A major blow for Waldhof Mannheim – Seven-goal scorer heads to the 2. Bundesliga

SV Waldhof Mannheim is losing one of the best third-division players from the first half of the season. He will now be fighting for promotion to the Bundesliga.

It’s now official: Kennedy Okpala is leaving Waldhof Mannheim and heading to SC Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga. Forecasting had already reported that Okpala would be joining Paderborn.

A bitter blow for Mannheim: In the midst of the promotion battle, SV Waldhof is losing its best player. 18 games, seven goals, three assists—that’s Okpala’s current tally in the 3rd Division. With Waldhof having scored 30 goals so far this season, anyone can see just how valuable the young forward was to Coach Luc Holtz’s team.

Despite the bitter departure, there is at least one sweet consolation for the Kurpälzer: According to RS information, SC Paderborn is transferring 550,000 euros to Baden-Württemberg.

Now, Okpala’s goal with SC Paderborn is promotion to the Bundesliga. Currently in fourth place, Paderborn is tied on points with third-place SV Darmstadt 98.

Points Table

“We are very pleased that Kennedy has chosen us and wants to take the next step in his career at SCP07. He has enormous potential for development, is fast, two-footed, and versatile in attack. This makes him an excellent fit for Paderborn’s approach,” said Sebastian Lange, sporting director of SC Paderborn.

As a reminder: Last winter in 2025, Okpala decided against a move abroad. Danish first-division club Lyngby BK was keen on the striker. But—and this is something the Buwe fans shouldn’t forget—after careful consideration, Okpala decided to forego a move to Denmark and instead join Mannheim in their fight against relegation in the 3rd Division.

Incidentally, Okpala also made it into the Forecasting Team of the First Half of the Season for the 3rd Division. He was born on December 17, 2004, in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. In the youth ranks, he played for TSV Königsbach and VfL Neustadt/Weinstraße before transferring to SV Waldhof Mannheim in 2021.

There, he also signed his first professional contract and made his debut on September 17, 2023, in a 3rd League home game against SSV Ulm. In total, Okpala has played in 71 3rd League matches (16 goals, six assists).