Rot-Weiß Erfurt makes a bold start to the regional league: promotion in sight?

Rot-Weiß Erfurt makes a bold start to the regional league: promotion in sight?

In a few days the time has come: On July 25, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. Rot-Weiß Erfurt starts the new season of the Regionalliga Nordost. With the opening game against FSV Luckenwalde, things will be exciting right from the start, and the team around coach Fabian Gerber is optimistic. “The preparation went well, we have a strong team and are ready,” said Gerber, who has been on the sidelines since summer 2021. However, he also admits that the league is very balanced and has challenges. The 18 teams in the Regionalliga Nordost not only fight for points, but also make this league a hotly contested place. The Regionalliga is the fourth highest division in German football and following various reforms, the framework conditions have changed in recent years.

What is particularly notable is the quality and breadth of the current squad, which has improved compared to last season. The team currently has 27 players, although a central defender is still being sought if the conditions are right. However, players like new signing Raphael Assibey-Mensah were injured, making team planning more complicated. Captain Til Schwarz, for example, has to miss test matches against 1. FC Nürnberg II and Eintracht Braunschweig's U23s due to problems with his Achilles tendon. Gerber said that Schwarz has only been able to train in doses so far, so his appearance in the first league game against Luckenwalde is uncertain.

Test matches and team dynamics

The preparation also included a training camp that strengthened team dynamics. There were games on the pitch that were seen as both a burden and an opportunity for development for the players. While the results were strong overall, Erfurt also suffered a bitter 2:9 defeat against SG Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz. Gerber puts this loss into perspective because the conditions during the game were anything but ideal. “The first 60 minutes were good,” he emphasizes, “but in the second half we no longer played on an equal footing with many substitute players.”

The challenge in the opening program is that the first three games against Luckenwalde, BFC Dynamo and Greifswald are equally difficult. Gerber already has the structure of the starting eleven in mind, but still wants to finalize the final line-up. Goalkeeper Lorenz Otto will play in the opening match, while Jaden Rodtnick will be the substitute goalkeeper in the friendly against Eintracht Braunschweig's U23s.

A look into the future

Although Gerber does not yet want to formulate specific promotion goals, he has set clear goals for the further development of the team: “We want to play good football and develop the team further.” A positive development could also exceed expectations and leave Rot-Weiß Erfurt alone in the relegation battle in the region. The assessment that the competition such as Lok Leipzig, Hallescher FC and Zwickau are among the top teams in the league is another indication that Erfurt has to put in a lot of effort in every game in order to be successful.

The coming year in the Regionalliga Northeast promises a lot of excitement. With a powerful squad and a committed coaching team, Rot-Weiß Erfurt is ready to tackle the challenges of the league and will do everything it can to leave a lasting impression in German-speaking football, both in the country and beyond its borders.