Ever since the COVID-interrupted 2020/21 season and an increase in the number of teams participating (from 14 to 16), the power dynamics have been largely volatile in the BGL Ligue. F91 Dudelange’s era of dominance came to an abrupt stop. Swift Hesperange’s glory days came and went. Differdange went from European hopefuls to domestic powerhouses.
The rest of the league, however, lived through tough years, constantly marred by relegation. Jeunesse Esch and Racing Luxembourg have both experienced significant ups and downs by their standards (the latter are still floundering in the bottom half), but there was one notable exception.
US Mondorf chose the path of counting on consistency and sustainability as the hallmarks of their project, focusing on keeping their assets and refraining from headline signings and excessive spending.
Their pragmatic approach has already yielded them their longest-ever continuous stint in the top flight (closing in on 12 years since their promotion in May 2014), and has helped them solidify a mid-table spot in recent years, with two top-eight finishes coming in the last four full seasons.
After managing to stave off relegation troubles on a yearly basis, the Angry Goats had to look beyond their past and reach for a bigger goal. They have never qualified for European competitions, and last year’s tally of 53 points was the highest they had ever achieved. It was a realistic expectation for the team to stay together and try to make history by achieving a top-four finish or making a remarkable cup run.
While Differdange, Strassen and newcomers Atert Bissen are undoubtedly lighting up the league, Mondorf have still managed to establish themselves as genuine contenders for a Conference League spot. Last Sunday marked their fifth consecutive league victory (six in all competitions), putting them one point behind Dudelange in fourth and two more behind second-placed Bissen.
In a league filled with teams relying on individual brilliance and marquee names, Mondorf remain the epitome of a club with plenty of players capable of sharing the burden and chipping in with goals without a headline name on the team sheet. Despite being the fourth-highest-scoring team in the division, their top scorers are Lilian Fournier and Loris Tinelli, with six goals apiece, ranking joint-15th on the scoring charts.
Sunday’s win at newly-promoted Käerjéng was also powered by former Luxembourg youth international Tinelli, whose goal set the tone for a 3-1 victory and another three points to close the gap to the podium. His second-half replacement Jean-Paul Kumbi then registered a goal and an assist in the space of six minutes to secure a late win after an equaliser from UNK’s Isidore Mabwati.
Mondorf’s schedule for the next five fixtures does not look particularly challenging either. Granted, Atert Bissen will represent a significant obstacle on Sunday, but facing the current bottom two in Rodange 91 and Mamer 32 is an opportunity the Greens will cannot afford to go to waste if they are to compete for continental football.
After their first season back in the top flight, many heralded Rodange’s apt team-building and their solid performances throughout the year. Alongside US Hostert, they played eye-catching football and were never seriously threatened by relegation across the entire 2024/25 edition.
Fast forward nine months, and the so-called second-season syndrome has truly kicked in. Hostert lost top scorer Kenan Avdusinović to Progrès Niederkorn, hence the slight decrease in the number of goals scored and a relative underperformance compared to last season. For Rodange, the picture is a lot gloomier.
After getting promoted in 2024, they decided to part company with manager Frédéric Herinckx less than two months into the season. His replacement, Mehdi El Alaoui, arrived without considerable experience coaching at senior level, having only been an assistant for the last nine years. His stint at R91 was mediocre at best, with a points-per-game average of just above one over 16 months at the helm.
El Alaoui did enough to keep the team up last year after a strong start with Herinckx, but failed to replicate the same success this time around. With Rodange being in an automatic relegation spot and looking increasingly hopeless during recent weeks, the board decided to pull the trigger and hire someone new to turn the tide.
Fahrudin Kuduzović was announced as El Alaoui’s successor ahead of last Sunday’s clash against Jeunesse Canach. The former Derby County midfielder has already coached Mühlenbach and Racing Luxembourg in the past before taking over Rot-Weiß Wittlich last summer.
Replacing a manager looking out of his depth was a sure-fire solution on paper for a team striving to survive. In reality, Kuduzović has failed to instil new life into his team just now. A 4-1 loss to a newly-promoted Canach team not only gifted three points to a close rival, but also produced one of the least convincing displays of Rodange’s season so far.
Adjusting to Kuduzović’s brand of football will not be a straightforward ask from a team low on motivation and confidence. Already in a perilous situation, time is ticking for Semin Ćivović’s side if they want to avoid the drop.
Even without the financial backing of a tycoon like Flavio Becca (formerly an investor at Swift Hesperange and F91 Dudelange), Atert Bissen are on track for one of the most successful campaigns from a newly-promoted team this century.
Vítor Pereira’s squad maintains a quietly ambitious profile, aiming high without outlining a concrete goal for the season. At this point, however, it is hard not to see Bissen as legitimate contenders for a maiden league title.
The pressure does not seem to be getting to the Yellows just yet. Their latest victory, an impressive 2-0 against F91 Dudelange, means they have now leapfrogged two rivals to climb up to second place, where they continue to trail leaders Differdange by four points. They also boast the most potent attack (alongside UNA Strassen and Dudelange) and the second-most stubborn defence in the division.
One of the most encouraging facets of Sunday’s win was the way they scored their goals. Whereas previously they showed worrying dependence on their attacking trio of Khalid Abi Ramzi, Roman Ferber and captain Adriel, they have been showing more variety on the attacking front as of late.
Their opener, a clumsy own goal by Isaque Gavioli, came after a cutback from the right wing by the incisive Ferber. The second, on the other hand, was a moment of brilliance. After spending the best part of the last 24 months with a leg injury, attacker Joel Rodrigues da Cruz showed his class again, finding the top corner from outside the box. This was the Luxembourger’s third goal involvement in seven games, while he has also netted four times playing for the reserves, as he was building up his match sharpness.
Rodrigues da Cruz’s emergence as a reliable attacking option comes at a perfect time for Bissen, as they seek to breathe down Differdange’s neck and increase the pressure for the final stages of the season. The two teams will meet on the final day of the season, which could well promise to be a title decider if the newcomers can keep a cool head for the time being.
Victoria Rosport once again demonstrated their defensive strength and discipline as they surprisingly held UNA Strassen at bay. In fact, Martin Forkel’s side had several opportunities to take the three points from the Stade An de Millewisen. Their draw marks their ninth winless game in a row, while Strassen drop to third after their blip.
FC Differdange celebrated Valentine’s Day with a comfortable win over Racing Union Luxembourg, putting two goals past the Sky Blues in the first half to decide the fate of the three points early on. RFCUL looked more stable than at several points this campaign but remain in the bottom half. FCD’s lead at the top remains at four points, with six out of six points in 2026 so far.
Progrès Niederkorn and Swift Hesperange were both in dire need of a good result to lift the pressure off their shoulders, but their clash ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw. The Wasps’ Ibrahim Baradji scored his first goal since returning to the Grand Duchy, but his team continues to languish in seventh place, only three points above Hesper.
Mamer 32 find themselves only one point from the relegation play-off spots despite looking doomed a few weeks ago, as they made light work of Jeunesse Esch on Sunday. Two goals in two games from Igor Teles and Deniz Muric set the tone for the game, before Luxembourg international David Jonathans pulled one back for the mid-table side.
US Hostert distanced themselves from the relegation dogfight with a two-goal victory against Union Titus Pétange at home. Former Belgian top-flight midfielder Abdelhafid Al Badaoui put in an inspired performance by scoring the opener and powering the Greens to two wins out of two since Marco Martino took over in January.
