VfL Osnabrück has secured its place as the first promotion winner from the third division (3. Liga). Following a 6-1 victory by VfB Stuttgart II against Rot-Weiß Essen, the club confirmed the ticket to the second division of German professional football for the “Lila-Weißen”.
The confidence boost came while watching the Stuttgart team play to an absolute peak. Previously, Osnabrück had built an excellent season under coach Timo Schultz, tallying 73 points following 35 of 38 match days, which included 22 wins and 7 draws.
In the league standings, the team is currently in first place, ahead of Energie Cottbus (with 66 points) and Essen (with 64 points). However, the Essener are also noted for having played 36 matches, which casts a question mark over their certainty of promotion.
Regarding the 3. Liga structure, the top two teams are promoted directly, while a playoff determines the third-place promotion spot. This playoff involves the third-placed team facing the 16th-placed team of the 2. Bundesliga. Other teams currently considered strong contenders for promotion include Duisburg, and mathematically, Verl, Rostock, and Aachen.