Founded in 1903, FC Carl Zeiss Jena represents Jena in Thuringia and carries a distinctive blue, yellow and white identity. Its home is the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld, a modernized venue with deep local associations. The club’s story links the Carl Zeiss optical heritage of its birthplace with a proud East German football tradition and a continuing place in the regional game. This page brings together the team’s identity, people, recent activity and competitive history as recorded.
FC Carl Zeiss Jena Upcoming matches by league
Regionalliga - Nordost
-
- Nordost - 9
Hallescher FC
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
-
- Nordost - 10
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
Lokomotive Leipzig
-
- Nordost - 11
Tasmania Berlin
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
-
- Nordost - 12
FC Carl Zeiss JenaNo H2HMagdeburg II
FC Carl Zeiss Jena Last matches by league
Regionalliga - Nordost
DFB Pokal
Friendlies Clubs
3. Liga
FC Carl Zeiss Jena Team Roster
The recorded FC Carl Zeiss Jena squad contains 18 players. The positional balance is weighted toward attack, with eight attackers, alongside seven defenders, two midfielders and one goalkeeper. M. Liesegang is the listed goalkeeper, while the defensive group includes M. Fritz, M. Talabidi, N. Butzen and S. Reddemann. Attacking options include Manasse Eshele, N. Wähling, E. Oduah and K. Lankford, with J. Werner and J. Schau listed among the midfield entries. The list presents a compact playing group with representation across the main outfield units.
position Goalkeeper
Marius Liesegang
position Defender
Sören-Kurt Reddemann
Maurice Hehne
M. Talabidi
Paul Krämer
Marcel Hoppe
Moritz Fritz
Nils Butzen
position Midfielder
Osazee Aghatise
Dion Ajvazi
Elias Löder
Jannes Werner
M. Boog
position Attacker
Kevin Lankford
Manasse Eshele
Luca Wollschläger
Nicolas William Wähling
Timon Burmeister
Last FC Carl Zeiss Jena Coachs
Volkan Uluç is the most recent recorded coaching appointment, beginning on 1 March 2025. The available timeline does not establish a current holder, so his entry is described by date rather than as a present role. Stefan Böger appears immediately before him, with a start date of 1 November 2024. René Klingbeil then covers the recorded period from 1 December 2022 to 1 January 2024, while Henning Bürger and Andreas Patz also feature in the earlier chronology. All named coaches in this sequence are recorded with German nationality.
Volkan Uluç
History
| Coach | Coach country | Coach since | Coach until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkan Uluç | Türkiye | 1 March 2025 | |
| Stefan Böger | Germany | 1 November 2024 | |
| René Klingbeil | Germany | 1 December 2022 | 1 January 2024 |
| Henning Bürger | Germany | 1 November 2022 | |
| Andreas Patz | Germany | 1 October 2021 | 1 November 2022 |
| Dirk Kunert | Germany | 1 August 2020 | |
| Rico Schmitt | Germany | 1 October 2019 | 1 February 2020 |
| Lukas Kwasniok | Poland | 1 December 2018 | 1 September 2019 |
| Mark Zimmermann | Germany | 1 July 2016 | 1 December 2018 |
| Volkan Uluç | Türkiye | 1 December 2014 | 1 June 2016 |
| Petrik Sander | Germany | 1 November 2011 | 1 August 2013 |
| Heiko Weber | Germany | 1 April 2011 | 1 October 2011 |
| Jürgen Raab | Germany | 1 June 2010 | 1 October 2010 |
| Valdas-Augustinas Ivanauskas | Lithuania | 1 September 2007 | 1 January 2008 |
| Wolfgang Sandhowe | Germany | 1 July 2001 | 1 March 2002 |
FC Carl Zeiss Jena Transfers
Recent arrivals include D. Ajvazi from Hertha BSC on 29 June 2026, with no category stated, and E. Loder from SSV Ulm 1846 as a free agent on the same date. N. Wähling joined from Cavalry FC as a free agent in January 2026. The July 2025 arrivals included free transfers for Manasse Eshele, M. Fritz, K. Lankford, T. Burmeister, P. Weihrauch and Malik Talabidi, while E. Oduah arrived from Kickers Emden without a stated category. No loan arrival is identified among these entries.
Latest player transfers from
| Player | Team from | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. Boog |
Wolfsburg U19
|
Free agent | 23 July 2026 |
| E. Löder |
SSV Ulm 1846
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| E. Loder |
SSV Ulm 1846
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| D. Ajvazi |
Hertha BSC
|
- | 30 June 2026 |
| E. Loder |
SSV Ulm 1846
|
Free agent | 29 June 2026 |
| D. Ajvazi |
Hertha BSC
|
- | 29 June 2026 |
| N. Wähling |
Cavalry FC
|
Free agent | 25 January 2026 |
| E. Oduah |
Kickers Emden
|
- | 31 August 2025 |
| O. Aghatise |
Hartlepool
|
Free agent | 8 July 2025 |
| Malik Talabidi |
Schalke 04 II
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| P. Weihrauch |
FC 08 Homburg
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| T. Burmeister |
SV Lafnitz
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| K. Lankford |
BFC Dynamo
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| M. Fritz |
FC Viktoria Köln
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| M. Eshele |
Hallescher FC
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
A. Prokopenko is recorded as leaving for FC Viktoria Köln as a free agent on 30 June 2026, while K. Seidemann moved to BSG Chemie Leipzig as a free agent in January 2026. The 2025 departures include free transfers to clubs such as SV Sandhausen, Erzgebirge Aue, Energie Cottbus, Hertha BSC II, FC 08 Homburg and SSV Ulm 1846. Hamza Muqaj is listed as a transfer to Holstein Kiel, while A. Jozanovic has no stated category in the June record. Several departures appear more than once with closely dated listings, so these movements are best treated as recorded examples rather than a complete seasonal total.
