Wolfsburg, St. Pauli and Heidenheim face nerve-wracking Matchday 34 relegation showdown
The moment of truth has arrived for St. Pauli, Heidenheim and Wolfsburg. On the final day of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, two of the three will drop down to the second tier, while the other will be granted a reprieve as they take on the relegation play-off. The fact that Pauli and Wolfsburg will face each other at the Millerntor on Matchday 34 adds another layer of intrigue to an already extraordinary set of circumstances…
The Bundesliga schedule could not have thrown up a more nerve-wracking final day fixture for Pauli and Wolfsburg, as they face off in a huge clash at the former’s home stadium with so much at stake.
For the first time in Bundesliga history, the bottom three sides in the table are all locked on the same number of points, in this case 26, ahead of the final weekend. And it's the first time since 2014/15 that we go into the final day with no team already relegated.
As it stands, Wolfsburg are only outside of the bottom two on goal difference, leading their two rivals by three goals.
Should they prevail in Hamburg, they will be almost guaranteed to finish outside the automatic relegation spots, although a heavy Heidenheim victory against Mainz at the same time would have the Wolves frantically checking their calculator.
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The problem for Dieter Hecking’s side is that wins have been few and far between recently, as indicated by their lowly position. They have prevailed in only one of their past 16 league games and just twice overall in 2026. Given their budget and history – they competed in the UEFA Champions League earlier this decade – they will feel they shouldn’t be in this position at all.
They will be buoyed by their recent improvement in form, though. They have lost just one of their past four, picking up five points, and were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich on Matchday 33.
Watch: Wolfsburg edged out by Bayern
Speaking after the Bayern encounter, Wolfsburg goalkeeper Kamil Grabara was under no illusions as to why his side are where they are in the table, but suggested a similar display against Pauli would get the job done.
“We let this happen, so we're going to have to take care of it,” he explained. “I don't think there is a need to change anything. Let's just prepare like we prepared for this game and put in the same performance.”
Opponents Pauli, meanwhile, come into this game on the back of a 2-1 defeat at RB Leipzig – a similarly valiant showing, but one that ultimately didn’t garner the points they so desperately crave. As such, the rock-bottom Kiezkicker are winless in nine, although their task this weekend is perhaps simpler as they know nothing but victory over Wolfsburg will do.
Watch: Pauli come out second best versus Leipzig
There were positives to take from the Leipzig game, at least, as Pauli caused their opponents problems, even hitting the woodwork. For a team that has struggled for goals in 2025/26, netting just 28 times, they have now found the back of the net in three of their last four games. It is now about overcoming their issues one last time in front of their own supporters.
"It's about a final game,” said head coach Alexander Blessin. “We are playing at home, and we have to throw everything at it, especially after we didn't do well in the last two games. That's clear, but this was a good performance. We have to look forward and bring exactly this intensity and this agility in general to beat Wolfsburg.”
Unlike the outfits on either side of them, 17th-placed Heidenheim go into Matchday 34 with real momentum. Following their Matchday 26 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, Frank Schmidt’s side trailed the play-off spot by no fewer than 10 points, and two weeks earlier, the head coach said Heidenheim needed “two miracles” to stay in the division. However, an unlikely run of just one defeat in seven games has given them hope.
Wins against Union Berlin, Cologne, and, most importantly, Pauli have seen them double their total number of victories for the season in the final weeks of the campaign, while they have also picked up creditable draws versus Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
They also took a point off champions Bayern, but it felt more like two points lost. After giving up a 2-0 advantage, they retook the lead and were in front until the 100th minute, when a Michael Olise shot hit the post and ricocheted onto Diant Ramaj’s back before agonisingly trickling over the line.
Watch: Agony for Heidenheim as they almost down the champions
Still, that game showed that Heidenheim can punch above their weight, as they have done ever since their promotion in 2023. Now, they know one more win will give them every chance of miraculously extending their stay amongst the elite. They will require a little bit of help – a Wolfsburg win over Pauli would leave them needing to better the former’s margin of victory by at least four goals – but they will feel fortune is on their side after their recent resurgence.
Of course, this impressive run is in stark contrast to their earlier form, but captain Patrick Mainka – one of only four players in Bundesliga history to play each minute of a club’s first 100 games in the top flight – explained after the Cologne game that the team’s forward-thinking approach has paid dividends.
“We can’t look back February. Now, we’re in May, it’s the last matchday next week and we are still alive. But we’ve achieved nothing until now, so next week is the final showdown and we are prepared for it."
With just 90 minutes remaining of the Bundesliga term, form and consistency fly out of the window. Now, it is about who can remain calm and composed while also rising to the occasion. On Saturday afternoon, we will find out which one of Wolfsburg, Heidenheim and Pauli has what it takes.
