Welcome back to the Bundesliga, Paderborn!
Paderborn will play in the Bundesliga next season for the first time since 2019/20 after sealing promotion from Bundesliga 2 in a dramatic play-off win over Wolfsburg. Here's all you need to know on the newcomers...
The story of 2025/26
Having narrowly missed out on promotion in the previous campaign, finishing fourth in 2024/24, Paderborn continued their promotion push this season under new coach Ralf Kettemann.
They moved in and out of the top two after putting together some superb runs of form - winning eight matches in a row from September to November and clocking up another 10-match unbeaten run in the spring.
Defeats to Schalke (3-2) and Elversberg (5-1) made for a nervy finale but, after reclaiming third place on the final day, Paderborn got the job done in the play-off against Wolfsburg.
Key player: Dennis Seimen
While several players have impressed throughout the campaign, including USA under-21 international Santiago Castañeda and fellow midfielder Mika Baur, nobody has exemplified Paderborn's faith in youthful talents as much as their goalkeeper.
VfB Stuttgart loanee Seimen kept nine clean sheets to help them to promotion, whilst earning his first four caps for Germany U21s.
Coach: Ralf Kettemann
Paderborn made a brave appointment when replacing Cologne-bound Lukas Kwasniok last summer with Kettemann, who last season was in charge of Karlsruhe's U19s team.
They have not looked back since, with the 39-year-old showing every bit of the knack for developing youngsters and bold playing style that he was recruited for.
History
Long regarded as regional league minnows, Paderborn established themselves as a Bundesliga 2 force around 20 years ago and have twice previously earned promotion to the Bundesliga.
On both occasions, in 2014/15 and 2019/20 under Steffen Baumgart, they were relegated in their first top-flight season - and will look to go one better this time!
Stadium
Paderborn's stadium may not have been the largest or best-known at Bundesliga 2 level, let alone by top-flight standards, but it was the newest of the bunch in the second tier this season. Borussia Dortmund provided the opposition for a friendly match on the Home Deluxe Arena's opening in 2008. With its modest 15,000 capacity, sell-outs at Paderborn home matches are common.
