Karlsruher SC has been a fixture in the 2nd Bundesliga for years. After promotion from the 3rd league in 2019, the KSC is generally looking up rather than down – recently promotion to the Bundesliga even seemed close. In today’s professional football, ambitious plans require the right wallet. Money doesn’t score goals, as the saying goes. However, transfer fees and salaries have continued to rise.
The questions arise: How much do the players at Karlsruher SC earn? Which KSC star earns the most? And where are the KSC salaries in the league average? We set out to find answers.
Salaries in the 2nd Bundesliga 2025/26: KSC is in the bottom third
In football, player salaries are rarely disclosed by the club or the player. The same applies to trainer salaries. Therefore it is difficult to make an exact statement. Most of the time only estimates are possible. Capology provides data on player salaries, which is said to be derived from estimates and internal sources. According to its own statement, the company has set itself the task of increasing transparency in the football industry.
According to Capology, Karlsruher SC will spend almost nine million euros on player salaries in the 2025/26 season. The exact sum: 8,850,000 euros. This corresponds to around 170,000 euros per week.
In the league average of the 2nd Bundesliga, KSC is in the bottom third. According to Capology, Dynamo Dresden, SV Elversberg, Arminia Bielefeld and Preußen Münster pay lower player salaries on average. The other 13 second division clubs spend more. Accordingly, there are eleven clubs that will spend over ten million euros on salaries in 2025/26. The complete list of the annual salaries paid out by the clubs in the 2nd Bundesliga at a glance.
- Hertha BSC: 23.75 million euros
- VfL Bochum: 16.70 million euros
- Schalke 04: 16.69 million euros
- Fortuna Düsseldorf: 15.55 million euros
- Hannover 96: 14.59 million euros
- SV Darmstadt 98: 14.52 million euros
- Greuther Fürth: 12.57 million euros
- 1. FC Nuremberg: 12.44 million euros
- Holstein Kiel: 11.52 million euros
- Eintracht Braunschweig: 11.50 million euros
- 1. FC Kaiserslautern: 11.33 million euros
- SC Paderborn: 9.06 million euros
- 1. FC Magdeburg: 8.90 million euros
- Karlsruhe SC: 8.85 million euros
- Dynamo Dresden: 8.24 million euros
- SV Elversberg: 8.02 million euros
- Arminia Bielefeld: 7.69 million euros
- Prussia Münster: 7.41 million euros
Who is the top earner at KSC?
Marvin Wanitzek is a crowd favorite and star player at Karlsruher SC. The midfield strategist is also said to be the highest-paid player in the squad. The database of salarysport.com gives an annual gross salary of almost 1.15 million euros. A weekly salary of around 22,000 euros. Accordingly, there is no other KSC player who breaks the million mark – and not even close. The data from salarysport.com suggest the following top 5 when it comes to salaries for Karlsruher SC players.
- Marvin Wanitzek: 1.15 million euros
- Roko Simic: 464,000 Euro
- Andreas Müller: 452,000 euros
- David Herold: 446.000 Euro
- Fabian Schleusener: 440,000 euros
Also interesting: Karlsruher SC has appointed its first honorary president. The KSC also has some fan friendships, but also maintains rivalries.
Which player is the top earner in the 2nd Bundesliga?
Hertha BSC is spending by far the most money on player salaries in the 2025/26 season in the 2nd Bundesliga. It’s not surprising that the top earner in the 2nd Bundesliga probably wears the Hertha jersey. Loud salarysport.com Star player Fabian Reese earns almost two million euros a year. At Hertha, Dawid Kownacki (1.32 million euros), Diego Demme (1.14 million euros) and Agustin Rogel (1.08 million euros) also have an annual salary over the million mark.
By the way: The KSC has some prominent fans. What is noticeable among the players is that some ex-KSC stars have and had unusual nicknames.