Latest player transfers to
| Player | Team to | Transfer type | Transfer date |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. Oduah |
Altglienicke
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| A. Prokopenko |
FC Viktoria Köln
|
Free agent | 30 June 2026 |
| E. Oduah |
Altglienicke
|
Free agent | 29 June 2026 |
| K. Seidemann |
BSG Chemie Leipzig
|
Free agent | 24 January 2026 |
| C. Sezer |
FSV Zwickau
|
Free Transfer | 1 September 2025 |
| C. Sezer |
FSV Zwickau
|
- | 14 August 2025 |
| P. Wendt |
BSG Chemie Leipzig
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| B. Zank |
FC Viktoria Köln
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| A. Dedidis |
Hertha Zehlendorf
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| E. Löder |
SSV Ulm 1846
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| J. Petermann |
FC 08 Homburg
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| J. Richter |
Hertha BSC II
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| T. Tattermusch |
Energie Cottbus
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| Hamza Muqaj |
Holstein Kiel
|
Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
| E. Weinhauer |
Erzgebirge Aue
|
Free Transfer | 1 July 2025 |
Transfers Synthesis
FC Carl Zeiss Jena’s recorded movement shows arrivals and departures clustered around the summer of 2025 and June 2026. Most named incoming categories are described as free transfers or free-agent arrivals, with D. Ajvazi and E. Loder among the latest additions and N. Wähling arriving from Cavalry FC in January 2026. The outgoing entries also lean toward free transfers and free-agent departures, including A. Prokopenko to FC Viktoria Köln and K. Seidemann to BSG Chemie Leipzig. Other movements are simply marked as transfers or have no stated category. No loan is identified among the listed arrivals or departures, and no fee is recorded. Some players appear in repeated dated listings, so the movement picture indicates the timing and categories of activity rather than a complete seasonal balance.
Leagues FC Carl Zeiss Jena has participated in
FC Carl Zeiss Jena has recorded participation in Regionalliga - Nordost and the Friendlies Clubs competition from 2020 through 2025, making them the most recently documented competitions in this profile. The Regionalliga entry represents the club’s recent league context, while friendlies provide a non-league fixture setting. DFB Pokal participation is recorded from 2012 to 2024 and is therefore treated as historical here. The club also has a 3. Liga record covering 2011 to 2019, which is historical rather than recent. The participation record does not establish a current competition standing.
More about FC Carl Zeiss Jena
FC Carl Zeiss Jena, officially Fußballclub Carl Zeiss Jena e.V., is a football club from Jena in Thuringia, central Germany. Founded in 1903 as a football department associated with workers at the Carl Zeiss optical company, it remains closely linked to the city’s industrial and scientific character. Jena lies in the Saale valley among limestone hills and is internationally known for optical precision and photonics, giving the club an unusually distinctive local backdrop.
The club’s colors are blue, yellow and white, a combination reflected in its badge and long-standing kit traditions. Home matches are played at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld, a venue that opened in 1924 and was comprehensively modernized in the 2020s. The reconstruction retained the traditional stadium clock tower while creating a contemporary football ground, preserving a visible connection between heritage and present-day use.
FC Carl Zeiss Jena carries an important place in the history of East German football. After passing through several designations in the post-war period, the club returned to its classic identity in 1966. Its historical record includes multiple DDR-Oberliga titles and FDGB-Pokal trophies, while the strongest continental achievement was reaching the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1981. Those landmarks remain central to the club’s reputation even as its modern competitive life is rooted in regional and national tiers.
The organization is structured as a registered sports association, or e.V., preserving a member-led governance tradition in which voting members retain foundational influence. Its football culture is community-focused, with regional scouting and youth development forming important parts of the club’s identity. That combination of industrial heritage, distinctive colors, historic achievement and member-based structure gives FC Carl Zeiss Jena a durable profile within German football.
Last matches statistics for FC Carl Zeiss Jena
| match | shots | Poss. | Pass % | Fouls | Cards | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bayreuth
1 - 1
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
1 - 2
FSV Zwickau
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
SV Babelsberg 03
0 - 1
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
4 - 0
RSV Eintracht
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
1 - 2
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
BSG Chemie Leipzig
0 - 1
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
1 - 2
SV Darmstadt 98
|
5 / 10 |
|
77 | 16 | 2 | 2 |
|
Chemnitzer FC
1 - 1
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
1 - 0
Altglienicke
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
|
FC Carl Zeiss Jena
3 - 0
Hertha BSC II
|
0 / 0 |
|
0% | 0 | - | 0 |
Detailed statistics FC Carl Zeiss Jena
Xtra rating history
Last rating points (most recent matches).