May belonged to SC Magdeburg. Bennet Wiegert’s side won all three of their matches and once again looked like the most complete team in the Bundesliga. Behind them, Rhein-Neckar Löwen produced the biggest jump of the month, while Flensburg’s grip on a top-two finish suddenly looks far less secure.
Here is the latest GoHandball Bundesliga Power Rankings.
1: SC Magdeburg
Current Bundesliga standing: 1
Power rankings April: 1
Three games. Three wins. Business as usual.
Magdeburg’s attack looked far sharper than it did in April, scoring 41 against Hamburg before edging Flensburg in a dramatic title-race clash. Omar Ingi Magnusson was flawless against Hamburg, while Sergey Hernandez delivered 15 saves.
The win over Flensburg was perhaps even more impressive. Gisli Kristjansson orchestrated the attack, but it was a genuine team performance capped by Magnus Saugstrup’s buzzer-beater.
When they needed a professional result against Löwen, they got it. And they are once again champions of Germany.
2: Füchse Berlin
Current Bundesliga standing: 2
Power rankings April: 2
Photo: Anze Malovrh / kolektiff
The emphatic win in Kiel showcased their offensive firepower. Mathias Gidsel continued to look like the league’s best player, while Tim Freihöfer and Nils Lichtlein stepped up as well.
The draw against Hannover may prove costly in the standings, but it was hardly a poor performance. Lasse Ludwig produced one of the goalkeeper displays of the month with 17 saves.
Then came the 41-goal explosion against Eisenach, where Gidsel and Lasse Andersson completely took over.
Nobody scores easier than Berlin right now.
3: VfL Gummersbach
Current Bundesliga standing: 4
Power rankings April: 4
Photo: Jon Olav Nesvold / BILDBYRÅN
Perhaps the most underrated team in Germany. Gummersbach continue to win with defence and goalkeeping. Erlangen managed only 22 goals. Minden managed only 22 goals.
Miro Schluroff and Kristjan Horzen provided the attacking quality, but the foundation remains a defensive structure that is among the Bundesliga’s best.
Bertram Obling’s 16-save performance against Minden was another reminder.
4: SG Flensburg-Handewitt
Current Bundesliga standing: 3
Power rankings April: 3
Photo: Michael Erichsen / BILDBYRÅN
A mixed month.
The victory over Lemgo was convincing and Simon Pytlick continues to look unstoppable. But the narrow loss to Magdeburg was followed by a worrying defeat against Stuttgart.
Conceding 37 goals to a mid-table side is not championship-level handball.
Flensburg are still among the Bundesliga elite, but second place suddenly feels vulnerable.
5: Rhein-Neckar Löwen
Current Bundesliga standing: 8
Power rankings April: 13
The biggest climber of the month. Haukur Thrastarson has transformed Löwen’s season. The Icelander was outstanding against both Melsungen and Stuttgart, carrying the attack almost single-handedly at times.
David Späth also delivered one of his strongest performances of the season against Stuttgart.
Even in defeat against Magdeburg, Löwen pushed the league leaders harder than many expected.
This looks like a completely different team than the one we saw earlier this spring.
6: Göppingen
Current Bundesliga standing: 9
Power rankings April: 5
Not spectacular. Just effective.
The comeback win against Wetzlar showed resilience, while the away victory in Hamburg was one of the stronger road performances of the month. Ludvig Jurmala Åström continues to emerge as a major weapon, while Kristian Sæverås produced 17 saves against Hamburg.
Göppingen keep collecting points.
7: MT Melsungen
Current Bundesliga standing: 7
Power rankings April: 6
Still difficult to rank.
The collapse against Löwen was ugly, but the response was excellent. Aaron Mensing starred against Eisenach and Nebojsa Simic rediscovered his form.
The second-half performance against Leipzig was exactly what you expect from a top team facing a struggling opponent.
Good month overall, but not enough to move up.
