When distributing places for the 2025/26 season in the Champions League, in the Europa League and in the Conference League, there is more and more clarity in the Bundesliga.
In principle, German football also has seven places in the European Cup in the 2025/26 season:
- Champions League: Four Bundesliga teams in the group phase
- Europa League: The DFB Cup winner and a Bundesliga team in the group phase
- Europe Conference League: A Bundesliga team in the playoffs
So the distribution is:
| placement | Competition |
|---|---|
Place 1 – 4 | Champions League |
5th place | Europa League |
6th place | Conference League (playoffs) |
Cup winner | Europa League |
In addition, the German teams could have earned a fifth starting place in the Champions League about the UEFA season rating. In the current season, the Bundesliga also benefited from this regulation in addition to Serie A. The Premier League and La Liga have won the two additional places for the coming season.
DFB Cup: final this time without effect
The DFB Cup winner gets a place in the Europa League. VfB Stuttgart has not reached any place in the Bundesliga in the Champions League or in the Europa League, Arminia Bielefeld is still a third division this season. This makes it clear that in addition to the DFB Cup, a place in the Europa League is also played in the final in Berlin.
The inferior finalist in the DFB Cup is in any case empty, which has been in place since the beginning of the 2015/16 season – VfB Stuttgart made it into the Europa League in 2013 as a subordinated cup finalist.
Further places in the Champions League only possible when winning the title
If a team from the Bundesliga had won a European competition and at the same time completed in the Bundesliga table outside of international places, further places would have been added.
But all Bundesliga teams have left the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League, so it remains with seven European participants from Germany.
The theoretical maximum case: eleven Bundesliga clubs internationally
The theoretical maximum, which is not available this season, would be eleven European Cup participants from Germany:
- Four places Champions League Bundesliga table
- A Platz Champions League UEFA season rankings
- A Platz Champions League for the Champions League winner who is not allowed to reach a European place in the Bundesliga
- A Platz Champions League for the Europa League winner who is not allowed to reach a European place in the Bundesliga
- A Platz Europa League for the Conference League winner, who is not allowed to reach a European place in the Bundesliga
- A European League place for a Bundesliga club
- A Europe League for the DFB Cup winner (or replacement from the Bundesliga if the DFB Cup winner is already qualified)
- A Playoffs Conference League for a Bundesliga club
Fair Play rating No more back door
For many years, the UEFA fair play rating was a way to get a starting place in the first qualification round of the Europa League. But this rule has been abolished for a long time, the fairest association has received prize money instead of the starting place since 2015.