Elversberg 2026/27 season preview: How will the Bundesliga debutants fare?
Newcomers Elversberg are certainly one of the biggest talking points ahead of the 2026/27 campaign's commencement, with their meteoric rise over recent years having led the small Saarland-based outfit to the dizzying heights of the Bundesliga for the first time in history. But will they be able to compete in the upper echelons of German football in the upcoming campaign?
Elversberg
2025/26 finish: 2nd in Bundesliga 2
Pre-season results: 5-0 win vs. Gießen, 1-1 draw vs. Thun, 2-1 loss vs. Viktoria Cologne, 1-0 win vs. Nijmegen, 5-2 win vs. Racing Strasbourg, 4-1 win vs. Lorient, 9-0 win vs. Auersmacher
First three fixtures: Bayer Leverkusen (H), Borussia Mönchengladbach (A), Bayern Munich (H)
What to expect?
This is uncharted territory for Elversberg as they make their bow in the top level of Germany football after a remarkable rise, having still been in the fourth-tier Regionalliga in 2021/22.
Asute loan deals for the likes of youngsters Nick Woltemade and Fisnik Asllani, plus finding gems such as Younes Ebnoutalib from the lower leagues, have powered their climb. That approach is set to continue with a raft of youthful additions in Noel Futkeu (23), Noah Darvich (19) and Francis Onyeka (19) on loan, as well as budget-friendly signings in Maurice Krattenmacher (21) and Cole Campbell (20).
Coach Vincent Wagner - a former teacher - has described Elversberg's challenge of staying up in the Bundesliga as "our journey to Mars". It's almost time for blast-off...
Watch: Elversberg celebrate historic promotion
Key new signing: Noel Futkeu
Whilst Elversberg have acquired a wealth of promising talents this summer in the likes of Campbell from Borussia Dortmund, Krattenmacher from Bayern Munich and Onyeka from Bayer Leverkusen, their marquee signing is arguably striker Futkeu on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 23-year-old striker joined Die Adler on a permanent basis earlier in the summer from Greuther Fürth, for whom he posted a division-best 19 goals (and five assists) across 34 Bundesliga 2 appearances last term, despite needing a relegation play-off victory over Rot-Weiss Essen to avoid going down.
See all Elversberg's summer comings and goings here
Clinical in front of goal, possessing a physical edge to his game, and no stranger to a relegation firefight, Futkeu could be the difference between survival and the drop for Elversberg in the upcoming campaign.
Watch: Futkeu scores in Fürth's relegation play-off win
Key player: Lukas Petkov
The most important player for Elversberg in their promotion-winning campaign last term was almost undeniably Bulgarian winger Petkov. The 25-year-old, who came through at Augsburg’s youth academy, contributed 13 goals and six assists across 34 Bundesliga 2 appearances.
Having been unable to establish himself with Die Fuggerstädter, Petkov has become a pivotal figure for Elversberg and thus serves as a testament to both their club’s transfer philosophy and culture as a whole.
The right winger now wants to prove himself in the Bundesliga and to - in his own words – “show Augsburg what they missed out on”. If he can carry his impressive goal threat from last season up a division, Petkov could well prove to be a decisive factor in his team’s battle for survival in 2026/27.
Check out Elversberg's new jerseys for 2026/27
Talking point
This transfer window is the first since 2018 not overseen at least in part by Ole Book. Now in the position of sporting director at Dortmund, which he assumed back in March, it was under Book’s leadership that Elversberg rose from the Regionalliga Südwest to knocking on the Bundesliga's door.
The approach has remained more or less the same this summer, so how will the promotion-winning team - generally kept intact - get on with the various youthful additions as many of them get their first experience of the Bundesliga, just like the club itself.
Follow Elversberg’s Bundesliga opener against Leverkusen here!
