After a disastrous start under Bo Henriksen saw Mainz languishing in the bottom two heading into December, relegation looked a real possibility for the club despite securing European football just a season earlier.
With the club's hierarchy unable to hold out any longer, they pulled the trigger on the Dane before appointing Urs Fischer as their new head coach in December.
After a steady but unspectacular end to 2025 in his first few games in charge, the 05ers never looked back in 2026, losing just two of their opening 12 league games of the calendar year. Mainz eventually secured a comfortable 10th-place finish, putting any relegation fears to bed, while also reaching the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
The club will now look to take the next step under Fischer. With a full pre-season under his belt, those around the club will undoubtedly be looking forward to seeing what the new campaign can bring.
Mainz enjoyed an impressive and unbeaten pre-season campaign, winning seven of their eight fixtures while drawing the other.
They looked potent in attack, scoring 38 goals across those eight games, with forwards Philipp Tietz , Sheraldo Becker and new signing Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer all impressing in front of goal.
Their most notable victories came against Premier League outfit Bournemouth (2-1), Paris FC (4-0), Holstein Kiel (3-0) and Kaiserslautern (4-1).
While the Bundesliga campaign is yet to get underway, Mainz have already begun their competitive season, defeating fifth-tier side Krieschow 9-0 in the DFB-Pokal last weekend. Tietz was once again the star of the show, scoring four goals.
Mainz have enjoyed a smart and fairly shrewd transfer window under Fischer, complementing their existing squad with some exciting new faces while maintaining the core of the team. Most of their departures have been players who were not considered part of the immediate first-team picture.
Last season's loanees Stefan Posch , Sheraldo Becker and Sota Kawasaki all returned on permanent deals from Como , Osasuna and Kyoto Sanga respectively.
Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer and Eric Martel both arrived on free transfers from HSV and 1. FC Köln, bringing Bundesliga experience to Fischer's squad. Fabio Gruber joined from Nürnberg, while goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow returned to Germany following a spell with Hearts in Scotland .
In terms of outgoings, Nikolas Veratschnig , Arnaud Nordin , Daniel Batz , Maxim Leitsch , Tom Krauß, Ben Bobzien and Maxim Dal all departed on permanent deals.
Nelson Weiper , Kasey Bos , Lasse Rieß and Daniel Gleiber left on loan, while Armindo Sieb returned to his parent club.
As showcased in the opening competitive fixture of the season, Fischer looks set to stick with his tried-and-tested 3-5-2 formation, which has served him well elsewhere and with Mainz since his arrival.
The spine of the team is expected to remain largely unchanged, with the club also looking likely to retain key players such as Kaishu Sano and Nadiem Amiri .
3-5-2: Zentner ; da Costa , Gruber, Posch; Caci , Lee, Sano, Amiri, Mwene ; Becker, Tietz
Eric Martel and Paul Nebel are set to miss the start of the season through injury, while Benedict Hollerbach continues his recovery following the Achilles tendon injury he suffered in January.
With no European football to contend with this time around, Mainz will be able to devote their full attention to domestic matters, which should benefit them over the course of the campaign.
At the very least, another comfortable mid-table finish should be within their reach, given Fischer's experience in the dugout and the fact that the core of the squad that performed so well during the second half of last season remains intact.
The Bundesliga is always capable of producing surprises, however, and there is certainly scope for Mainz to challenge higher up the table.
Fischer previously guided Union Berlin to Champions League football, and if Mainz can make a strong start to the campaign, there is no reason why they cannot dream of sneaking into the top seven.
With newly promoted Paderborn visiting the MEWA Arena on Matchday 1, Mainz have an excellent opportunity to lay down an early marker and begin the season on the front foot.
