Two rounds into their first Bundesliga campaign, SV Elversberg sit top of the German top flight. They opened with a 3-2 home win over Bayer Leverkusen on 29 August 2026 and followed it by coming back from 3-1 down to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-3 at Borussia-Park.
Substitute Maurice Krattenmacher scored twice in the Gladbach comeback, capped by a composed finish in the third minute of stoppage time from Noel Futkeu’s assist. Felix Keidel struck a free-kick from 25 metres to draw the visitors level, and David Mokwa had already pulled one back before the interval.
A village of 13,000 and no train station
Spiesen-Elversberg is a Saarland municipality of about 13,000 inhabitants with no train station, tucked northeast of Saarbrücken. Home matches are played at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde, which holds around 10,000 and is the smallest ground in the division.
Founded in 1907, the club sealed promotion on 17 May 2026 with a 3-0 win over Preußen Münster on the final day of the 2. Bundesliga, finishing second behind champions Schalke 04. It was their third promotion in five seasons, from the fourth-tier Regionalliga to the top flight. Head coach Vincent Wagner told Sky Sports the rise had felt like a “journey to Mars”.
Read also: Russell after Monza: How the VSC left him 'annoyed' and Antonelli a winner
The Elversberg way
Technical director Josef Welzmüller, appointed in April 2024, is the architect of the model. He described the identity to Get Football News Germany in three words: brave, intense and clever. Almost every regular is 23 or under. Record signing Cole Campbell arrived from Borussia Dortmund and scored on debut; David Mokwa was picked up from Hoffenheim’s reserves in January.
“When we have the ball, we want to be a highly possession playing team, being very brave and making decisions with the ball,” Welzmüller told the outlet.
The entire scouting operation, per that same interview, consists of two people. Welzmüller himself rejects the fairytale framing, telling Sky Sports the ascent might look like “magic or like a fairytale” from outside but comes down to clarity, hard work and a calm environment. Club president Dominik Holzer is also managing director of Ursapharm, the local pharmaceutical firm that sponsors the club and gives its name to the stadium.
Bayern Munich next
The reward for winning both opening fixtures is a home date with the German champions. Kickoff against Bayern Munich is on Sunday, 13 September at 3:30pm local time at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde.
Read also: Zverev is the only top-20 seed left in his half of the US Open draw
Read also: Grosso out after three defeats, Vanoli set for Fiorentina return
