Marie-Louise Eta Makes History as First Female Head Coach in Germany’s Top Men’s League

Union Berlin has done something no other club in Europe’s top five leagues has ever done. They have named a woman as head coach of their men’s first team.

Marie-Louise Eta, 34, will take charge for the remaining five matches of the season. The move comes after Union Berlin sacked Steffen Baumgart following a painful 3–1 loss to Heidenheim, the team at the very bottom of the table.

That defeat left Union with just two wins in 2026. They are now dangerously close to the relegation zone. Something had to change.

So the club turned to Eta, who currently manages Union’s under-19 men’s team. She will step in on an interim basis and try to keep the club in the Bundesliga.

This is not Eta’s first time making history. She was already the first female assistant coach in the league. Now she goes one step further.

After the season ends, she is expected to take over as head coach of Union Berlin’s women’s first team. But for now, all eyes are on her work with the men’s side.

Football fans and experts are calling this a landmark moment. It breaks new ground at the highest level of men’s football in Europe. No woman has ever led a men’s team in any of the continent’s top five leagues before.

Union Berlin has put their trust in her. The task is simple but not easy: keep the team up. Five matches. Everything to play for.