St. Pauli marked their return to the Bundesliga after a 13-year hiatus with a decisive 3-1 victory over relegated Osnabrück in the second division.
Oladapo Afolayan's brace and an assist to Marcel Hartel sealed St. Pauli's victory, propelling them to the top of the league with an insurmountable six-point lead over third-placed Fortuna Düsseldorf, with one round of matches remaining.
Following the final whistle, jubilant St. Pauli supporters flooded the field at Millerntor Stadium to celebrate the achievement.
St. Pauli, known for its association with the pirate skull-and-crossbones emblem, earned their sixth promotion to the Bundesliga after previous successes in 1977, 1988, 1995, 2001, and 2010. This milestone marks the club's ninth overall season among Germany's elite.
The upcoming Bundesliga season will see St. Pauli competing above city rivals Hamburger SV for the first time in the club's history.
Meanwhile, Hamburger SV, a founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963, suffered relegation in 2018 and will spend another season in the second division after a recent defeat to Paderborn.
In the promotion race, Holstein Kiel secured their maiden Bundesliga promotion, finishing just one point behind St. Pauli.
With the top two teams automatically promoted, the third-place finisher, Düsseldorf, is set to face a playoff against the Bundesliga's third-from-bottom team, currently Union Berlin, on May 23 and 27 to determine next season's top-flight status.
