The strong performance so far in international competitions could earn the Bundesliga another starting place in the Champions League for the 2024/25 season.
Because from next year there will be 36 instead of 32 participants in the premier class, new opportunities are opening up. Two of the four new places will go to the nations with the best UEFA annual club coefficient for the current 2023/24 season.
According to the European Football Union, Germany (12,642) is in second place in the ranking at the winter break, behind Italy (12,857) and just ahead of Spain (12,187) and England (11,875). With the exception of Union Berlin, all Bundesliga teams managed to survive the winter in the European Cup. FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig continue to play in the premier class. Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg spend the winter in the Europa League, Eintracht Frankfurt is still in the Conference League.
The direct rivals England (Manchester United and Newcastle United) and Spain (CA Osasuna and FC Sevilla) have each already lost two clubs. Italy with seven teams and France with six teams will still be fully present in 2024.
A fifth Champions League starter would not be a novelty for Germany; that already happened in the 2022/23 season. The reason at that time was Frankfurt’s Europa League victory, which secured them a premier class ticket. In the event that Leverkusen or Freiburg wins the Europa League in May 2024 and does not buy a direct ticket through the Bundesliga, six German starters in the Champions League would even be possible in 2024/25.
