Marie-Louise Eta makes history as Union Berlin appoints first female head coach

Marie-Louise Eta was appointed interim head coach of 1. FC Union Berlin after the club dismissed Steffen Baumgart following a 3-1 defeat at bottom‑side 1. FC Heidenheim, a change the club confirmed just before midnight on April 11, 2026. The 34‑year‑old, born July 7, 1991, takes charge for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, with five matches remaining to preserve Union’s Bundesliga status.

Union sporting director Horst Heldt framed the move as a response to a prolonged downturn, saying the club had seen "two wins out of 14 games since the winter break" and that "the performances shown in recent weeks do not give us the confidence that we can turn things around with the current setup," explaining the decision to make a change. Union sit in a mid‑table position variously reported as 11th or 12th and the club described the situation as precarious, underlining the immediate survival stakes behind the managerial switch.

Eta arrives with a club track record: she joined Union in summer 2023 to work with the U19s, has supported the first team on matchdays and in isolated first‑team duties, and in November 2023 became the first female assistant coach to appear on a Bundesliga matchday bench. She holds a UEFA Pro Licence and was already announced on April 3, 2026 as the incoming head coach of Union’s women’s first team from the summer; the interim men’s appointment deliberately bridges the end of the men’s season and that planned transition. Eta said she was grateful for the trust and is "convinced that we will secure the crucial points with the team."

The appointment is both an institutional breakthrough and an urgent test. At a minimum, Eta’s five remaining matches constitute a short, high‑pressure assessment: her first match in charge was due to be at home to Wolfsburg on Matchday 30, and results over the final fixtures will determine whether Union secures top‑flight survival. At a broader level, the promotion is the first time a woman has been named head coach of a men’s top‑flight side in one of Europe’s big five leagues, moving beyond previous examples at lower levels such as Corinne Diacre at Clermont Foot in Ligue 2 from 2014 to 2017 and Sabrina Wittmann’s 2024 appointment at FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s 3. Liga.

Eta’s elevation also lands amid regulatory shifts: FIFA approved new measures on March 19, 2026 aimed at increasing female representation in coaching across its competitions, a policy context that frames this appointment as part of a wider push to open pathways for women into elite coaching. Union’s immediate obligations are concrete: secure points across five fixtures, clarify the contractual terms and timing of Eta’s shift to the women’s job announced on April 3, and manage the scrutiny that comes with a precedent‑setting hire at the highest level of men’s European football.