The Bundesliga has entered the final stage of this season, and the competition for promotion has become the biggest attraction. In the early morning of May 12, Beijing time, a key battle in the 33rd round of the German Second Division, Holstein Kiel hosted Dusseldorf, which was a direct confrontation between the first and third in the standings, and finally the two sides shook hands 1-1, Holstein Kiel accumulated 65 points and continued to rank first, leading Dusseldorf by 5 points with only one round left, locking the top two in the standings in advance, and getting the qualification for direct promotion to the Bundesliga next season.
It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that Holstein Kiel has been promoted to the Bundesliga, making history and becoming the 57th team in the history of the Bundesliga.
According to the data, Holstein Kiel began to build the team in 1900, and now has a history of 124 years, in the first 30 years of the last century, it was a powerhouse in German football, won the German football league championship, and the last time it played in the German top league was back in the 1962-63 season.
Coincidentally, in 1963, when the Bundesliga was officially established, Kiel Holstein missed the Bundesliga after losing to Hamburg and Bremen in the North Division, and has been absent ever since.
In the 2020-21 season, Kilholstein finished third in the Bundesliga and qualified for the promotion play-offs, but was eliminated by Cologne and missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time.
Now, Kilholstein has finally realized his dream, one round ahead of schedule and directly next season's Bundesliga, tens of thousands of fans at the scene couldn't control their excitement and rushed directly into the stadium to celebrate, a moment that has been waiting for 61 years.
Hamburg FC, known as the "King of North America" by fans, was originally the biggest favorite to be promoted to the Bundesliga, and now it has only one round left and has missed the return to the Bundesliga.
In this round, Hamburg lost 0-1 away to Paderborn and missed the top three in the standings in advance. According to the Bundesliga promotion rules, the top two teams in the standings will go straight to next season's Bundesliga, and the third-placed team will participate in the relegation play-offs.
It is worth mentioning that Hamburg finished fourth in the first three seasons after relegation, and then finished third in the next two seasons but lost the play-offs, and this season's ranking is likely to be fourth.