First Bundesliga relegation is certain
Wolfsburger is angry with himself – and with a decision
Updated May 26, 2026 – 8:15 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
David has beaten Goliath: the small SC Paderborn defeated the multi-million dollar VfL Wolfsburg in the relegation. The disappointment among the people of Lower Saxony is great.
After 210 minutes of relegation plus injury time, it was over for VfL Wolfsburg: the first Bundesliga relegation in the club’s history was certain. The 0-0 draw in the first leg was followed by a 1-2 draw after extra time in Paderborn. A debacle for the “Wolves”, who went into the duel as clear favorites due to their individual quality.
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Paderborn’s coach Ralf Kettemann said before the relegation: “Out of a million Germans, 999,900 would say Wolfsburg wins.” But in the end, the 100 people who, according to Kettemann’s calculations, had bet on Paderborn were right.
Dieter Hecking: “Then the game took a turn”
Wolfsburg’s coach Dieter Hecking was at the Sat.1 microphone. “Relegation always hurts,” said the 61-year-old, who has to go to the 2nd Bundesliga for the second year in a row. Last year, VfL Bochum came last. “I’m also very disappointed because we had a very intense time in the last nine to ten weeks. We tried everything and the players also invested everything to stay in the league.” He also didn’t absolve himself of responsibility: “I’m a coach and should have ensured that we managed to stay in the league. We didn’t succeed.”
Ultimately, “it depends on a single situation whether you stay in or are relegated. Then the game took a turn that we didn’t want,” explained Hecking, alluding to Joakim Maehle’s early yellow-red card (14th). The second yellow card is “undisputed”. However, during the first warning, the 61-year-old complained about referee Felix Zwayer’s lack of “tact”.
