Five reasons Bundesliga 2 is one of Europe's best leagues

01.07.2024

Big names, goals galore and surprise packages leading the way - the Bundesliga 2 continues to delight week-in, week-out. Here, bundesliga.com details why Germany’s second tier is one of the best leagues across the whole of Europe.

1) Incredible fans

Football is nothing without its supporters. Fortunately, there are enough to go around in Bundesliga 2, which is one of the best-attended leagues across Europe. The average attendance of 29,189 last season shows Bundesliga 2 is a major attraction - with an average ahead of Spain's La Liga (29,012) making it one of the most watched league across the continent, at least in terms of a live audience.

Schalke regularly fill their 62,273-capacity Veltins-Arena. - Alexander Scheuber/Bundesliga

Incredibly, Schalke's average attendance ranked 9th amongst all clubs in Europe last term, with their 10th-place finish in Bundesliga 2 not stopping them from averaging 61,358 fans every other week. As a result, the Veltins Arena was at 99.8% capacity for every home game. All-in, there were seven sides in Bundesliga 2 attracting more than 35,000 per league match, and the average capacity across the 18 grounds this coming season is a whopping 35,502. German football fans, even outside the elite, are not scared of sharing their love and support for their teams, which only adds to the fantastic spectacle.

2) Big names

Usually, those in the second division fight for promotion and the chance to play against Germany’s biggest clubs. However, there is already a selection of heavyweights plying their trade in Bundesliga 2. Only three German sides have ever won the European Cup, one of which is Hamburg. HSV are now preparing for their seventh season in the division and, while they have come close to getting themselves out of it on several occasions, they have learned the hard way that it is easier said than done.

Watch: Hamburg vs. St. Pauli, worlds apart in Germany's second city derby

Die Rothosen are joined by five-time DFB Cup winners Schalke, as well as Hertha Berlin, the largest team from the German capital. Nuremberg and Kaiserslautern are also previous Bundesliga champions, so too are newly-relegated Cologne who have lifted the Meisterschale three-times. Wherever you look in the Bundesliga 2, there are big hitters looking to return to their glory years.

3) Plenty of competition

Although those sides have eyes on the table's summit, it was champions St. Pauli and Holstein Kiel who clinched promotion last year. For the latter, it will result in their first Bundesliga campaign in the club's history. Their ascensions will have surprised some but were fully-deserved as the pair propelled themselves into the top-flight on the back of campaigns littered with stellar performances.

Watch: Northern Lights - Holstein Kiel take their bow

It was Fortuna Düsseldorf who ran those teams closest last year, missing out on promotion by the barest of margins as they came up short in the relegation/promotion playoff. They also went all the way to the DFB Cup final, proving the gap between Germany's top two divisions is ever closing. Karlsruhe, Hannover, Paderborn and Greuther Fürth all finished higher than Hertha and Shalke, proving that whoever earns their place in the promised land remains up in the air each season.

4) Goals galore

Let's be honest - as football lovers, we want to see the ball hit the back of the net as often as possible. Again, Bundesliga 2 has you covered. Up until the end of Matchday 17, there were 488 goals, a tally that has not been bettered at the halfway point of a season since the league dropped down to 18 teams from the 1993/94 campaign. Of those, 215 were produced by the away side, too, which is also a record over the same period.

Watch: The Top 5 Goals from Matchday 17

In total, there were 947 goals across 306 fixtures in the 2023/24 campaign, at an average of 3.1 goals per game. Fans are being treated to goal-fests on a regular basis, so don't say you haven't been warned!

5) Future Bundesliga talent

Bundesliga 2 is also a breeding ground that top-tier sides have previously taken full advantage of. Germany international Josha Vagnoman started out at Hamburg before becoming a regular for high-flying VfB Stuttgart, while Werder Bremen talisman Marvin Ducksch was prolific for Kiel, Hannover and Bremen before making the step up.

"Bundesliga 2 you say?" - Marvin Ducksch (r.) is one of a number of former second tier players to have earned full international honours. - IMAGO/Michael Taeger

Fellow Germany caps Chris Führich, David Raum and Anton Stach are others who initially flourished in Bundesliga 2. Las season saw Bayern Munich loanee Paul Wanner make waves at Elversberg, so too did Fabian Reese at Hertha, and Fiete Arp started living up to his huge potential in Kiel. It will be just a matter of time before more Bundesliga 2 aces bridge the gap in 2024/25.