Cottbus celebrates. © Social Media / fc_energie_cottbus_official

2nd Bundesliga ahoy! Straudi is promoted with Cottbus.

Energie Cottbus is back in the 2nd Bundesliga – and Simon Straudi is promoted with them. The player from Puster Valley was able to celebrate on Saturday after the 1-0 victory in Regensburg.

16 May 2026

From: do

For Simon Straudi and Energie Cottbus, the dream is complete: The East German club won 1-0 away at Jahn Regensburg on the final matchday of the 3. Liga, thus securing direct promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. Cottbus finishes the season in second place with 72 points – behind champions VfL Osnabrück and ahead of Duisburg.

Jannis Bozaris scored the decisive goal in the 28th minute. Cottbus then defended their narrow lead until the final whistle, securing the away victory. Cottbus didn't even necessarily need to win on the final matchday. Their pursuers, Duisburg, could only manage a 1-1 draw against Viktoria Köln, thus missing the opportunity to put pressure on the automatic promotion spot.

Simon Straudi was right in the thick of things. © Steve Seiffert

For Straudi, who played the full 90 minutes at right-back, the promotion is a remarkable chapter in a turbulent season. The 26-year-old from Puster Valley was initially without a club after Austria Klagenfurt's relegation before signing with Energie Cottbus in mid-September. After a difficult start, the South Tyrolean fought his way into the team – and can now celebrate promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.