A Bundesliga basement battle beyond belief was how I described the final day of the 2025-26 season and the position could barely have been closer.
That’s because three sides sat level on points at the bottom: Wolfsburg, Heidenheim and St Pauli – and two of them were locking horns!
Two would lose their top flight status, the other would live to fight another day via a play-off.
Who would the final day Bundesliga 2026 highlights belong to?
Well, ultimately, Wolfsburg.
Perhaps that should not be a surprise.
After all, for a club which was Bundesliga runners-up as recently as 2015, and has not finished outside the top 12 in eight years, including an eighth place finish less than three years ago, the plight of the ‘Wolves’ – ever presents in the German top flight for almost 30 years –has shocked many this term.
In the end, they did what was required, despite a scare.
The first key moment in their clash with St Pauli arrived seven minutes from the break.
Former Spurs and Man Utd man Christian Eriksen floated a corner into a packed penalty area and it was Konstantinos Koulierakis who jumped highest and flicked the ball into the far corner.
A fourth goal of the season for the Greek defender and never has one been more important.
With Heidenheim losing at home to Mainz, courtesy of a seventh minute goal from Phillip Tietz, they and St. Pauli were facing the drop to Bundesliga 2.
That proposition increased two minutes before half-time when Nadiem Amiri doubled the Mainz advantage.
That proved to be the final goal of that contest and Heidenheim’s three year spell in the Bundesliga, for the first time in the history, had come to an end.
All eyes were on events in the Millerntor-Stadion where hosts St Pauli, without a win since February, were in trouble.
The half-time introduction of Abdoulie Ceesay helped spark the hosts into life and they were deservedly level 11 minutes after the restart as the substitute rose high to meet a corner for his third goal in as many games.
St Pauli had fresh hope.
The next goal was likely to be crucial and it went the way of the visitors as another corner was whipped into the danger zone by Denmark’s favourite son, Eriksen, and unfortunate home goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj could only push the ball in his own net.
Wolfsburg had their tails up and when they were awarded a penalty after Tomoya Ando handled, Eriksen’s spot-kick cannoned off the top of the bar.
Wolfsburg were not to be denied though and their survival, for now at least, was secured 10 minutes from time when Eriksen – whose influence was key throughout – saw his shot effort well saved by Vasilj but the ball landed at the feet of Dzenan Pejčinović who slotted into the net.
That confirmed Pauli’s relegation to the second tier, while Dieter Hecking’s ‘Wolves’ finished the season in 16th place and will contest the relegation/promotion play-off against the side who finish third in Bundesliga 2.
They will face one of Elversberg, Hannover or Paderborn when Bundesliga 2 concludes on Sunday.
If the most intriguing SBOTOP Bundesliga 2026 betting odds could be found at the foot of the table, attention was also on who would claim the final European berths up for grabs.
Stuttgart, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen were those in the mix and the former’s draw at Eintracht Frankfurt sealed fourth place and the final spot in next season’s Champions League.
Two penalties from Jonathan Burkardt earned Frankfurt a point after they trailed 2-0 but that was enough for Stuttgart, for whom Chema Andres and Nikolas Nartey were on target.
That was because Hoffenheim, chasing a return to the Champions League for just the second time in their history, were well beaten at Borussia Monchengladbach and had to settle for fifth spot.
With Bayer Leverkusen – who deserved what they got after the treatment of Erik ten Hag – confirmed in sixth, their joint lowest spot for nine years, it was Europa League finalists Freiburg who secured the final European place, which books a place in next season’s Europa Conference.
Against RB Leipzig, in third place, Jan-Niklas Beste (24), Igor Matanović (26), Matthias Ginter (47) and Derry Scherhant (75.) scored for the hosts in a 4-1 win.
An historic and joyous occasion at the Europa-Park-Stadion, ending Freiburg’s five-year wait for a final-day victory.
The final word to Bavarian powerhouses and runaway German champions, Bayern Munich, who rounded off the league campaign with a Harry Kane hat-trick stealing the show against Cologne.
They end the season on 89 points – the fourth-highest total in history – and with a record 122 goals.
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