News Focus
- FC Energie Cottbus finish runners-up in 3. Liga to secure automatic promotion.
- The East German club returns to 2. Bundesliga after a seven-year absence.
- Rot-Weiss Essen snatch the playoff place with an injury-time goal against Ulm.
- MSV Duisburg miss out on third spot after drawing their final home fixture.
- Essen will face the side finishing 16th in 2. Bundesliga over two legs.
FC Energie Cottbus will compete in the 2. Bundesliga next season. The club from Eastern Germany finished second in the third tier. This marks their return to the second level for the first time since the 2013/14 campaign.
The team coached by Claus-Dieter Wollitz narrowly missed promotion last season. This time, they held their nerve on the final day. Jannis Boziaris scored an early goal against Regensburg. That strike sealed a crucial victory.
Cottbus once played six seasons in the top-flight Bundesliga during the 2000s. However, financial troubles later forced them down to the fourth-tier Regionalliga. They have spent several years rebuilding their squad and stability.
Champions VfL Osnabrück topped the table with 80 points. They concluded their campaign with a thrilling 4-3 win against Stuttgart II.
The battle for the playoff position went down to the wire. Rot-Weiss Essen needed a late goal to secure third place. Ben Huning found the net during injury time away at already-relegated Ulm. That dramatic winner gave Uwe Koschinat’s side the playoff berth.
MSV Duisburg could have stolen the playoff spot with a win. They only managed a 1-1 draw at home to Viktoria Köln. This result left them outside the promotion places.
Rot-Weiss Essen will now prepare for a two-legged playoff tie. They will face whichever club finishes 16th in the current 2. Bundesliga standings. The winner of that clash will compete in the second tier next season.