Why HSV would benefit from Paderborn's promotion! | OneFootball

On this Monday evening, the highly anticipated second leg of the relegation playoff between SC Paderborn and VfL Wolfsburg takes place. HSV will also be watching closely.

That is because the match could have a positive impact on the club’s finances. If the East Westphalians manage to secure the third Bundesliga promotion in the club’s history, Hamburger SV would move ahead of Wolfsburg in the TV money table, alongside FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Heidenheim, and receive 1.5 million euros more next season. Until now, after seven years in the second division, the club had been at the bottom of the rankings and received just 31.4 million euros from the TV revenue pools.

For comparison: even Heidenheim – which qualified for Europe straight away in its debut Bundesliga season – received 37.2 million euros, while Wolfsburg got as much as 50.7 million. The possible additional income could even have risen to 2.3 million euros if HSV had held on to its lead at Bayer Leverkusen. In that case, the team would have finished the season in 11th place instead of 13th.

Photo: Getty Images

The relegation playoff has sporting consequences for HSV

From a sporting perspective as well, the second leg of the relegation playoff is certainly important for HSV, as it has a huge influence on the starting situation for the 2026/27 season. If Paderborn win – the first leg ended goalless – there would, for the first time since 2019, be three promoted teams in the Bundesliga. Alongside Schalke 04, that would mean SV Elversberg and Paderborn, who have been clearly outmatched in their previous top-flight campaigns, would be two major outsiders. Both are doing outstanding work, but neither has the financial resources to put together a squad fully equipped for the Bundesliga.

From Hamburg’s point of view, the chances of staying up would therefore increase significantly, as it could be expected that, despite the likely departures of key players such as Luka Vuskovic or Fábio Vieira, HSV would be able to finish ahead of Paderborn and Elversberg. In addition, there are other clubs such as returning side Schalke, Werder Bremen, and 1. FC Köln, with whom the club is currently at least on an even footing.

Nur die Raute – by HSV fans for HSV fans

However, if VfL Wolfsburg manage to secure another year in the Bundesliga despite a disastrous season with only 29 points, there could be one fewer relegation candidate. For all their mismanagement, the Wolves can rely on the backing of car manufacturer Volkswagen, which provides between 70 and 80 million euros per season. That is why merely average work is enough to build a team that does not have to concern itself too much with the bottom of the table and has significantly higher individual quality than HSV.

Photo: IMAGO

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