VfL Wolfsburg barely made it out of the drop zone, following their 3-1 win over FC St. Pauli in Matchday 34. As a result, they finished 16th in the German top-flight standings, setting up a date with SC Paderborn in the two-legged relegation play-offs, starting on Thursday evening.
The Bundesliga promotion and relegation system is unique (compared to the other leagues in Europe). Normally, the bottom three teams will be sent straight to the lower division next season. But here, the highest team from the bottom three has one more chance to preserve its top-flight status by competing against the third-seeded team in the second division.
After last weekend’s Bundesliga 2026 results, Heidenheim and FC St. Pauli are relegated, as predicted by the SBOTOP Bundesliga 2026 odds, with Schalke and SV Elversberg taking their places next campaign.
VfL Wolfsburg secure important win on final day
As mentioned, VfL Wolfsburg are through to the relegation playoff, following their 3-1 road win over FC St. Pauli last weekend. Konstantinos Koulierakis put Die Wolfe up by one in the first half before Abdoulie Ceesay replied four minutes before the hour mark. Nikola Vasilj’s own goal gave VfL Wolfsburg the lead for good, and Dzenan Pejcinovic put the final nail in the coffin in the 79th minute.
Koulierakis was the Man of the Match for keeping Die Wolfe’s survival hopes alive. Besides his header that put his team ahead in the first half, the Greek centre-back did a superb job of keeping forwards Andreas Hountondji and Martijn Kaars at bay, as FC St. Pauli struggled to manufacture meaningful chances in the final third.
Head coach Dieter Hecking also deserves credit for turning VfL Wolfsburg’s fortunes around. Hecking replaced Daniel Bauer, following the team’s 2-1 loss to Hamburg SV in Matchday 25, and he opened his tenure with a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim. In mid-April, VfL Wolfsburg went unbeaten in three of their last four before Matchday 34 against FC St. Paul, notching one win, two draws, and a narrow 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.
VfL Wolfsburg have the requisite firepower to dispatch SC Paderborn. Mohamed Amoura and Dzenan Pejcinovic are their leading scorers with eight goals apiece, while Christian Eriksen is their top creative hub with nine assists.
Heidenheim and FC St. Pauli drop to second division
Heidenheim narrowly avoided relegation by beating SV Elversberg in the relegation playoff last term, and they almost pulled off an even greater escape this time.
After starting their 2025-26 campaign with eight losses and only one win in their opening 11 matchdays, Heidenheim went winless in their succeeding 15 games. Their barren run finally ended on Matchday 29 via a 3-1 rout of Union Berlin, followed by their 2-0 win over FC St. Pauli on Matchday 31.
Heidenheim were a last-second goal away from upsetting Bayern Munich on Matchday 32 (3-3), and they won 3-1 against Koln on Matchday 33, setting up a win-or-go-home clash with Mainz last Saturday, as they recovered from a 10-point deficit.
But Mainz relegated Heidenheim, as Phillip Tietz and Nadiem Amiri scored in the first half. Heidenheim’s best moment came on the half-hour mark when Marvin Pieringer hit the crossbar from close range after a fine pass from Jan Schoppner. This missed chance perfectly encapsulated Heidenheim’s season of being so close, yet so far. Budu Zivzivadze pushed hard to score late in the second half, but goalkeeper Daniel Batz blocked his shot in the 79th minute, and Mainz’s defence held on.
FC St. Pauli finished at the bottom of the table after a positive start to the 2025-26 campaign, having picked up seven points from their first three games. Their 5-0 loss to Bayern Munich on Matchday 29 had them scrambling for safety, and subsequent defeats against Mainz, Heidenheim, RB Leipzig, and VfL Wolfsburg ultimately ensured their relegation.
Schalke and SV Elversberg secure top-flight promotion
Schalke are back in the Bundesliga after lifting the Bundesliga 2 Meisterschale, and SV Elversberg will join them, as they edged out SC Paderborn in goal difference.
The Royal Blues confirmed their promotion to the German top-flight with two matchdays to spare. They briefly conceded the top spot early in 2026, but reclaimed it on Matchday 22 and have been there ever since. After three seasons in the lower division, Schalke have returned to the Bundesliga.
Having lost to Heidenheim in last season’s relegation playoff, SV Elversberg were determined to go one better. After losing 2-1 to Schalke on Matchday 29, they recorded a resounding 5-1 win over SC Paderborn in Matchday 32, and their 3-0 win against Preußen Münster secured their maiden promotion to the Bundesliga.
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