Lea Wagner

Lea Wagner is a German sports journalist and television presenter who worked from ARD's Cologne studio during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Biography

Wagner moved from regional SWR sport to Sportschau, ski jumping and a month of live World Cup programmes in 2026.

She alternated with Malte Volz on ARD's Cologne broadcasts before completing her tournament duties in July 2026.

She presented selected matches and analysis from the broadcaster's Cologne studio.^[1]^[7]

She presents Bundesliga and Sunday editions of the long-running ARD sports programme.^[4]

World Cup Studio
She presented ARD World Cup broadcasts from Cologne
Wagner and Malte Volz alternated on matches produced from the ARD broadcast centre, with Robin Gosens joining as an expert.^[1]
July Finish
Her tournament duties ended before the closing stages
Sport1 reported that Wagner completed her World Cup studio run in early July after more than a month on air.^[7]
Swr Start
Her sports broadcasting base was built at SWR
She worked in the sports newsroom while studying, completed a traineeship and returned to SWR in 2018.^[2]
Sportschau
She is a regular Sportschau presenter
ARD extended her contract for four years in 2025 and retained her Bundesliga and Sunday Sportschau work.^[4]
Ski Jumping
Her live-sport work extends beyond football
Wagner has presented ARD ski-jumping coverage with Sven Hannawald since 2021.^[2]^[4]

SWR identifies Wagner as a member of the 1994 birth year, while ARD described her as 30 in February 2025.^[2]^[4]

Her national assignments included second-division football and ski jumping before the Saturday Sportschau role.^[2]^[4]