The footballing world has barely recovered from the European Championships, and yet the domestic season is already here, with Germany’s second division starting today. Another 38 gameweeks of gut-wrenching drama is upon us, impossible to call, yet still certain to end with Hamburg failing in the most spectacular of fashions at getting promoted.

Whilst the Bundesliga carries all the glitz & glamour of German football, it is one rung lower where the nation’s heart and soul lives. Packed with history, culture, and terrace mayhem, the Zweite Bundesliga is guaranteed to be the most entertaining league in Europe this season!

Silverware & Eastern Nostalgia

On July 23rd, Schalke 04 host Hamburger SV at the VELTINS-Arena. It isn’t a cracking fixture in the race for a Champions League spot, nor a knockout tie in the UEFA Cup. Instead, it’s the opening game of the 2021/22 Zweite Bundesliga season, a damning indictment of how far these former giants have fallen.