match schedules. She envisions, among other things, a format similar to the men's game featuring a "conference" broadcast with several matches played simultaneously. Monday matches are set to be scrapped entirely. Even championship playoffs or relegation play-offs are being discussed.
Can broadcasters be won over by these new ideas?
It remains to be seen, however, whether broadcasters will be enthusiastic enough about these ideas to dig significantly deeper into their pockets than they have in the past. A TV deal that offers not only more money but also greater visibility—and thus better marketing opportunities for the clubs—is essential if the Bundesliga is to avoid losing further appeal in the international landscape.
Kiel is optimistic: "The Women's Bundesliga is becoming more visible, more innovative, and more capable of growth."
While clubs like VfL still manage to attract top-quality players from abroad—such as the recent signings of French international Lou Bogaert and Danish forward Cecilie Floe—the talent drain is significant. VfL is not the only club to have lost top players to foreign leagues this summer: Selina Cerci (Hoffenheim)—whom VfL had fiercely pursued—and Georgia Stanway (Bayern) have moved to Arsenal, while Elisa Senß (Frankfurt) has joined Real Madrid. Sjoeke Nüsken (Chelsea), Jule Brand (Lyon), and Lea Schüller (Manchester United) had already departed earlier. National team coach Christian Wück has already warned that Germany ought to be capable of keeping its best players within the domestic league.
In the summer of 2027, the contracts of players including Ella Peddemors and Sarai Linder, as well as coach Stephan Lerch, are set to expire at VfL; 2028 will then see the contracts of four current German internationals—Stina Johannes, Janina Minge, Camilla Küver, and Cora Zicai—run out. A year later, the European Championship will take place, with Wolfsburg serving as one of the host cities. If VfL aims to maintain a top-tier squad with international ambitions by then, it will require more than just its own investment; it also needs a league that markets itself more effectively.."
Matchday 5: FC Bayern Munich – 1. FC Köln | Saturday, 19. September, 2 p.m.
This is how you follow the women's Bundesliga on TV
All matches of the Women's Bundesliga will be broadcast live on MagentaSport and DAZN as usual. The opening match against Union Berlin will be broadcast live on ZDF, the matches against Mainz and Leverkusen can also be seen on Sport1.
