🔼 Back for good now? Schalke seal return to the Bundesliga | OneFootball

And there’s a party in Gelsenkirchen!

Schalke 04 are back in the top flight of German football.

They needed to beat Fortuna Düsseldorf this Saturday (2) to secure at least the second automatic promotion spot already on this 32nd matchday of the 2. Bundesliga.

And they came out on top 1-0 in front of their fans at the Veltins Arena.

Now it’s all about the title

League leaders Schalke moved to 67 points thanks to a goal from captain Karaman just 14 minutes in.  

They can no longer be caught by current third-placed Hannover, who have 57 and still have to play this round. 

It’s worth remembering that only the top two are promoted automatically. The third-placed team will face a playoff against the 16th-placed Bundesliga side for a spot in the top flight. 

The current runners-up are Paderborn, who have 58 points, also with 31 matches played.

And they have a real final ahead this Sunday (3), as they will visit Elversberg, who are fourth in the table with 56 points.

The rival has already started the banter...

BVB wasted no time and already got the social media banter going:

"We almost lost sight of you!"

Dzeko made the difference

After two seasons with a good scoring rate at Fenerbahçe (46 in total), Dzeko returned to Italian football to play for Fiorentina.

But things did not go as expected after just two goals in 18 matches. He then became Schalke’s big signing in the winter window. 

His impact was immediate. And very positive. Six goals and three assists in eight games, directly contributing to strong results.

The injury he suffered with Bosnia in the World Cup playoff kept him out for four matches. He returned as an option this Saturday, coming on in the 69th minute. 

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2026 Getty Images

Karius, formerly of Liverpool, is the other big-name veteran in the squad. 

Back to stay?

Seven-time German champions, winners of five German Cups and one UEFA Cup, Schalke were relegated at the end of the 2020/21 season — their first drop since 1988.

They bounced straight back by winning the second division in 2021/22. But they went down again in 2022/23. 

And they struggled.

They were threatened with relegation to the third tier, but stayed in the 2. Bundesliga (10th in 23/24 and 14th in 24/25).

The mission now is to stay in the German top flight on this latest return. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 INA FASSBENDER - AFP or licensors