The penultimate round of the Bundesliga season brought decisive results. RB Leipzig defeated St. Pauli 2-1 to secure their return to the Champions League after a one-year absence, while Stuttgart beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 to seize control in the battle for fourth place.
Leipzig knew a win would guarantee a top-four finish. In first-half stoppage time, Xaver Schlager, playing his final home game before leaving the club, broke the deadlock. A corner from Christoph Baumgartner was flicked on, allowing Schlager to volley home. In the 54th minute, David Raum delivered another corner, and Willi Orban headed in to double the lead. St. Pauli pulled one back through Abdoulie Sise in the 86th minute, but it was too late. Leipzig now joins Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in securing a spot in next season’s Champions League—a swift return after missing out for the first time since 2017–18.
The clash between Stuttgart and Leverkusen was a direct decider for fourth place. Leverkusen got off to a dream start, with Alex García scoring in the first minute after a cross from Christian Kofané. But Stuttgart equalized just four minutes later through Ermedin Demirović. Just before halftime, after a lengthy VAR check, Stuttgart was awarded a penalty, and Maximilian Mittelstädt converted to put the home side ahead. In the 58th minute, Jamie Leweling set up Deniz Undav, who made it 3-1 to seal the win.
After the match, Stuttgart is level on 61 points with Hoffenheim, while Leverkusen sits three points back in sixth. In the final round, Stuttgart only needs a win away to Eintracht Frankfurt to guarantee their Champions League spot, no matter what others do. Leverkusen must beat Hamburg and hope rivals drop points. Hoffenheim kept themselves in the race with a 1-0 victory over ten-man Werder Bremen. In the relegation battle, St. Pauli will face VfL Wolfsburg on the last day—if Wolfsburg loses to Bayern Munich in their next match, they will be in the drop zone. Bremen and Köln could secure safety early. Augsburg beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 and still holds hope for a Conference League spot.