Schalke 04 secured their return to the Bundesliga on Saturday after beating Fortuna Duesseldorf 1-0 and sealing promotion with two games left.
The famous Ruhr club will play top flight football again after spending three seasons in the second division following relegation in 2023.
Thousands of Schalke fans filled the streets before kickoff. Supporters marched from the city center to the stadium, hoping to witness promotion day.
Their team delivered. Captain Kenan Karaman scored the only goal in the 15th minute. His strike proved enough to send Schalke back to Germany’s top division. It was also his 14th goal of the season.
Schalke’s huge fanbase has remained loyal throughout their time in the second tier. The club averaged more than 60,000 fans per match this season, a figure higher than many Bundesliga sides.
At the final whistle, fans celebrated wildly inside the stadium. Flares lit up the stands and chants echoed around the ground, but supporters respected club requests and stayed off the pitch.
The win lifted Schalke to the top of the table with 67 points. Paderborn sit second on 58 points, while Hanover 96 have 57 before their matches on Sunday.
For Schalke, the long wait is finally over as one of Germany’s biggest clubs returns to where many believe it belongs.
