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On a partly cloudy afternoon with a gentle summer breeze and a temperature of nineteen degrees at the Volkswagen Arena, VfL Wolfsburg (7-8-19, 16th in Bundesliga) hosted SC Paderborn 07 (18-8-8, 3rd in 2. Bundesliga) in the opening leg of the 2025/26 Bundesliga promotion-relegation playoff. The team that wins on aggregate across the two games will claim a place in the 2026/27 Bundesliga season.

Both clubs earned their spots in this playoff with final-day victories in the 2025/26 campaign. Wolfsburg overcame FC St. Pauli 3-1 in a crucial relegation decider, sending ‘Der Freibeuter’ down to 2. Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Paderborn defeated SV Darmstadt 98 by 2-0 to secure third place in the second division, finishing just above Wolfsburg’s regional rivals Hannover 96.

This marks only the second time Wolfsburg have taken part in a promotion-relegation playoff. The last instance came when they defeated another Lower Saxony side, Eintracht Braunschweig, 2-0 on aggregate (1-0, 1-0) to preserve their Bundesliga status for the 2017/18 season. The Wolves have never been relegated in their 81-year history, having first reached the top flight in 1997/98 and maintaining their place ever since.

For Paderborn, this is their first-ever appearance in a Bundesliga promotion-relegation playoff. Their two previous promotions to the top division came through finishing second in the 2. Bundesliga table. Unfortunately for them, both of those stints in the Bundesliga — during the 2014/15 and 2019/20 seasons — ended with the team finishing bottom and returning to the second tier.

Christian Eriksen started proceedings by playing the ball back to Kamil Grabara, who launched it upfield to begin the contest. The hosts carved out the first opening five minutes in when a Dženan Pejčinović flick into the box found Mattias Svanberg making a run, but the Swede lost his footing just as he attempted to connect with the ball.

Two minutes later, Paderborn created their first threat. Laurin Curda delivered a cross from the right flank near the Wolfsburg area, and Jeanuël Belocian headed it sideways before duelling with Stefano Marino. The tussle sent Belocian to the ground, but he managed to deflect the ball away, conceding a corner.

From that corner, Filip Bilbija directed a header from the right side of the area to Santiago Castañeda, whose shot deflected off Belocian and rolled dangerously towards goal. Svanberg reacted quickly to clear off the line. The clearance led to a race between Adam Daghim and Ruben Müller, with Müller’s sliding tackle stopping the attack but earning him a yellow card from referee Brand.

In the ninth minute, Castañeda and Denis Seimen exchanged passes before Castañeda, unable to find an outlet, was dispossessed by Yannick Gerhardt. Gerhardt’s quick back pass found Saël Kumbedi, who then passed to Daghim near the edge of the area. However, Castañeda recovered to intercept and force a corner that came to nothing.

In the twenty-first minute, Denis Vavro tried a low, curling shot from distance, but it missed the bottom-left corner. Four minutes later, Kumbedi threaded a ball into the box for Daghim, whose effort deflected off a sliding Tjark Scheller for a corner. Eriksen’s delivery was cleared to Belocian, who then attempted a long-range strike that went wide of the right post.

Wolfsburg maintained pressure as Eriksen combined with Kumbedi on the right, sending a low pass into the area. Joakim Mæhle met it but directed a weak effort straight into Seimen’s grasp. Soon after, Svanberg played a through ball to Daghim, who beat Brackelmann and forced Seimen into another save with his left-footed shot.

In the thirty-eighth minute, Konstantinos Koulierakis launched a long pass into the right side of the penalty box, where Pejčinović stretched to control but only managed to divert the ball out for a goal kick.

Three minutes before the break, Wolfsburg earned a free kick on the left. Eriksen linked up with Mæhle before sending in a cross that deflected off Castañeda and was punched away by Seimen. The Danish midfielder’s follow-up corner was well placed but again claimed by the young Paderborn keeper.

Despite Wolfsburg’s control — outshooting Paderborn 7-2 (2-1 on target) and holding 53% possession — the match remained goalless at half-time. Dieter Hecking’s side also completed 86% of their 302 passes, slightly better than Ralf Kettemann’s team at 85% from 220 passes.

After the interval, Marino kicked off by passing back to Seimen, who sent the ball deep into Wolfsburg territory. Five minutes into the half, Mæhle lofted a long pass forward to Kumbedi, who dribbled past Sticker and sent a low cross into the box. Scheller anticipated well, cutting out the danger for a corner before Daghim could pounce.

In the sixty-first minute, Eriksen was fouled by Hansen near the Paderborn box. Spotting an opening, Eriksen delivered the ball into the area, but substitute Steffen Tigges cleared with a sliding tackle. Moments later, Daghim’s header towards the bottom-left corner was saved by Seimen.

Soon after, Wolfsburg won another free kick. Eriksen’s curling effort towards the bottom-right corner was pushed away by Seimen. Gerhardt quickly recycled possession, crossing for substitute Mohamed Amoura, whose header was again stopped by the Paderborn keeper.

The game then settled into a midfield battle, with neither team able to create clear chances. Paderborn nearly stole a late goal in the 84th minute when Castañeda and Curda combined on the left, setting up Bilbija in front of goal. His lifted shot beat Grabara but was cleared off the line by Vavro, with Mæhle completing the clearance.

Despite a late surge from Wolfsburg, they were unable to break the deadlock. The final whistle confirmed a 0-0 draw. Wolfsburg dominated the last phase with 72% possession, outshooting Paderborn 9-1 and 3-0 on target. Overall, the hosts registered 17 shots to Paderborn’s 2, with five on target, while enjoying 63% possession and an 85% pass accuracy (513 passes) compared to Paderborn’s 77% on 261 passes.

Everything will now be on the line in the return leg on Monday evening. The winner will secure a spot in the 2026/27 Bundesliga, while the loser faces another year in 2. Bundesliga. Kickoff is scheduled for 20:30 (CET) at Home Deluxe Arena in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia.