The German Bundesliga: Format, Promotion, Relegation Playoff and European Places
What is the Bundesliga?
The Bundesliga is the top division of German football, with a season consisting of 18 clubs and 34 matchdays. This is smaller than, for example, the Premier League, Serie A, and La Liga, which each have 20 teams. Therefore, each Bundesliga club plays two matches against 17 opponents. You can see the schedule of upcoming matches and place bets on them if you decide to join VivatBet. The betting line for the top division of German football is very broad there. The 18-team format, however, makes for a shorter and more compact schedule than most other Big Five leagues.
Another interesting fact is that the Bundesliga is one of the Big Five leading European championships. The league was founded in 1962, with the inaugural season taking place in 1963/64. Today, the tournament has become one of the largest in terms of stadium attendance. Average attendance remains at around 43,000 spectators per match. This is due to the spacious arenas and strong club culture.
History: Regional Leagues to the Bundesliga
Before the creation of the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football was divided among regional Oberligen. At that time, there were five of them. They covered the North, West, South, Southwest, and Berlin. From these zones, the best clubs advanced to the final stage of the national championship.
By the early 1960s, this model was considered outdated. In 1962, the decision was made to create a nationwide Bundesliga. The new model united the country's leading clubs in a single table. The first full season took place in 1963/64, with 1. FC Köln crowned champion.
The first years of the new league were characterized by a high turnover of champions. After Köln, titles were won by Werder Bremen, 1860 München, Eintracht Braunschweig, and 1. FC Nürnberg. Legendary Bayern München only won their first championship in the 1968/69 season. Since then, the Munich club has become the tournament's record-holder. Today, they have 34 championships to their credit, a feat unlikely to remain unchanged for long.
How the Season Works (incl. winter break)
The German top division season runs from August to May. The format is a double round-robin, meaning 18 clubs play each other twice (home and away). Due to the smaller field, the calendar is slightly shorter, consisting of only 34 rounds. For example, the Premier League guide considers a 38-round season, typical for a league with a larger field (20 clubs).
A separate feature of the calendar is the Bundesliga winter break. It occurs in December–January and lasts approximately 4–6 weeks. This is practically unique among the Big Five. Other leagues do not use such a long official mid-season break.
In cases of tied points, additional criteria are used to determine teams' positions in the table. They are applied sequentially. Each criterion is considered only if the previous one does not separate the teams:
Overall goal difference;
Total number of goals scored;
Head-to-head record.
How Clubs Get Promoted to the Bundesliga
To understand how Bundesliga promotion works, you need to look at the final 2. Bundesliga table. The top two teams from the second division are promoted directly. The third-place team advances to a two-legged playoff against the 16th-place team in the top division. The winner is determined on aggregate.
This is a rather unique playoff model. Unlike the mechanics described in the Italian Serie A guide, a top-tier team participates. If the third-place team manages to knock out the current Bundesliga team, it is promoted to the top division the following season.
For example, in the 2025/26 season, Schalke 04 and Elversberg received automatic promotion after finishing 1st and 2nd in the 2. Bundesliga. Paderborn secured the third promotion spot by defeating Wolfsburg, the 16th-place team in the top division, in the playoffs.
Relegation and the Playoff — The Bundesliga Unique
Most of the Big Five leagues have automatic relegation for the bottom three teams, but the Bundesliga is different in this regard. The German championship automatically relegates only the bottom two teams (17th and 18th place). The club in 16th place has a chance to retain its place through the Bundesliga relegation playoff. Its opponent is the team that finished third in the second division, and the playoff itself consists of two very intense matches, making it ideal for football betting:
The first leg takes place at the stadium of a Bundesliga club;
The return leg is at the stadium of a team from the 2. Bundesliga;
The winner is determined by the aggregate score of the two legs;
The away goals rule is not used;
If the aggregate score is still tied after 90 minutes of the return leg, extra time is played;
If the tie remains after this period, a penalty shootout is held.
This mechanism differs from those offered by the Premier League, Serie A, and the system described in the Spanish La Liga guide. This was demonstrated in practice during the 2025/26 season. FC St. Pauli finished 18th and Heidenheim 17th, and both were relegated directly. Wolfsburg finished 16th and played Paderborn, but lost 2-1 on aggregate. As a result, Paderborn was promoted to the Bundesliga, while Wolfsburg was relegated.
European Competition Spots
For the 2026/27 season, Germany retained the standard quota of four Champions League spots. The country did not receive an additional EPS slot. Therefore, Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund, and two other teams will participate in Europe's premier competition. The remaining spots, in addition to the 1st–4th places, were distributed as follows:
5th place – Europa League;
DFB-Pokal winner – Europa League;
The next available position in the table – Conference League.
If the German Cup winner has already qualified for the Champions League via the Bundesliga, the quota is redistributed. The next eligible club in the table receives the spot. Because of this, positions outside the top four can have different meanings. For those analyzing matches for long-term sports betting, this is a very important criterion. One position can change a club's European path.
Record Champions and the 2025/26 Season
Bayern München is the Bundesliga's all-time record holder. This Munich club won its 34th championship title in the 2025/26 season, securing first place with four games to go.
However, Bayern's dominance is evident beyond just this past season. In the past five years, only one other club has won the title:
2025/26 - Bayern München;
2024/25 - Bayern München;
2023/24 - Bayer Leverkusen, the club's first title;
2022/23 - Bayern München;
2021/22 - Bayern München.
Will the 2026/27 season bring another Munich victory or will we see a new champion? We'll find out very soon. You can follow the contenders' current form and statistics through the mobile app. Match data and betting odds for each match are available there. Long-term odds can also be used to determine who is the favorite this year.
