The final decisions in the German professional soccer leagues will not be made until the beginning of June. Dates, possible participants, balance sheet and transfer – the answers to the most important questions about relegation.
When will they find relegation games instead of?
On June 1, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. there will be a first leg between the 16th in the Bundesliga and the third in the 2nd division, the Bundesliga team has home rights first. On June 5th (8:15 p.m.) the stadium of the current second division team will decide who will play in the top flight next season.
In the duel for the last open place in the 2nd league, the third-placed team from the 3rd league travels to the relegation first leg on June 2nd. The second leg with the supposed outsider will then take place on June 6th.
Which teams play in the relegation for promotion?
After the last day of play in the 2nd league, there is again high tension among the top three – but it is almost clear that no other team can still reach the relegation. Fortuna Düsseldorf, FC St. Pauli and SC Paderborn are six points behind the third Hamburger SV with two games remaining in the season. For his part, he is only one point behind 1. FC Heidenheim, leaders SV Darmstadt 98 have four points more than HSV.
In theory, there are still seven candidates for relegation in the Bundesliga. However, Hertha BSC would still have to make up five points to avoid direct relegation, while FC Augsburg and SV Weder Bremen (four and five points ahead respectively) have a comfortable lead. TSG Hoffenheim (14th/32 points), VfL Bochum (15th/31st), Schalke 04 (16th/30th) and VfB Stuttgart (17th/29th) are in a close race in the relegation battle.
Arminia Bielefeld is currently in 16th place in the 2nd division (33 points), Jahn Regensburg and SV Sandhausen (28 each) only have theoretical chances. 1. FC Nürnberg (35) and Eintracht Braunschweig (36) can still slip, but Hansa Rostock (37) and Greuther Fürth (38) have not yet been saved.
It’s particularly tight in the 3rd division. SV Elversberg is still the leader of the table with 70 points and has to assert itself against Dynamo Dresden, SV Wehen Wiesbaden (both 66 points), 1. FC Saarbrücken (65) and VfL Osnabrück (64), all of whom are still promoted directly achieve relegation or fall out of the promotion race entirely. The second in the table SC Freiburg II is not allowed to rise as a second representation and is therefore out of the picture.
How is the record in the relegation?
Since the introduction for the 2008/09 season, only three second division clubs have prevailed. These were 1. FC Nürnberg (2009 against Energie Cottbus), Fortuna Düsseldorf (2012 against Hertha BSC) and Union Berlin (2019 against VfB Stuttgart). Last season, Hertha BSC saved themselves after a 0-1 first-leg defeat in Hamburg against HSV (2-0).
In the duel of the second division 16. and third league third parties it looks completely different. In 14 duels, the team from the lower class prevailed ten times, last year 1. FC Kaiserslautern managed to win promotion to the second division against Dresden (0-0 and 2-0). For Osnabrück it could already be the fifth relegation – each time the Lower Saxony have been inferior.
Who transfers the relegation?
The private broadcaster Sat.1 will broadcast all four games live on television. In the sports show you can follow the games in the live ticker and audio stream.