Here to stay: SC Paderborn in profile

The newly promoted side from East Westphalia visit the MEWA ARENA on Saturday

SC Paderborn 07 in the 2026/27 season (Photo: IMAGO/Christian Schroedter).

SC Paderborn are back among the top 18 clubs in German football. In 2015 and 2020, they finished bottom of the table and were immediately relegated back to the second division. Now, at the third attempt, the East Westphalians finally want to stay up. Given the sporting strength and, above all, financial power of the competition, that will once again be no easy task. Nevertheless, Paderborn are approaching the season with confidence. “We are looking forward to the great challenge of the Bundesliga and want to write history together. We are convinced that we are competitive and can hold our own,” sporting director Sebastian Lange recently said at a press conference.

We take a closer look at the team led by successful head coach Ralf Kettemann, who will visit the already sold-out home sections of the MEWA ARENA on Saturday (15:30, live on Sky, DAZN and 05ER.fm) for the opening match of the 2026/27 season.

Promotion:

At the end of last season, SCP finished third in the second division with 62 points, qualifying for the promotion/relegation play-off for a place in the Bundesliga. After a goalless draw in Wolfsburg, the return leg in front of 15,000 spectators at the Home Deluxe Arena could hardly have been more dramatic. Laurin Curda scored the decisive goal in extra time after 100 minutes to make it 2-1. After six years in the second and third tiers, Paderborn had sealed their return to the top flight and celebrated accordingly, just as head coach Kettemann had creatively announced in a TV interview after the game: “We’re going to properly tear it up tonight, tomorrow as well, and probably the day after that too.”

Dritter Aufstieg der Vereinsgeschichte: In der Relegation setzten sich die Paderborner gegen Wolfsburg durch (Foto: IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel).

The head coach:

In his first season as head coach of SC Paderborn, and in his first job in professional football overall, Ralf Kettemann achieved promotion, something his predecessors Steffen Baumgart and Lukas Kwasniok had not managed in the previous five seasons. Before his time in East Westphalia, the 40-year-old spent four years as U19 head coach at Karlsruher SC’s academy and led his team to the final of the DFB-Pokal der Junioren in the 2024/25 season, where they lost 2-0 to Werder Bremen. Before becoming a coach, Kettemann played professionally for Stuttgarter Kickers and VfR Aalen in the Regionalliga and third division. He was forced to end his playing career early in 2011 due to injuries.

The Paderborn head coach is regarded as an approachable, mate-like figure, empathetic, socially skilled and with clear ideas about what he wants his players to bring onto the pitch. Above all, the 40-year-old places great importance on an active style of play, with all players constantly available for a pass and eager to have the ball. That is exactly how the football of the second division’s third-best attack looked last season, both in and out of possession: intense and with a high level of running.

Kettemann himself is just as impulsive and active in his coaching on the touchline. At the same time, he is considered a reflective person, works with a life coach and once spent three days at a retreat on the North Sea during an international break in March in order to calm down and reset.

Ralf Kettemann an der Seitenlinie (Foto: IMAGO/ Agentur 54 Grad).

The squad:

After promotion, several key players attracted interest from other clubs. Filip Bilbija, last season’s top scorer with 15 goals, moved to England’s Championship with Derby County. Mika Baur joined Celtic, goalkeeper Dennis Seimen returned to VfB Stuttgart after his loan spell, and Calvin Brackelmann is now under contract at FC Augsburg.

Sixteen new signings have changed the face of the squad. In Nahuel Noll from TSG Hoffenheim, Paderborn have brought in another goalkeeping talent on loan. Former Mainz 05 player Gabriel Vidovic, who joined from Zagreb, is among those expected to help compensate for Bilbija’s departure. Beyond that, SCP have mainly added talented players with experience in the second and third divisions. Captain Felix Götze in defence, as well as Sven Michel and Steffen Tigges in attack, bring the greatest experience. Laurin Curda, a key player and one of the faces of promotion, has, as things stand, stayed with the club. As a dynamic and goal-threatening wide player, he could be an important piece in Kettemann’s puzzle.

In der vergangenen Saison, hier beim Pokalspiel gegen die Bayern, noch im 05-Dress: Paderborn-Neuzugang Gabriel Vidovic.

Pre-season and competitive opener:

Paderborn played a total of eight friendlies during their summer preparations. They came out on top six times, including in a double-header against 1. FC Köln, as well as against Hannover 96 and VfL Osnabrück. SCP drew once against Bremen and only lost to 1. FC Magdeburg. Beyond the results themselves, Kettemann was pleased with the defensive side of things. In attack, however, there was still room for improvement, especially in terms of efficiency. Injuries to players such as Sven Michel, Felix Götze, Nick Bätzner, Timur Gayret and Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant also somewhat clouded the overall picture.

In the first round of the DFB-Pokal, SCP won 4-2 away to Regionalliga Nord side Phönix Lübeck. “We weren’t good defensively today, allowed too much and I would have liked more efficiency going forward. We had to fight a little, but we are in the second round of the DFB-Pokal, and that’s what counts,” Kettemann said afterwards.

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