Darmstadt 98 are the autumn champions of the single-division 2nd Bundesliga for the first time.
Coach Torsten Lieberknecht’s team won 1-0 at promoted 1. FC Magdeburg on Thursday at the end of matchday 16, meaning the Lilien (35 points) defended their top position one matchday before the end of the first leg.
Chasing Hamburger SV lost their match at SpVgg Greuther Fürth 0:1 (0:1) on Wednesday evening and are in second place with 31 points. Third is 1. FC Heidenheim with 30 points.
In 17 of the 41 cases since the introduction of the single-tier 2nd Bundesliga in 1981, the autumn championship title also proved to be a good omen for a subsequent championship title in the league’s lower division – a rate of 39 per cent. In 27 cases (rate: 65 per cent) it was enough for direct promotion. – Here is an overview of the autumn champions, the title holders and the direct co-promoters at the end of the season since 1981:
Season: Autumn champions – champions (direct co-promoters)
1981/1982: FC Schalke 04 – FC Schalke 04 (Hertha BSC)
1982/1983: Kickers Offenbach – SV Waldhof Mannheim (Kickers Offenbach)
1983/1984: FC Schalke 04 – Karlsruher SC (FC Schalke 04)
1984/1985: Alemannia Aachen – 1st FC Nuremberg (Hannover 96)
1985/1986: FC Homburg – FC Homburg (Blue-White 90 Berlin)
1986/1987: Hannover 96 – Hannover 96 (Karlsruher SC)
1987/1988: Stuttgarter Kickers – Stuttgarter Kickers (FC St. Pauli)
1988/1989: Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin – Fortuna Düsseldorf (FC Homburg)
1989/1990: 1st FC Saarbrücken – Hertha BSC (SG Wattenscheid 09)
1990/1991: MSV Duisburg – FC Schalke 04 (MSV Duisburg)
1992/1993: SC Freiburg – SC Freiburg (MSV Duisburg, VfB Leipzig)
1993/1994: VfL Bochum – VfL Bochum (Bayer 05 Uerdingen, 1860 Munich)
1994/1995: VfL Wolfsburg – Hansa Rostock (FC St. Pauli, Fortuna Düsseldorf)
1995/1996: VfL Bochum – VfL Bochum (Arminia Bielefeld, MSV Duisburg)
1996/1997: 1st FC Kaiserslautern – 1st FC Kaiserslautern (VfL Wolfsburg, Hertha BSC)
1997/1998: SC Freiburg – Eintracht Frankfurt (SC Freiburg, 1. FC Nürnberg)
1998/1999: SSV Ulm 1846 – Arminia Bielefeld (SpVgg. Unterhaching, SSV Ulm 1846)
1999/2000: 1st FC Cologne – 1st FC Köln (VfL Bochum, Energie Cottbus)
2000/2001: 1st FC Nuremberg – 1st FC Nürnberg (Borussia Mönchengladbach, FC St. Pauli)
2001/2002: FSV Mainz 05 – Hannover 96 (Arminia Bielefeld, VfL Bochum)
2002/2003: 1st FC Cologne – SC Freiburg (1st FC Cologne, Eintracht Frankfurt)
2003/2004: Alemannia Aachen – 1st FC Nuremberg (Arminia Bielefeld, FSV Mainz 05)
2004/2005: MSV Duisburg – 1. FC Cologne (MSV Duisburg, Eintracht Frankfurt)
2005/2006: Alemannia Aachen – VfL Bochum (Alemannia Aachen, Energie Cottbus)
2006/2007: Karlsruher SC – Karlsruher SC (Hansa Rostock, MSV Duisburg)
2007/2008: Borussia Mönchengladbach – Borussia Mönchengladbach (1899 Hoffenheim, 1. FC Köln)
2008/2009: FSV Mainz 05 – SC Freiburg (FSV Mainz 05)
2009/2010: 1st FC Kaiserslautern – 1st FC Kaiserslautern (FC St. Pauli)
2010/2011: FC Erzgebirge Aue – Hertha BSC (FC Augsburg)
2011/2012: Fortuna Düsseldorf – SpVgg Greuther Fürth (Eintracht Frankfurt)
2012/2013: Eintracht Braunschweig – Hertha BSC (Eintracht Braunschweig)
2013/2014: 1. FC Köln – 1. FC Köln (SC Paderborn)
2014/2015: FC Ingolstadt – FC Ingolstadt 04 (Darmstadt 98)
2015/2016: SC Freiburg – SC Freiburg (RB Leipzig)
2016/2017: Eintracht Braunschweig – VfB Stuttgart (Hannover 96)
2017/2018: Holstein Kiel – Fortuna Düsseldorf (1. FC Nürnberg)
2018/2019: Hamburger SV – 1. FC Köln (SC Paderborn, Union Berlin)
2019/2020: Arminia Bielefeld – Arminia Bielefeld (VfB Stuttgart)
2020/2021: Hamburger SV – VfL Bochum (SpVgg Greuther Fürth)
2021/2022: FC St. Pauli – Schalke 04 (VfB Stuttgart)
2022/2023: Darmstadt 98 – ?
The 1991/1992 season is not listed, because at that time, due to the inclusion of six teams from the GDR-Oberliga, a modified mode with two groups and later a promotion and a relegation round was played and no autumn champion was determined.