Ten teams from the Bundesliga could play in the European Cup next season. But some conditions must be met for this to happen.
The starting position: Seven teams are definitely there
In principle, German football also has seven places in the European Cup in the 2026/27 season:
- Champions League: four Bundesliga teams in the group stage
- Europa League: the DFB Cup winner and a Bundesliga team in the group stage
- 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 |
DFB Cup: The outcome of the final can change places
The DFB Cup winner gets a place in the Europa League. The semi-final is:
- Bayer Leverkusen – Bayern Munich (April 22)
- VfB Stuttgart – SC Freiburg (April 23)
If the cup winner is already qualified for the Champions League or Europa League via the league, the Europa League place from the cup would go to the Bundesliga. The amendment – adopted later in this text – would be:
| placement | Competition |
|---|---|
Place 1 – 4 | Champions League |
Place 5 – 6 | Europa League |
7th place | Conference League |
Unlike before, the losing finalist does not have the right to start in the European Cup.
Additional places possible when winning titles
The European Cup winners are rewarded by UEFA with an automatic right to start. The places are as follows:
- The winner of the Champions League plays in the Champions League
- The winner of the Europa League also plays in the Champions League
- The winner of the Conference League plays in the Europa League
The important caveat: If the European Cup winners already occupy European Cup places in the Bundesliga, the places achieved twice go back to UEFA, which then distributes them to other countries.
This means at the current status:
- A Champions League victory for Bayern would not bring any additional place.
- A Europa League win by SC Freiburg and a win in the Conference League by 1. FSV Mainz 05 would each bring an extra place – assuming they finish behind seventh place in the Bundesliga.
Fifth place in the Champions League over UEFA season standings inside
In addition, the German teams can still earn a fifth place in the Champions League via the UEFA season rankings. The two countries whose clubs score the most points on average get an additional place in the Champions League.
In contrast to the places of the European Cup winners, this place in the Champions League is really additional for the fifth-placed team and would further postpone all other places in the Europa League and the Conference League.
For example, the Conference League place would not be forfeited if it was occupied by a European Cup winner, but would be given further down the table over the two potential European Cup winners.
How the tenth place in the table can play European
The concrete example: Freiburg wins the Europa League and comes eighth in the Bundesliga, Mainz wins the Conference League and comes ninth. The Bundesliga also gets an additional place in the Champions League.
In this case, the tenth place in the table would play in Europe.
| Place | Competition |
|---|---|
1 | Champions League |
2 | Champions League |
3 | Champions League |
4 | Champions League |
5 | Champions League |
6 | Europa League |
7 | Europa League |
8 | Champions League* |
9 | Europa League* |
10 | Conference League |
11 | – |
*Assuming that Freiburg and Mainz win their European competitions and finish in 8th and 9th place in the Bundesliga.
The theoretical maximum case: Eleven Bundesliga teams internationally
The theoretical maximum that cannot be achieved this season would be eleven European Cup participants from Germany:
- four places Champions League Bundesliga table
- one place in the Champions League UEFA season rankings
- a Champions League place for the Champions League winner, who is not allowed to achieve a European place in the Bundesliga
- a Champions League place for the Europa League winner, who is not allowed to achieve a European place in the Bundesliga
- a Europa League place for the Conference League winner, who is not allowed to achieve a European place in the Bundesliga
- a Europa League place for a Bundesliga club
- a Europa League place for the DFB Cup winner (or replacement from the Bundesliga if the DFB Cup winner has already qualified)
- one place in the Playoffs Conference League for a Bundesliga team
Fair play rating no more back door
For many years, UEFA’s Fair Play rating was a way to get a place in the first qualifying round of the Europa League. But UEFA abolished this rule a long time ago; since 2015, the fairest association has received prize money instead of a starting place.
