Holstein Kiel sack coach Tim Walter after slump to bottom of the table

Holstein Kiel have dismissed Tim Walter after one win in eleven games and a drop to last place in the 2. Bundesliga. Mitch Kniat is reportedly the favourite to replace him.

9 Nov 2026, 23:112 min read

Holstein Kiel coach Tim Walter on the touchline during a 2. Bundesliga match at the Kiel stadium. — Image: sportschau.de

Two days after losing at home to Arminia Bielefeld, Holstein Kiel have pulled the plug. On Monday evening the club announced it had dismissed coach Tim Walter, who sits with his team at the very bottom of the 2. Bundesliga (Germany's second tier).

His assistants Michael Wimmer and Julian Hübner have to leave as well.

What happened?

Kiel lost 1-2 at home to Bielefeld on Saturday and slipped to last place. After eleven league games, the club has just eight points and a single win.

Sporting director Olaf Rebbe, who has also faced criticism over the club's transfers, had promised a detailed analysis after that match. It ended with Walter's exit. "After a third of the season, the bare numbers speak for themselves: eight points, 18th place and only one win in the 2. Bundesliga are alarming figures," Rebbe said.

The club also said it no longer believed the current setup could bring the stability it needs. It wants "a fresh impulse" so that its minimum goal, avoiding relegation, is not put at risk. The timing is deliberate: the international break is about to start.

Why does it matter?

This was Walter's second spell at Kiel. He first coached the club in the 2018/19 season, then came back in February 2026 with one job: save Kiel from relegation. He managed that.

The new season has been a different story, though. Despite some decent performances, the results stayed away, and the club saw development stalling rather than improving.

What's next?

Nobody has been officially named yet. According to several media reports, the favourite is Michél "Mitch" Kniat, 40. He coached Bielefeld until last summer, led them up into the 2. Bundesliga and, in 2024/25, took them all the way to the final of the DFB-Pokal (Germany's national cup) in a surprise run.

Kiel say they will announce the new coaching team "in due course". With the international break giving the club some breathing space, the new coach will have a little time to get to work before the league restarts.

#holstein kiel#tim walter#2. bundesliga#mitch kniat#football

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