Elversberg Stun Leverkusen on Bundesliga Debut Night to Remember
SV Elversberg beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 at home on 29 August 2026, winning their first-ever Bundesliga match in front of 9,307 fans at the Ursapharm-Arena (The Guardian).
Lukas Petkov and Cole Campbell scored within 60 seconds of each other to put the newcomers 2-0 up before the ten-minute mark. David Mokwa added a third early in the second half, and from there Elversberg were 3-0 up against a club that won the 2024 Bundesliga title without losing a single game.
Leverkusen, under new head coach Carles Martínez Novell — who took over from Kasper Hjulmand in the summer after leaving French side Toulouse — pulled two back late through Patrik Schick and Christian Kofane. It was not enough.
Elversberg is a town of roughly 13,000 people, the smallest settlement ever to host a Bundesliga side. The Ursapharm-Arena is currently operating at reduced capacity while upgrades are carried out to meet Bundesliga stadium standards. Those 9,307 fans, packed into a ground still being built to fit the top flight, watched their team score three past the unbeaten champions of two seasons ago.
Miron Muslić is the head coach who led them into this season. Elversberg had already tasted success against Leverkusen before — a 4-3 DFB-Pokal win (the German cup competition) back in 2022 — but this was something different: three points in the country's top division, on the opening night.
There was no shortage of drama elsewhere in Germany. RB Leipzig beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 at home, with Christopher Nkunku setting up a goal on his return to the club. Ridle Baku scored against the run of play in the first half and Antonio Nusa added a stunning finish after the break. Leipzig's head coach Martín Demichelis, taking charge of his first Bundesliga match, said "I'll never forget today" (Bundesliga.com).
Union Berlin came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Eintracht Frankfurt, where Younes Ebnoutalib scored a hat-trick — three goals by one player in a single match — only for Tim Skarke to equalise in the third minute of stoppage time. Cologne beat Hoffenheim 3-2, substitute Thijs Dallinga scoring twice and Said El Mala adding a solo effort as Cologne came from behind twice. Mainz and promoted Paderborn played out a 0-0 draw. Borussia Dortmund also cruised to victory on the same evening (Reuters).
In Italy, Juventus beat Parma 2-0 for back-to-back Serie A wins, with second-half goals from substitutes Nicolás González and Teun Koopmeiners. Fiorentina's centenary celebrations were spoiled by a 3-0 home defeat to promoted Frosinone, Antonio Raimondo scoring twice and Gabriele Bracaglia once.
In France's Ligue 1, Strasbourg came from behind to beat Lens 2-1, Gessime Yassine scoring twice after Florian Thauvin had converted a first-half penalty.
What makes Elversberg's win stand out is the scale of it. A club from a town smaller than many village football grounds, playing in a stadium still being rebuilt to meet the grade, beating the unbeaten champions of recent memory on their very first night in the Bundesliga. Football writes fewer scripts better than this one.
