Seven Years In The Making: How Hamburg Have Finally Made A Return To The Bundesliga

With just one game left, Hamburg secured promotion to the Bundesliga last weekend, topping off what has been an incredible season of excitement in the German second tier. For so long, the promotion race in the 2. Bundesliga has been impossible to call, but now it looks as if both Hamburg and Koln will earn automatic places in the top flight next season. Hamburg is such a historic club, so how did they manage to get relegated in the first place, and why was this season the one that saw them finally get promoted?

Hamburg’s History

Hamburg, until their relegation in the 2017/18 season, had spent their entire history in the top flight, both before and after the introduction of the Bundesliga. Often given the nickname ‘The Dinosaur’ because of its age, the club was founded in 1887 as Sport-Club Germania Hamburg. In total, they have won the top flight title six times as well as a number of regional titles before a united German league was founded. They also have a European Cup and a UEFA Cup to their name.

Once the home of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Hakan Calhanoglu and Son Heung-min, the club experienced its golden era back in the 1970s and 80s before financial trouble hit. They finished in the bottom half of the league consistently until the turn of the century when they managed to qualify for the Champions League.

Hamburg have just been relegated for the first time in their history, here’s how their fans reacted in the 90th minute! pic.twitter.com/FA0Yl3En70

— Casual Mind (@CasualMind_) May 12, 2018

During the 2000s, the club went through a long period of ‘nearly’ moments, reaching the semi finals of a number of competitions both domestically and in Europe, but never managing to lift anything. By 2011, the club went from nearly winning trophies to nearly getting relegated, surviving by the skin of their teeth season after season.

Relegation

Their relegation eventually came in the 2017/18 season. They started off with two wins in the league, however their next 26 games simply equaled their number of victories. Their draws were enough to keep them off the bottom of the table, however from December onwards they never really showed any signs of staying up.

In their last six matches of the season they managed four wins, however that was not enough to save them. Despite a 2-1 win on the final day over Borussia Monchengladbach, they were relegated, as Wolfsburg, just one point above them, also won their final fixture over already relegated Koln. Their first relegation was met with rioting by supporters and a whole restructuring of the club.

Season after season, Hamburg were unable to gain promotion from the second division, coming close every time. In the first two campaigns, they were off by a single point, leading to the manager being sacked on both occasions. In 2022 and 2023, they lost in the promotion playoffs. The 2023 season was the most painful, as Heidenheim scored twice in extra time on the final day to leapfrog them and earn automatic promotion.

This Season

Hamburg have had to build into this season after a slow start. Their first three games produced a win, a draw and a loss, however the two matches that followed set the precedent for the season. Two emphatic wins against newly promoted clubs showed the rest of the league their intentions of promotion early on. Despite this, they had to wait until January to finally reach the summit of the league.

After SEVEN years of hardships, struggles and near misses, Hamburg are FINALLY back in the Bundeliga 🥳🎉

They made sure to savor every second 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KrUqHLXKDq

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) May 11, 2025

For months, the top of the 2. Bundesliga was incredibly tight, with eight or nine teams vying for promotion, but Hamburg were consistent and managed to retain one of the top two spots from January until the end. Now with one game left, while they could still finish second, they have guaranteed promotion. They face Greuther Furth on the final day, who themselves could do with a win to secure their safety, but all eyes will be on Hamburg to see if they can clinch the title.

Key Players

There have been a number of standout players for Hamburg this season, one of which is 30-year-old striker Davie Selke. The 6ft 5in striker joined from Koln in the summer and has scored 22 times in the league, making him the league’s highest scorer. He didn’t even start the season in the first XI, but his performances off the bench led manager Merlin Polzin to entrust him as the starting number nine.

+3 = Promoted 🔷😍🤲🏾 #NurderHsv pic.twitter.com/aHUSDzbqmI

— Jean-luc Dompé (@Dompe91) May 11, 2025

Despite his incredible number of goals, there is one player who has performed even better than he has. Jean-Luc Dompe has been at the club since 2022, having joined from Zulte Waregem for around £1m. He has managed the third most minutes of any outfield player at the club this season and, from a wide position, has registered 22 goal involvements. The 29-year-old has managed to score two goals and get an assist in three separate matches this season. He leads the way in assists in the league this campaign with 14, while teammate Miro Muheim is just one behind.

Will They Stay Up?

Unlike in the Premier League, there is a real chance that the promoted teams could stay up. In recent years Heidenheim, St Pauli, and Union Berlin have managed to avoid relegation in their first seasons in the top flight, however Heidenheim have succumbed to second season syndrome this time around.

Hamburg certainly have the talent and financial backing to stay up, however the Bundesliga is very competitive now, so for them to stay up, there would likely have to be a shock relegation next season. The Bundesliga is slowly becoming what the Premier League now is, with promoted teams finding it harder to stay in the division long term. Hamburg may have been promoted at the perfect time, as in a few years we could be seeing a very familiar situation.