Stuttgart, Hanover return to German first division

16:36 - 21 May 2017

VfB Stuttgart's forward Takuma Asano (C) is celebrated by fans after the German second division team was promoted to the Bundesliga on May 21, 2017

It is an immediate return to the top flight for Stuttgart and Hanover after both were relegated last season.

Stuttgart and Hanover 96 will be back in the Bundesliga next season after sealing their promotion from the second division on Sunday.

Stuttgart's 4-1 thrashing of Wuerzberg confirmed them as second division champions, two points clear of Hanover, whose 1-1 draw at Sandhausen was enough to finish ahead of Eintracht Braunschweig.

Third-placed Braunschweig could still join them in Germany's top flight for the 2017/18 campaign.

Braunschweig face 2009 German champions Wolfsburg, who finished third from bottom in the Bundesliga, in a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off on May 25 and 29.