The Bundesliga is the highest football league in Germany. This German league has eighteen clubs, so there are 34 rounds of play every year. At the end of these 34 rounds of the game, it is clear which teams are eligible for European football places. The champion will automatically participate in the Champions League. Furthermore, after 34 rounds of play, it is known which teams will be relegated or have to enter the play-off to secure their place in the Bundesliga for another year. Only the team that finishes in sixteenth place will play different games for life preservation in the play-off.

History of the Bundesliga

The Bundesliga was entered on July 28, 1962, following a decision by the German Football Association. The Bundesliga was initially only competition for clubs from West Germany. From 1991/92 East Germany also joined after reunification with West Germany.

Until the year 1920, the Bundesliga, as we know it today, was called the Bezirksliga. This name was soon changed to Kreisliga. In the early 1930s, there was a riot in Northern Germany after which some clubs from Hamburg founded their own league.

In 1933 the NSDAP came to power and immediately abolished the Kreisliga. In its place came the Gauliga. The regional football associations were dissolved. The Gauliga, which consisted of sixteen regional competitions, each received a champion who had to decide who could call themselves the champion of Germany. In the battle for the national championship, the teams were divided into groups of four. The winners advanced to the semi-finals and finally the final.

After the Second World War, the Gauliga was also abolished, and the Oberliga was introduced. There were only five regional ranges: Süd, Nord, West, Südwest and Berlin. Eight teams qualified for the final round, which was played in the group stage. Two groups of four teams and the winners of these groups played for the national championship. After the Oberliga, the Bundesliga was introduced in 1963.

Promotion and relegation in the Bundesliga

Of course, every club wants to participate in the European tickets. Still, for the lesser Bundesliga teams, preservation is seen as the ultimate achievement. The numbers seventeen and eighteen of the Bundesliga are relegated directly to the 2. Bundesliga. The team that finishes in sixteenth place will compete in play-off matches with the number three of the 2—Bundesliga for body preservation.

Bayern Munich supreme in the Bundesliga

FC Bayern Munich holds the record for the number of times that they become national champions. With currently 30 titles, they are far ahead of teams such as Borussia Dortmund (5), Borussia Mönchengladbach (5) and Werder Bremen (4). All other teams have 28 titles together, showing how supreme Bayern Munich is in Germany. Bayern Munich continues to show that they are leading in recent seasons. The club has won eight consecutive championships; from 2013 to 2020.