Not to everyone's delight, Elversberg are active in the transfer market ahead of their first-ever top-flight season. The smallest town to be represented in Bundesliga is backed by investor Frank Holzer, who is the head of pharmaceutical company Ursapharm, which didn't go well with the traditional ethos of German football.
After missing out on a promotion the previous season with a narrow defeat to Heidenheim in the playoff, Elversberg faced a similar scare in the final month of the 2. Bundesliga campaign. A defeat to eventually relegated Fortuna Düsseldorf made them wait until the final matchday of the season to write history.
The club from a town of 13,000 inhabitants has only made the jump to the second division in 2023. Despite the promising 2024/25 campaign, few predicted them to be around the top once again since their long-serving coach Horst Steffen was poached by Werder Bremen, while top scorers Fisnik Asllani and Muhammed Damar returned to their parent club Hoffenheim.
And, in the middle of the season, 12-goal hero Younes Ebnoutalib joined Eintracht Frankfurt. To their credit, Vincent Wagner's side maintained their momentum after the departure of the Moroccan attacker with David Mokwa proving to be the perfect replacement.
Their form at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde was a big factor as Hertha and Schalke were the only teams to return home with three points. In the end, Elversberg followed the latter to win automatic promotion to Bundesliga.

#elversberg #PROMOTION #final #campaign

German striker Danny Schmidt is relishing the "big challenge" of playing outside his homeland for the first time after joining St Johnstone.
Schmidt, who was released by Fortuna Dusseldorf this summer, has signed a two-year deal in Perth.
The 23-year-old, 6ft 2in forward came through the ranks at Mainz before joining Fortuna two years ago, going on score five goals in 39 appearances for the club who were relegated from the second tier last season. He also had a loan spell at RW Essen.
"Everyone has welcomed me so nicely," said Schmidt. "It is a family club and I already feel really good here.
"This is a big challenge for me and it is my first time out of Germany. Of course, it is the top league in Scotland and everything is new to me. But I am so excited for what can happen.

#schmidt #fortuna #first #danny

Arsenal moved for Christos Tzolis after the best season of his career where he was involved in 40 goals, scoring 17 times and providing 23 ******* ists as Club Brugge were crowned league champions in Belgium.
But before that there had been struggles, notably during his three years at Norwich, scoring just three times in 30 appearances between 2021-2024.
He impressed while on loan at German second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf in 2023-24, where he scored 24 goals in 35 games before he left Norwich for Club Brugge and became one of star players in the division.
Since then he has not looked back and Tzolis has developed to become one of the most reliable creators in Europe.
Alongside his two ******* ists, he played more passes into the final third than anyone else in the Gunners team in Cardiff and, despite lacking noticeable pace, Tzolis is extremely effective while on the ball with his work-rate appreciated by manager Mikel Arteta.

#club #norwich #goals #arsenal

The Olympic flag football field for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles is taking shape.
On Sunday, Canada's men and Mexico's women won bronze-medal games at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, securing the final two Olympic qualifying spots available from the tournament. Canada's men beat Mexico, 34-26, and Mexico's women beat Great Britain, 20-19.
Italy's men and Canada's women previously qualified by advancing to Saturday's gold-medal games. Canada's women beat USA, 27-20 for the gold medal, while the U.S. men beat Italy, 46-26.
The top-two non-USA finishers from the men's and women's 16-team fields earned spots in the Olympic field. The U.S. men and women had already secured Olympic spots via automatic bids awarded to the host country.
That meant significant stakes and additional drama for Sunday's bronze-medal games, with the winner of each securing an Olympic bid and the loser having to wait until 2028 for another shot at qualifying. Both games were thrillers.

#olympic #medal #beat #field

For the first time in 14 years, Team USA has lost a competitive flag football match.
American Samoa defeated the United States 38-32 on Friday, Aug. 14, at the 2026 World Flag tournament in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Taulia Tagovailoa – the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – helped catalyze American Samoa to the victory. He threw for 213 yards and five touchdowns, including a touchdown strike with just over a minute left that made the contest a two-score affair and put it out of reach for the Americans.

