2. Bundesliga
Bundesliga 2 top scorer candidates
Three of last season's top four highest goalscorers have moved on, so who will finish top of the shots in Bundesliga 2 in 2025/26? Check out some of the leading candidates below...
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We start with the Hertha Berlin star who finished the 2024/25 season with 11 strikes in 18 Bundesliga 2 outings. Ankle problems limited Fabian Reese's time out on the pitch for the Berliners - otherwise he would have been competing for the top scorer crown alongside Davie Selke and Co - but he's been back among the goals in pre-season.
Marcel Rapp's Kiel side excited fans and neutrals alike with their fearless offensive style of play that produced some memorable results - but not top-flight survival - last term.
An important part of those results was the goals of Phil Harres, who struck eight times in the top-flight and comes into Bundesliga 2 as one of the top scorer favourites for 2025/26.
Teammates Shuto Machino and Alexander Bernhardsson can also be expected to weigh in with their share of goals.
Watch: Holstein Kiel stunned Borussia Dortmund last season
Ibrahim Sissoko (Bochum)
There are now two players bearing the Sissoko name at Bochum and one of them could already be one of the favourites for the Bundesliga 2 top scorer prize.
Arriving from French football this summer, Ibrahim Sissoko has proven his mettle in Ligue 2 with multiple clubs, scoring 53 times in 130 games. The 29-year-old is a powerful No.9 who will fit in seamlessly to Bochum's approach and feed on the relentless crossing from Gerrit Holtmann and others.
For Sissoko, the perfect example to follow already exists in, of all places, neighbouring club Schalke. Moussa Sylla followed a similar path as Sissoko's and arrived in Bundesliga from Ligue 2. Since his arrival, the Malian has already become one of the shining lights, scoring 16 times in the 2024/25 season. Of last term's strikers who still play in Bundesliga 2, only one found the back of the net more often.
Martjin Kaars finest hour last season came against Schalke where he scored four times in a big win for Magdeburg. After scoring 19 times in the 2024/25 season, the Dutch forward will be confident of hauling another double-digit return.
Watch: Kaars hits four past Schalke 04
Darmstadt have history in the top scorer's race in recent years, with Serdar Dursun being the most recent player to top the charts in the 2020/21 season with 27 goals.
To that end, the Lillies could already have a successor in Isaac Lidberg, who hit double figures last term. Killian Corredor is another worth keeping an eye on in the Darmstadt ranks.
German-Cameroonian striker Noel Futkeu showed promise during the 2024/25 campaign with Fürth. The 22-year-old struck 11 times in his first full season with the club and could take his game to the next level if he can continue his trajectory.
Replacing the outgoing Stefanos Tzimas at Nuremberg is Semir Telalović, who first arrived in German football from England, joining Ulm from Blackburn Rovers. Telalović's 12 goals weren't enough to keep Ulm up but, at 25, his best returns should be just around the corner.
Roko Šimić (Karlsruhe)
Budu Zivzivadze was all the buzz in Karlsruhe until January of the 2024/25 season, when the Georgian goal-machine moved to Heidenheim, leaving the south-west outfit with a sizeable void for the second half of the campaign.
Step forward 21-year-old Croatian Roko Šimić, who has made the switch from Cardiff City on loan. After struggling for goals in England, the youngster will look to turn around his and Karlsruhe's fortunes in the months ahead.
Benjamin Källman (Hannover)
Alongside the aforementioned new arrivals to Bundesliga 2, Hannover's Benjamin Kallman will also be one to keep an eye on. The 27-year-old Finland international scored 18 times in the Polish Ekstraklasa last season, and is expected to replace Nicolò Tresoldi in the Hannover attack.