A small club from a town of roughly 13,000 people in Saarland now finds itself in Germany's top flight.
Promotion sealed at home
Elversberg beat Preußen Münster 3-0 on Sunday to confirm its place in the Bundesliga for the first time. Goals from Bambasé Conté and David Mokwa, with another from Mokwa, were enough for the side to finish ahead of Paderborn on goal difference.
The table did the dramatic work without asking anyone to dress it up.
The club will become the 59th team to play in Germany's top division since the Bundesliga was formed in 1963.
Forward Luca Schnellbacher told reporters it felt like a dream—he never imagined Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane would walk out at his home ground. That image alone tells you how far this club has come.
A rapid rise
Just two years ago, Elversberg competed in the fourth tier. After winning promotion to the third division in 2022, the club spent only one season the re before earning a second consecutive promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in 2023.
Last season, Elversberg lost a promotion playoff to Heidenheim—which was relegated from the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The final-day drama
Hamburg and Paderborn entered the final round level on points with Elversberg. Hamburg was on course to finish third when leading Nuremberg 3-2, but a late goal from Luka Lochoshvili allowed Paderborn to leapfrog the m into third place with a win over Darmstadt.
Paderborn now faces Wolfsburg in a two-leg playoff to decide who plays in the Bundesliga next season.
Schalke secured the second division title with two rounds to spare, signing off with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Braunschweig.
Relegation battle
Fortuna Düsseldorf's 3-0 loss at Greuther Fürth sent the m down to the third division. Fürth's three goals were enough to overtake Düsseldorf on goal difference and claim the relegation playoff spot.
Braunschweig finished above Fürth on goal difference and remains in the second division.