#tagovailoa

As officially announced this afternoon, Tuesday 11 August, Fortuna Düsseldorf have secured the services of Andreas Müller.
The 26-year-old joins the Red and Whites on loan from Karlsruhe SC and will wear the No.6 jersey for the 2026-27 campaign.
Müller, a native of Sinsheim, joined the youth academy of TSG Hoffenheim in 2009 and played for the club for eight years.
In July 2017, he joined the U-19 team of FC Astoria Walldorf and three seasons later, he made the move to 1.FC Magdeburg.
The 26-year-old then played for SV Darmstadt 98 for a further two campaigns and most recently for Karlsruhe.SC.

#played #whites

Barcelona announced on Saturday their third preseason ****** ignment as the Catalans will face FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park in Switzerland on Sunday, August 16.
The friendly will be Barça's last preseason clash before their annual home curtain raiser when the Blaugrana will face Al-Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19.
Hansi Flick will have his entire first team squad available as the World Cup participants are due back in training on Wednesday, but it remains to be seen how many of those will feature against Basel.
Basel finished fifth in the Swiss Super League last season and last met Barça in the 2008-09 Champions League group stage, and Barça will return to the place where they won the 1979 European Cup Winners' Cup final against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Barça drew away to Birmingham City last week and played two 45-minute halves against Udinese and Nottingham Forest in a triangular tournament in Italy on Saturday, beating the Premier League side before losing 1-0 to the hosts.

#august #preseason #jakob

Arminia Bielefeld will hope to repeat last season's sensational start to their 2. Bundesliga campaign as they face Karlsruhe away from home. Both teams picked up three points to start last season with wins over the now 3. Liga clubs Fortuna Düsseldorf and Preußen Münster, respectively.
Karlsruhe won last season's home game against Bielefeld 4-1 despite conceding first inside the first 15 minutes. The two teams will now start their new eras under their respective new coaches Maximilian Senft and Oliver Kirch.
Karlsruhe: Bernat; Jung, Kobald, Franke, Ofli; Pinto Pedrosa, Egloff, Zor, Wanitzek ©; Eichinger, Broschinski
Bielefeld: Kersken; Koudossou, Bauer ©, Großer, Handwerker; Russo, Schreck, Wörl; Momuluh, Grodowski, Rochelt

#bielefeld #last #liga

Germany's third-tier season begins on Friday, 7 August, with former Bundesliga side Waldhof Mannheim taking on 1-time Deutscher Meister Fortuna Düsseldorf at the iconic 25,000-capacity Karl Benz Stadion, an absolute Spitzenspiel, a meeting of two sides which should be among the challengers this coming 3. Liga season.
One of Europe's top two third tiers, the 3. Liga, in the coming season will feature more derbies than ever and a league of Traditionsvereine; in particular, new boys MSV Duisburg and Hansa Rostock have massive fan bases and must-see grounds which should be on any fan's bucket list to visit.
Will 1. FC Saarbrücken go one better and finally win promotion? Will Preußen Münster bounce straight back to winning ways? Or can the league's most popular 1955 Deutsche Meister Rot-Weiss Essen end their long exile and finally return to the second-tier promised land? This season will be fiercely contested; here is the season preview:
In 25/26, attendances in the 3. Liga, for the second season running, surpassed that of the EFL League 1 and now stands at 11,566 on average per game.
This league is popular; there is outstanding football played and in some incredible grounds. The coming season in terms of competitiveness could just be the most attractive third tier in years.

#liga #league #grounds #finally

Bochum's first season back in the 2. Bundesliga did not unfold as many had hoped, but there is renewed optimism around the Vonovia Ruhrstadion as Uwe Rösler prepares for his first full campaign in charge.
After stabilising the club following a difficult start last season, the former Fortuna Düsseldorf boss now has the opportunity to shape the squad in his own image and guide Bochum towards the upper end of the table.
Bochum's response to relegation began in disastrous fashion. Under Dieter Hecking, they won just one of their opening eight league matches while losing the other seven, leaving the club firmly in the relegation battle.
Rösler arrived in October and quickly transformed Bochum's fortunes. His side lost just one of his first 15 league games in charge, climbing comfortably away from danger and ultimately finishing ninth with 44 points, seven clear of the relegation zone.
Bochum have been busy rebuilding their squad this summer, bringing in ten new faces. Nine have arrived on free transfers, while Michael Steinwender joined from Hearts for an undisclosed fee.

