The 2025–26 Bundesliga will be the 63rd season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier professional football league. Organized by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), the season is scheduled to commence in August 2025 and conclude in May 2026. The league champion will be crowned the German football champion, and teams will also compete for qualification to various UEFA club competitions and to avoid relegation to the 2. Bundesliga.
Overview
The Bundesliga operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga. The 2025–26 season will feature 18 teams. Each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once away, resulting in a total of 34 matchdays. Points are awarded for wins (3 points), draws (1 point), and losses (0 points). The team with the most points at the end of the season is crowned champion.Competition Format
- League Structure: 18 teams compete in a double round-robin format.
- Championship: The team finishing first in the league table is awarded the Meisterschale (championship shield) and qualifies for the UEFA Champions League.
- European Qualification:
- The top four teams typically qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.
- The fifth-placed team generally qualifies for the UEFA Europa League group stage.
- The sixth-placed team may qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round, depending on the DFB-Pokal winner.
- Further European qualification spots can be influenced by the winner of the DFB-Pokal (German Cup), with the winner typically qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. If the DFB-Pokal winner has already qualified for a European competition through their league position, the spot is reallocated based on league standings.
- Relegation:
- The teams finishing 17th and 18th are automatically relegated to the 2. Bundesliga.
- The team finishing 16th enters a two-legged play-off against the third-placed team from the 2. Bundesliga, with the winner securing a place in the Bundesliga for the following season.
- Tie-breaking Criteria: If teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in the following order: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, head-to-head goals scored, away goals in head-to-head, total away goals, total away goal difference.
Participating Teams
The specific 18 teams participating in the 2025–26 Bundesliga will be determined at the conclusion of the 2024–25 season. This will include the 15 teams that avoid automatic relegation or the relegation play-off, plus the two automatically promoted teams from the 2. Bundesliga, and the winner of the promotion/relegation play-off.Key Dates
- Season Start: August 2025 (exact date to be confirmed)
- Winter Break: Typically late December to mid-January.
- Season End: May 2026 (exact date to be confirmed)