Waldhof Mannheim beats Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-1 in 3. Liga opener FAST-MOVING

On 7 August 2026 the SV Waldhof Mannheim opened the 3. Liga season at the Carl‑Benz‑Stadion, defeating recently relegated Fortuna Düsseldorf 2–1 before about 19 000 spectators. Vincent Thill gave Mannheim the lead in the 18th minute, and Julian Ulbricht doubled the advantage in the 48th minute.

Fortuna’s Fabian Schleusener scored in the 56th minute and later struck the post in the 81st minute. A key controversy arose when Mannheim defender Lukas Klünter held Schleusener in the early minutes, but referee Fabienne Michel did not award a red card. Michel later acknowledged the foul after reviewing television footage. Fortuna coach Alexander Ende criticised the “brutally poor first half” and the missed disciplinary action. Waldhof coach Rui Mota celebrated the win, noting his use of hand signals to communicate with players during the noisy match.

The match was broadcast live on Magenta Sport, MagentaTV and OneFootball.