Bundesliga

What is the Bundesliga?

The Bundesliga is Germany’s top division: 18 clubs playing 34 matchdays for the Meisterschale, the champions’ shield. It is run by the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, which organises the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.^[1] [2]

How does it work?

A double round-robin decides the champion, who goes into the Champions League league phase. The bottom two are relegated automatically to 2. Bundesliga and its top two come up; the 16th-placed club plays a two-leg playoff against the second tier’s third-placed side. For 2026–27 Schalke 04 and SV Elversberg — in the top flight for the first time — came up directly and SC Paderborn beat Wolfsburg 2–1 on aggregate in the playoff, Wolfsburg’s first-ever relegation; Heidenheim and St. Pauli went down with them. The 64th season runs from 28 August 2026 to 22 May 2027.^{[1] [4] [7]}

Since when does it exist?

The DFB decided in 1962 to replace the regional Oberligen and their end-of-season championship round with a single national league, and the Bundesliga kicked off in 1963–64. Bayern Munich have dominated the modern era — nine of the ten titles to 2025–26, the exception Bayer Leverkusen’s first championship in 2023–24 — and their 2025–26 title was clinched on 19 April 2026 with a record 122 goals, Harry Kane scoring 36 of them.^[3] [4]

Champions of the last ten seasons.

Why does it matter?

The Bundesliga draws the biggest crowds in European club football: 12,947,047 spectators over 306 matches in 2025–26, an average of 42,310. Germany was fourth in UEFA’s men’s association ranking on 28 December 2025 (82.902 points), and the league sits in Band 1 of the FA’s Governing Body Endorsement criteria alongside the other big-five leagues.^{[4] [5] [6]}