In addition to competing for the Bundesliga title, teams in Germany’s top-flight football qualify for three other competitions in Europe- UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL) and the UEFA Conference League.
Apart from prestige, European competitions come with lucrative offers of extra revenue for the clubs. In terms of hierarchy and prestige, the Champions League occupies the top spot, followed by the Europa League and the relatively-new Conference League.
Here is how qualification for European competitions happen in Bundesliga
UEFA Champions League
Germany has been allotted four automatic Champions League group-stage berths since the 2018-19 season. This effectively means the top four teams will qualify for Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
If any club wins the UCL, then that club gains automatic qualification into the competition for the next season, irrespective of its league position.
Hans-Dieter Flick, then Head Coach of FC Bayern Munich celebrates with the UEFA Champions League Trophy following his team’s victory in the UEFA Champions League Final match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on August 23, 2020 in Lisbon, Portugal. | Photo Credit: Miguel A. Lopes/Pool via Getty Images
Another way of gaining direct entry into the Champions League is by winning the Europa League. Any team that wins the Europa League, will qualify for the Champions League, even if it finishes outside the top four in the standings. For example, in the 2021-22 season, Eintracht Frankfurt finished 11th in the league standings but won the Europa League, which meant it gained direct qualification for the group-stages of the 2022-23 Champions League season. This meant that the Champions League had five teams from the Bundesliga for the first time this season.
Under normal circumstances, teams gaining UCL qualification via the Europa League route do not come at the expense of the top-four teams. However, it should be noted that under UEFA guidelines, there cannot be more than five teams from the same association. Therefore, in the unlikely event that the UCL and UEL are both won by Bundesliga teams, but both teams finish outside the top four in the league standings, then the team in fourth place would not qualify and instead compete in the Europa League group stage. This would mean an extra Europa League place.
UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League
Usually, the team that finishes fifth in the league standings and the one that wins the DFB Cup, qualify for the Europa League group stages, with the sixth-placed team going to the Conference League playoff spot.
However, if the DFB Cup champion already finishes in the top six of the Bundesliga, then the sixth-placed team will qualify for the Europa League group stages and the seventh-placed team going to the Conference League play-off. The DFB Cup runner-up does not enjoy any benefits should the winner have already qualified.
For example, in the 2021-22 season, RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg were supposed to battle it out for the DFB Cup, but both teams were already assured of top-six finishes. This meant that regardless of the final result, the seventh-placed team (Cologne) went to the Conference League play-offs. Union Berlin and Freiburg, who finished in fifth and sixth respectively, qualified for the Europa League group stages for the 2022-23 season.
Current qualification scenario
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Union Berlin currently occupy the top four spots in the Bundesliga standings.
As things stand, with all teams having three matches remaining in the season, Bayern and Dortmund, which are embroiled in a title race, have assured themselves of a Champions League spot.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund occupy the top two spots in the Bundesliga standings this season, with the former enjoying a one-point lead over the latter at the top. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/Lars Baron
However, the equation starts getting tighter below the top two. Leipzig is third with 57 points, followed by Berlin and Freiburg in fourth and fifth- both teams having 56 points. But, Berlin stays above Freiburg courtesy of a better goal-difference. With three more gameweeks to go, it remains to be seen which team bags the final UCL spot and who qualifies for Europa League.
Eintracht Frankfurt will play the DFB Cup final against RB Leipzig on June 3. With Frankfurt in ninth, it is impossible for the club to even finish in a Europa League spot. However, as explained above, it can gain direct entry into the group stages by winning the DFB Cup. RB Leipzig is almost assured of a top-four finish mathematically. If it wins the DFB Cup, then the sixth-placed team (Bayer Leverkusen at the moment) will qualify for the Europa League group stages and the seventh-placed team VfL Wolfsburg, for the Conference League play-offs.
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