8: THW Kiel
Current Bundesliga standing: 5
Power rankings April: 7
Injuries matter. But so do results.
The eight-goal loss to Wetzlar was alarming regardless of who was unavailable. The defeat against Berlin was more understandable, but Kiel never really looked competitive after halftime.
The comfortable win against Bergischer prevented a bigger drop.
With several key players still unavailable, this version of Kiel feels thin compared to the teams above them.
9: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
Current Bundesliga standing: 11
Power rankings April: 10
Photo: Ludvig Thunman / BILDBYRÅN
Still one of the hardest teams in the league to figure out. The loss against Bergischer was disappointing. The response against Leipzig was important. The draw in Berlin was impressive.
Renārs Uščins continues to shine, but Hannover’s inability to close games remains a concern.
A four-goal halftime lead in Berlin should perhaps have produced more than a point.
10: HSG Wetzlar
Current Bundesliga standing: 16
Power rankings April: 14
Massive month.
The victory over Kiel was one of the results of the season. Yes, Kiel were injured. No, winning by eight goals against THW Kiel is never normal.
Wetzlar followed it up with another crucial win over Erlangen and were only seconds away from beating Göppingen as well.
At exactly the right moment, they are finding form.
11: Bergischer HC
Current Bundesliga standing: 14
Power rankings April: 17
Another team making a timely surge.
The win over Hannover was huge. The draw against Minden showed resilience. The victory against Erlangen may ultimately define their season.
Noah Beyer was sensational, especially with 13 goals against Erlangen.
They were overwhelmed by Kiel, but that result does not erase what was otherwise a strong month.
12: TBV Lemgo
Current Bundesliga standing: 6
Power rankings April: 10
Photo: Ludvig Thunman / BILDBYRÅN
Still searching for answers.
The shocking defeat against Minden was followed by another loss in Flensburg before finally bouncing back against Eisenach.
Niels Versteijnen remains productive, but opponents increasingly seem comfortable against Lemgo’s attacking structure.
The trend is not encouraging.
13: ThSV Eisenach
Current Bundesliga standing: 13
Power rankings April: 11
Three losses.
The attack continues to function. The defence does not.
Conceding 37, 38 and 41 goals is not a recipe for success.
Felix Aellen, Stephan Seitz and Oskar Joelsson all produced strong individual performances, but Eisenach simply cannot stop opponents consistently enough.
14: HSV Hamburg
Current Bundesliga standing: 11
Power rankings April: 9
A rough month.
The win over Stuttgart feels distant after what followed.
Magdeburg completely overwhelmed them. Göppingen comfortably beat them. Hamburg never really looked competitive in either defeat.
Too dependent on individual moments and not enough collective consistency.
15: TVB Stuttgart
Current Bundesliga standing: 12
Power rankings April: 12
A strange month. The second-half collapse against Löwen was one of the worst performances by any team in May.
Yet Stuttgart also produced one of the month’s best results by beating Flensburg. Lenny Rubin was outstanding throughout.
The ceiling is high. The floor remains concerningly low.
16: GWD Minden
Current Bundesliga standing: 17
Power rankings April: 18
Signs of life.
The upset win against Lemgo was enormous and the draw with Bergischer added another valuable point. The loss to Gummersbach was brutal, but many teams have looked helpless against Gummersbach recently.
Still fighting.
17: SC DHfK Leipzig
Current Bundesliga standing: 18
Power rankings April: 16
Competitive but not productive. Leipzig stayed close against Hannover and were level with Melsungen at halftime before fading badly.
The problem is simple: close losses do not help in a relegation battle.
Time is running out.
18: HC Erlangen
Current Bundesliga standing: 15
Power rankings April: 15
Three matches. Three defeats. And perhaps most worrying of all, two losses against direct relegation rivals.
Scoring 22 goals against Gummersbach was poor. Losing to Wetzlar hurt. Losing to Bergischer hurt even more.
Erlangen are sliding in exactly the wrong direction.