The promotion race in the 3rd division offers so much that the non-existent championship battle in the Bundesliga could use. A commentary.

Cottbus, Duisburg, Osnabrück, Verl, Essen, Rostock, Wiesbaden: At first glance, these seven cities have little to nothing in common, but at second glance, they have a lot. Because they are the protagonists of an exciting third division promotion race. Thank you for that. As a fan of a Bundesliga club, I naturally follow a league closely in which Bayern Munich has almost always been the champion for over a decade and plays against the same more or less interesting opponents every year. The Bundesliga has degenerated into a boring product with teams, two-thirds of which, in my personal, romantic view, have no place in the upper house.

As an aside, there is no question that they have earned their place through purely sporting achievements. Because that’s what it’s all about in the end.

However, the spectacle is taking place in the second and third divisions. The third division is particularly exciting. Five powerful traditional clubs are fighting for promotion and swapping places every week. Added to this are SC Verl and Wehen Wiesbaden, who are also in the mix. The third division promotion race is exciting every weekend. Just take the past as an example. On Saturday, league leaders Energie Cottbus set the stage for an exciting Sunday with a 0-0 draw at FC Ingolstadt. VfL Osnabrück did their homework with a 2-0 win over TSV Havelse and are now also looking to see what Hansa Rostock, Rot-Weiss Essen and, in a direct duel, MSV Duisburg and SC Verl are doing.

Hansa squandered a 2-0 lead at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II in their opening game. This is a chance for Rot-Weiss Essen to end their Tivoli curse at 4:30 p.m. and then watch MSV Duisburg and SC Verl take points off each other.

The outcome is well known: Alemannia Aachen had Rot-Weiss Essen under control for a long time before Dickson Abiama ensured that Essen at least took one point back to Hafenstraße.

This was the chance for MSV Duisburg and SC Verl to become the big winners of the matchday with a victory in their direct duel. In addition to VfL Osnabrück, MSV Duisburg also won 4-2. The Zebras are now in second place, one point behind league leaders Energie Cottbus.

Cottbus are six points ahead of Wehen Wiesbaden in seventh place, the same margin that Bayern have over second-placed Dortmund. Twelve points, which is Bayern’s lead over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (third place), separate Cottbus from FC Ingolstadt (tenth place), TSG’s reserve team (eleventh place), and VfB Stuttgart II (twelfth place). Three cheers for the 3rd division, which offers something new every year that the Bundesliga lacks.