BERLIN — Elversberg secured promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in club history on Sunday, clinching second place in Germany’s 2. Bundesliga despite a tight title race with Schalke.
The club earned its promotion after beating Preußen Münster 3-0 at home, with goals from Bambasé Conté, David Mokwa, and another from Mokwa. The win gave Elversberg enough points to finish ahead of Paderborn on goal difference.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Elversberg will become the 59th club to play in the Bundesliga since the league's formation in 1963.
"It's hard to grasp what just happened here," Elversberg forward Luca Schnellbacher said. "It feels like a dream. I'd never have imagined that (Bayern Munich star) Harry Kane will be walking out at this ground."
Located in Saarland with a population of roughly 13,000, Elversberg is the smallest town ever to reach Germany's top football division.
The club missed promotion in last year's playoffs, losing to Heidenheim, which itself was relegated from the Bundesliga on Saturday. Just two years ago, Elversberg played in the fourth tier.
Promotion Race Recap
Paderborn earned the third and final promotion spot after beating Darmstadt 2-0, moving ahead of Hannover on goal difference. Hannover had led Nuremberg 3-2 but conceded a late equalizer from Luka Lochoshvili.
"We're all a bit speechless," Hannover captain Enzo Leopold said of missing the promotion playoff.
Schalke claimed the second division title with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Braunschweig, finishing two rounds early. Fortuna Düsseldorf was relegated to the third division after a 3-0 loss to Greuther Fürth, with Fürth clinching the relegation playoff spot on goal difference.