St. Pauli relegated to Bundesliga 2 after two seasons in German top flight
St. Pauli’s two-year stay in the Bundesliga has come to an end after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at home to Wolfsburg confirmed their relegation from Germany’s top flight.
Alexander Blessin’s side, who came into Matchday 34 bottom of the table, needed to beat fellow strugglers Wolfsburg at the Millerntor-Stadion to keep alive their hopes of finishing in the relegation play-off position.
However, Pauli’s 3-1 defeat against the Wolves confirmed their demotion to the second tier.
"It's tough to find the right words," said Blessin. "This match was symbolic of the entire season with all its ups and downs. We didn’t have momentum on our side, we failed to keep our shape, and we defended poorly as well."
He added: "The fact that we were relegated hurts tremendously. But in the end, you also have to be honest enough to accept it when you finish in that position after 34 matchdays.”
The Hamburg club have been in and around the relegation places for much of the current season, but they more than held their own in 2024/25 – their first campaign at Germany’s top table since 2011.
Blessin’s charges not only ended last season seven points clear of the automatic relegation places, they also conceded only 41 goals in their 34 league matches, the second-best defensive record behind champions Bayern Munich.
The Kiezkicker picked up seven points from their opening three league games this term but failed to build on their promising start, losing their next nine in the Bundesliga.
Three wins from four games in February briefly lifted Pauli out of the bottom three, but they collected only three points from their final 10 games as their two-year top-flight stay came to an end.