#season

Jesper Lindstrøm has taken another major step towards joining Schalke 04 after arriving in Germany to complete his medical ahead of a proposed move from Napoli. The 26-year-old was spotted landing at Düsseldorf Airport before travelling to Gelsenkirchen with permission from the Italian club.
Despite Lindstrøm's arrival, the transfer has not yet been finalized. According to reports, Schalke and Napoli are still negotiating the structure of the deal. The newly-promoted Bundesliga side are pushing for a season-long loan with an option to buy, while Napoli are insisting on a mandatory purchase clause worth around €5 million.
Lindstrøm is understood to have already agreed personal terms with Schalke and is reportedly prepared to take a pay cut to facilitate the move. Head coach Miron Muslić has identified the Denmark international as one of his priority targets after his difficult spells with Napoli, Everton, and Wolfsburg.
Should the negotiations unexpectedly collapse, Schalke are reportedly considering Brighton & Hove Albion youngster Facundo Buonanotte as an alternative. However, with both Lindstrøm and veteran striker Edin Džeko undergoing medicals this weekend, the Royal Blues remain optimistic that another double transfer coup is just around the corner.

#germany #airport

Dortmund have high hopes for the highly rated attacking prospect, who has already caught the eye during the club's summer preparations. Although the 17-year-old made only one brief Bundesliga appearance last season, he has looked sharp in pre-season and even found the net against Fortuna Düsseldorf.Kovač was quick to highlight the youngster's qualities.
"You can see what abilities he has. He's fast, strong in the air, and I have to say he put in a lot of effort," the Dortmund coach said after the match.Known for demanding a high level of defensive discipline from his players, Kovač has clearly been pleased with Albert's willingness to improve without the ball.The teenager admitted that the increased tactical and physical demands have helped take his game to another level.
"It has helped me take a certain aspect of my game to a new level. Before, I wasn't the best in some areas, but this has motivated me to work much harder. There are higher demands, such as the work rate and the **** e that needs to be covered, especially in the new, more central position. This has definitely helped my game a lot."
Albert, who regards Kylian Mbappé as his role model, is not lacking in ambition. Looking beyond pre-season, the American youngster has set himself lofty goals at the club.
My dream is to become an important player for the club and to stand out, to be a true leader and help the team win games. I don't want to reduce my game to just statistics. My main goal is to get better every day and develop as much as possible," he told Sky.Reflecting on his rapid rise, Albert admitted that the past six months have flown by."Training with the professionals every day and improving as a player was fantastic,"he said.

#game #demands

Fortuna Düsseldorf have publicly announced the capture of Philipp Förster for the upcoming 3.Liga campaign.
The attacking midfielder, who most recently played for Karlsruher SC, has joined Düsseldorf on a free transfer.
Förster has signed a year-long contract which will end on June 30, 2027, and will wear the number 10 jersey at Fortuna.
Born in Bretten, Baden, Förster came through the academies of Karlsruher SC and VfB Stuttgart before entering senior football.
He broke through first at Waldhof Mannheim and also had stints at 1.FC Nürnberg, SV Sandhausen, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum, SV Darmstadt as well.

#sseldorf

Borussia Dortmund will play their second pre-season fixture on Saturday afternoon as they face 3. Liga side Fortuna Düsseldorf at Merkur Spiel-Arena. The hosts are well ahead in their preparations for the 2026/27 season since their league campaign will start on August 7th.
World Cup participants Felix Nmecha, Waldemir Anton, Maximilian Beier and Daniel Svensson started their first pre-season steps after their return to the club on Friday. However, Niko Kovac's side will be without those four players, while Ecuadorian Justin Lerma and ****** anese Takato Yamamoto will be in the spotlight.
Fortuna Düsseldorf: Rieß, Heintz, Bouchama, Hendrix ©, Hottmann, Consbruch, Schleusener, Zimmermann, Risch, Arden, E. Egouli
Subs: Lord, Van der Sloot, Eixler, Oberdorf, Benger, Goncalves, Meiser, Paulina, Sauck, Slimani, Mentzel, Amaniampong, N. Egouli, ****** o
Borussia Dortmund: Meyer, Gadou, Mane, Albert, Kabar, Yamamoto, Duarte, Azhil, Riedl, Mirza, Guirassy ©

