Schalke 04 have officially sealed Bundesliga promotion ahead of the 2026/27 top flight campaign. The 2. Bundesliga table-toppers are assured of automatic promotion after defeating Fortuna Düsseldorf at home on Saturday. Just as they did during the 2021/22 season, the Westphalians were able to commemorate promotion in front of their hometown fans at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Schalke return to the Bundesliga after three-year-absence
One of Germany’s largest historic clubs were able to quickly bounce back after their last Bundesliga relegation; the wholly disastrous 2020/21 season that saw them cycle through five coaches and nearly tie Tasmania Berlin’s all-time Bundesliga record for consecutive winless matches.
Unfortunately for die Königsblauen, their return to the top division didn’t last long. Newly appointed head coach Frank Kramer was dismissed just two months into the season. An attempt to stave off relegation with fired Bochum head coach Thomas Reis didn’t work.
Schalke finally find stability under Frank Baumann
Schalke were relegated alongside tradition rich Werder Bremen in 2021. While both Bremen and Schalke were able to claw their way back to the top division after just one year, Bremen have remained up since Schalke went straight down.
Former Bremen chief personnel officer Frank Baumann joined Schalke as the club’s new administrative top boss last spring. The S04 Board Member for Sport lured head coach Miron Muslic away from Plymouth this past summer.
Baumann also oversaw an excellent January transfer window that – among other moves – also saw Edin Dzeko return to German football on an epic loan deal this January. Dzeko has struggled with injury and Schalke did stall at times during the current season.
The win over Düsseldorf nevertheless counts as the fifth consecutive win for the club. Muslic’s squad remain undefeated since a late January loss against Bochum; their only defeat of the 2026 calendar year.
