The Bundesliga – the elite German competition
The Bundesliga is the leading professional football league in Germany. Founded in 1963, the Bundesliga was created by clubs in Germany. Germany is ranked 4th among the world's football leagues. Teams in the Bundesliga play each other 34 times, once home and once away, totalling 306 matches. A team is awarded 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. If the teams have the same number of points, the number of wins, goal difference, and other factors become decisive.
The leading teams in the league
As of 2023, Bayern Munich has won the most titles in the Bundesliga, 33 in total. The club last won the competition in the 2022/23 season, defeating Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season. In addition to Bayern Munich, teams such as Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, and Schalke 04 stand out in the league's history and are among the league's elite group.
Bundesliga schedule for next season
In the upcoming Bundesliga season, 18 teams will fight for the right to be called the best in the country. These 18 teams include the 15 teams that finished in the best position last season and the two or three teams from Bundesliga 2. The 16th-placed team in the Bundesliga will play the knockout matches against the third team from Bundesliga 2 to determine which of them will stay or move up to the top division.
Other than that, the two teams have successfully made their way through the 2. Bundesliga and have earned their place in the elite division. These two teams are Darmstadt 98 and Geidenheim. Both teams are not new to the Bundesliga and will return to Germany's premier football arena after some time away.
Pathways to Entry: Bundesliga and European Competitions
In the Bundesliga, the pinnacle of German football, teams compete for the national title and places in European tournaments. Teams finishing 1st to 4th in the Bundesliga directly qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Those finishing in 5th place ensure participation in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. The team finishing in 6th place qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League. If the winner of the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) finishes in the top 6 of the Bundesliga, the team in 7th place also qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Regarding relegation, the 17th and 18th place teams are directly relegated and will play in the 2. Bundesliga the following season. The team in 16th place plays the knockout matches with the third team of the 2. Bundesliga. The winner of this pairing stays (or is promoted) in the Bundesliga, while the loser is relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.
The best players in the Bundesliga
The Bundesliga's all-time top scorer is Gerd Müller, who scored 365 goals, all for Bayern Munich. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season, with 40 goals in the 1971-1972 season. He is the only player to win the league's top scorer prize in four different seasons. The tournament has a total prize fund of €1.16 billion, with the winner receiving €76.47 million.