In the fight for the German Football Championship, for the European Cup places or against relegation to League Two, things can sometimes get really tight. Namely, if at the end of the season two or the total of 18 teams in each league in the table have the same number of points.
What happens in such a case? The German Football League has listed the criteria for determining placement in the event of a tie in its playing regulations. They apply in both upper divisions and are used in the following order if two teams have the same number of points:
If the number of all goals scored away from home is also the same, the game regulations provide for a playoff on a neutral pitch as the sixth criterion, the outcome of which is then decisive for the placement. In the event of a draw after a possible extra time, a penalty shootout would decide the victory.
However, in more than 50 years of Bundesliga history, such a playoff has never had to be played. However, it has already happened that it is not just the number of points that decides the championship, for example in the 1983/1984 season. At that time, three teams, VfB Stuttgart, Hamburger SV and Borussia Mönchengladbach, finished the season after matchday 34 with 48:20 points each (the two-point rule still applied). VfB Stuttgart became champions ahead of HSV solely due to the better goal difference.
