A year after their relegation, two of the biggest traditional clubs in German football are back in the Bundesliga. FC Schalke 04 got automatic promotion last week. Thanks to a late goal from Simon Terodde, the Königsblauen can also commemorate their third 2. Bundesliga championship.

Hot on the heels of Schalke for the title, SV Werder Bremen had to settle for second place. There will be few complaints in the Hanseatic city, however, because this is also enough for automatic promotion to the top flight.

The race for the promotion-relegation playoff spot was a tight one, with Hamburger SV and SV Darmstadt 98 finishing tied on 60 points. A better goal differential gives Hamburg the chance to face Hertha BSC in a home-and-away game to be played next Thursday and Monday.

The latest team to be relegated from Germany’s top football division are looking to return to the Bundesliga after a four-year absence.

A week after Schalke celebrated their return to the Bundesliga, their relegated comrades from the 2020/21 campaign can also look forward to a return to German football’s top flight after just a year in the 2. Bundesliga. SV Werder Bremen are back after a 2-0 win over Jahn Regensburg that sealed runners-up in the 2021/22 Second Division campaign. Schalke, thanks to a 2-1 victory over Nuremberg, are the champions of the division.

The news is a very significant development as two clubs with large fanbases and venues will return to Germany’s footballing Oberhaus. A third club rich in history with a 57,000-seat arena could join them. Hamburg’s ‘Dino’ (so named because until 2018 they were the last of the original Bundesliga clubs never to be relegated) secured the promotion-relegation playoff spot with a thrilling 3-2 win over Hansa Rostock.

On Sunday at the Osteestadion, one proud Hanseatic club faced off against another. Visiting HSV entered the final day of the season needing a win to defend against challengers SV Darmstadt 98 for the final playoff spot. Tim Walter’s men trailed 0-1 after the first half. Three unanswered second-half goals proved enough to hold off the hosts, who pulled one back in injury time.

HSV coach Tim Walter lined up his men in an ambitious 4-1-4-1 led by striker Robert Glatzel. Germany U21 international Josha Vagnoman, who usually plays as a full-back, took over attacking duties on the left flank. Bakery Jatta from Gambia was the opposite member of Vagnoman. Jonas Meffert anchored the midfield behind Sonny Kittel and Ludovit Reis.

The guests were able to take control of the game early on, but it was Rostock who struck first. Nico Neidhart netted a rebound in the 13th to give the Baltic Sea club an early lead. Things weren’t going well for the Rothosen, as playoff contenders SV Darmstadt had already scored their first goal by then. Hamburg managed to create a few chances through Glatzel, but the Rostockers looked to be the better side after the first 45.

Five minutes after the restart, Glatzel scored the equalizer. Even then, the team continued to look shaky, with goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes having to bail out his side on a few occasions. The guests eventually agreed with about 20 minutes remaining and began to apply constant pressure. Their efforts were rewarded when defender Reis replaced defender Sebastian Schonlau after a well-executed set-piece in the 75th minute.

Hamburg will add a third goal ten minutes later. This time, Glatzel acted as a setter, serving as substitute Mikkel Kaufmann for the 3-1 in the 85th minute. That apparent cushion goal would prove the winner of the game when Lukas Fröde pulled a goal back for the hosts at 90+1. Luckily for HSV, they had their insurance tally to keep them in third place. See you Thursday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin for the first leg of the qualifiers.

Challengers for the playoff spot, SV Darmstadt won their last home game against SC Paderborn 07 3-0. It didn’t matter as HSV’s goal differential served as a tiebreaker for both teams even finishing with 60 points. Former challengers for the play-off places, FC St. Pauli and FC Heidenheim also concluded their campaigns with victories in vain.