#season #borussia #dortmund #fortuna

Christos Tzolis signed a five-year contract at **** nal after completing his €40 million transfer from Club Brugge. The Greece international was a 2. Bundesliga top-scorer during his time at Fortuna Düsseldorf.
After an initial loan deal from Norwich City, Düsseldorf permanently signed the player for €3.5 million. However, their failure to win promotion to Bundesliga meant that they had to sell him for only €6.5 million to Club Brugge.
Tzolis scored 24 goals and **** isted a further 10 in only 37 games for Fortuna Düsseldorf. He continued his goal-scoring form with Club Brugge in the past two seasons, winning the “Player of the Season” accolade in the Jupiler Pro League last term.
According to Sky, Fortuna Düsseldorf will not receive any payment from the transfer. Die Fortunen will compete in 3. Liga for the first time since 2009 as they suffered a costly relegation from 2. Bundesliga only a couple of years after Tzolis nearly helped them to a Bundesliga return.
In addition to his league-high 22 goals, Tzolis scored a memorable panenka to send Düsseldorf to the 2023/24 semi-final of the DFB-Pokal in the penalty shootout win over St. Pauli. **** nal are also exploring the deal to sign RB Leipzig sensation Yan Diomande, although PSG lead the race as of right now.

#only #arsenal

Fortuna Düsseldorf have confirmed they sold 19,000 season tickets for their 3. Liga campaign. Ahead of the start of regular ticket sales for their first home game, the club communicated the news that their loyal fans are still looking forward to a matchday experience in 3. Liga at Merkur Spiel-Arena.
Die Fortunen narrowly missed out on Bundesliga promotion in 2024, but they will now play in the third division for the first time since 2009. Alexander Ende remains at the helm despite his unsuccessful attempt to save the club from costly relegation in the final weeks of the season.
While several players left the club as either free agents or in low-cost transfers, Düsseldorf opted for experience in recruitment. Dominique Heintz and Fabian Schleusener are among their recruits, while Preußen Münster's captain Jorrit Hendrix returned to Düsseldorf after his club also faced relegation to 3. Liga.

#first #ahead

VfL Bochum have officially pulled off the signing of Christian Rasmussen who joins on a contract valid until 30 June, 2030.
For the 23-year-old, Bochum is his second club in Germany, having moved from Ajax Amsterdam to Fortuna Düsseldorf last year.
Due to Düsseldorf's relegation to the third division last season, Rasmussen is a free agent and therefore joins on a free transfer.
The youngster has also made 34 appearances for the Danish national teams, from the U-16 to the U-21 levels, scoring nine goals.
“Christian brings high pace, a strong drive towards goal, and great determination in the final third.

PHILDELPHIA (AP) — Martin Meissner is a staff photographer for The ******* ociated Press. He is based in Germany, near Duesseldorf. Meissner has been with the AP for more than 25 years and is covering his sixth World Cup.
I was covering the match between France and Paraguay on Saturday from the right far corner. At the final whistle signaling the end of the match, an emotional Kylian Mbappe shouts out, expressing his joy after France won on his penalty kick and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals.
I flew to the match in Philadelphia from Boston on Saturday, the morning of America's birthday, which also happens to be my birthday. The temperatures in the stadium for the July 4 afternoon match were almost 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) — and that was in the shadows. For me, there was no shade. My position for more than three hours was in the far right corner, under the bright hot sun. Due to the extreme heat, a photographer two seats beside me who couldn't stand it anymore and was led out of the pitch position. For a soccer match on this level, especially when it comes down to just one goal, you have to stay focused until the very end. One moment could have changed the whole story of this hard-fought match. After 10 minutes of additional time, I stayed on the key player of the match — Mbappe — and waited for his reaction using a 400mm long lens.
The moment Mbappe shouts out, his joy encapsulates the entire match in a single image. Paraguay played the entire match using question tactics, repeatedly provoking Mbappe. The physical play was so rough that after the match when the Paraguay goalkeeper extended his hand to congratulate Mbappe, the French superstar swatted it away. This photo at the final whistle captures the sense of satisfaction that came pouring out after winning the match despite the questionable tactics.
___

El Paso's Laneah Bryan continues to thrive in the sport of flag football.
USA Football announced that Bryan will be part of the final roster representing the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Aug. 13-16.
The World Championship represents the final world championship before flag football and Team USA Football make their Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028.
More: Franklin High School graduate Laneah Bryan finds national success in flag football
Flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028, when the Summer Games take center stage at Los Angeles. The sport is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. and around the world.