St. Pauli promoted back to the Bundesliga with 3-1 win over Osnabrück

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) —

St. Pauli returned to the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 3-1 win over relegated Osnabrück in Germany’s second division.

Oladapo Afolayan scored twice and set up Marcel Hartel for St. Pauli’s third goal as the home team moved top of the league with an unassailable six-point lead over third-place Fortuna Düsseldorf with one round remaining.

St. Pauli's Oladapo Afolayan celebrates scoring his side's second goal, during a second division Bundesliga soccer match between St. Pauli and VfL Osnabrück, at the Millerntor Stadium, in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP) — St. Pauli’s Oladapo Afolayan celebrates scoring his side’s second goal, during a second division Bundesliga soccer match between St. Pauli and VfL Osnabrück, at the Millerntor Stadium, in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP)

The top two in the division are promoted, while the third-place finisher – now certain to be Düsseldorf – faces a two-leg playoff against the team that finishes third from bottom in the Bundesliga — currently Union Berlin — to see which will play in the top division next season.

The playoffs are scheduled for May 23 and 27.

Holstein Kiel, one point behind St. Pauli, secured its first ever promotion to the Bundesliga on Saturday.

St. Pauli was relegated from the Bundesliga in 2011. It will be the first time that the left-wing cult club from Hamburg’s red-light district will play in a league above city rival Hamburger SV.

Hamburg, the longest surviving founding member of the Bundesliga, was finally relegated in 2018 after several close shaves. It lost 1-0 at Paderborn on Friday, ensuring it will spend another season in the second division.