After the final in the DFB Cup
Third division Bielefeld dreams of the Europa League
02.04.2025 – 11:06 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Arminia Bielefeld sensationally reached the final of the DFB Cup. A victory in Berlin would open up a completely different option for the third division club.
It is the football fairy tale of the year: third division club Arminia Bielefeld is in the final of the DFB Cup. The East Westphalia switched off on the way to the Berlin Olympic Stadium second division Hannover 96 and the Bundesliga clubs Union Berlin, SC Freiburg, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen. An incredible story at the end of which the club could even play European.
Because: The DFB Cup winner automatically qualifies for the Europa League. Bielefeld doesn’t even have to go through a qualification round. The team, which is currently still fighting for promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga, would be automatically in the group phase of the competition in a triumph in the capital.
But it is also clear: if Bielefeld loses the final, the dream of Europe bursts. Even if the possible cup winner is already qualified for European business. The rule that the loser of the final moves into the Europa League as a successor in this case has not existed since 2015.
The truth also includes: a Bielefeld cup victory would be an incredible success for the Arminia, but probably a bitter matter for the Bundesliga. Because the vacant Europa-League-Platz would possibly go to the next best Bundesliga team in a Bielefeld defeat, which is not yet qualified-provided, of course, the cup winner already has its European place.
Unlike in most past seasons, this is actually not even the case. Because the two semi -finalists Stuttgart and Leipzig are currently still fighting for the qualification for European competition in the league. VfB in particular, currently in eleventh place in the table, is worried about participating in the international business.