Victory against Düsseldorf
FC Schalke 04 makes Bundesliga return perfect
Updated on May 2, 2026 – 10:28 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Against Düsseldorf, FC Schalke 04 had its first match point for promotion. In the end, one goal was enough to secure a return to the Bundesliga.
FC Schalke 04 is returning to the Bundesliga after three years in the second division. The Royal Blues won the top second division game against Fortuna Düsseldorf 1-0 on Saturday evening. This means that they can no longer be pushed out of the top two places in the table three match days before the end of the season and are the first promoted team. Captain Kenan Karaman scored the golden goal in the 15th minute.
This resurgence is very special, emphasized sports director Youri Mulder in the final minutes from his seat in the stadium on the NITRO channel. “You can tell people that all day long. It’s not just that we’re up there, it’s also the way we play. We’re having a great season.”
Schalke’s Bundesliga comeback after 1,071 days is well deserved. Since the 13th matchday, the Knappen have been at the top of the table – except for the 22nd matchday, when Paderborn were at the top for a week. They have only lost one of 15 competitive games so far this year and could ultimately crown their promotion with the second division championship.
They also managed to do this in 2022, but the following year the club was relegated again and then fought against falling into the 3rd division for two years. This season, however, things are different; the turning point came with coach Miron Muslic, who was hired in the summer.
The 43-year-old turned a team in crisis into a top team in just one season. Schalke’s sports director Frank Baumann discovered the initially unknown coach. Only signed up a year ago, the former long-time sports director of Werder Bremen set the course for Schalke’s sporting upswing with coaching and smart squad decisions – which was crowned with promotion after just one year.
