The race for Europe | OneFootball

The Bundesliga's race to play European football in 2025/26

With the 2024/25 season on the home straight, those hoping to grab a European spot are jostling for position behind the division leaders. bundesliga.com assesses the chances of all concerned, as the likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt plot a course for the continent next season...

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They are now the 2024/25 Bundesliga champions, but it was back on Matchday 27 that  Bayern Munich guaranteed themselves a top-four finish and UEFA Champions League qualification. The outgoing champions, Bayer Leverkusen, followed suit two rounds later. It means there are still two spots up for grabs in the Champions League.

With their 1-1 draw against Mainz on Matchday 32, the third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt guaranteed themselves European football for next season. As it stands, fifth place will go into the UEFA Europa League and sixth into the UEFA Conference League play-offs. Any extra qualifier berth will depend on the outcome of the DFB Cup final between VfB Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld, and the former's final position in the Bundesliga if they lift the cup.

>>> How does European qualification work?

Eintracht Frankfurt Position: 3rdPoints: 56 (32 games)Goals: 63-43 (+20)

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Despite their form dipping up and down, it is still set to be a fine season for Dino Töppmöller's men. The Eagles have shown they have the strength as a unit to compensate for the loss of top scorer Omar Marmoush in the January transfer window and mount a serious bid for the top four, starting the new year with six matches unbeaten. Hugo Ekitiké has been a dazzling forward presence, with 15 goals for the campaign.

A commanding win over fellow top-four hopefuls Leipzig on Matchday 31 put Frankfurt well on course for UEFA Champions League football next season. A subsequent draw wasn't enough against Mainz to seal the deal, but it did mean that the side from Mainhatten would be playing some sort of European football next term. A victory - or even a draw, depending on results elsewhere - aganist St. Pauli on Sunday would be enough to secure the Eagles a top-four finish. Should that come to pass, it would be the first time Die Adler qualified for the Champions League qualification via the league in the club's history.

FreiburgPosition: 4thPoints: 52 (32 games)Goals: 46-49 (-3)

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Uncertainty was the overwhelming feeling in the Black Forest before the start of the season as Julian Schuster stepped into the sizeable coaching boots left by Christian Streich and his record-breaking time in charge. Freiburg have looked every bit the same quietly effective outfit under their new boss, however. Results have been up and down all season, but a seven-match unbeaten run during February and March lifted Freiburg up the standings at a crucial time.

The team from Breisgau now sit fourth with two games to go as they target a maiden Champions League qualification. They can guarantee a top-four finish by beating Holstein Kiel at the weekend and Borussia Dortmund lose and RB Leipzig fail to pick up three points.

>>> Find more detailled Matchday 32 permutations here!

Borussia DortmundPosition: 5th Points: 51 (32 games)Goals: 64-49 (+15)

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Early on, Dortmund had looked largely untouchable at home under former coach Nuri Şahin, but away struggles - with just one win in their first nine on the road - largely led to his departure in January. New boss Niko Kovač has been aiming to put things right so that last season's Champions League finalists can enter European competition in some shape or form next term. With Serhou Guirassy continually serving up goals, the Black & Yellows have surged up the standings with a run of five wins in their last six games to leave them well positioned going into the final two matchdays.

RB LeipzigPosition: 6thPoints: 50 (32 games)Goals: 51-45 (+6)

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A mainstay of the UEFA Champions League places since the 2017/18 season, Leipzig certainly lived up to their high standards at the start of the season. However, an extensive injury list that included a long-term layoff for star playmaker Xavi sent them on a bit of a downward spiral. Die Roten Bullen do now have their main man back firing and, with new head coach Zsolt Lőw in charge until the end of the season after the dismissal of Marco Rose at the start of April, Die Roten Bullen have their sights again on the top four. A heavy loss in Frankfurt ahead of a difficult run-in does leave those hopes on the edge, however.

MainzPosition: 7thPoints: 48 (32 games)Goals: 49-40 (+9)

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Mainz have upset the traditional domestic order to play in Europe before, doing so under the tutelage of Thomas Tuchel. Bo Henriksen is the latest man making waves in the Mainz hotseat - and what a season they are enjoying under the Dane. Wins against Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich formed part of a 10-match unbeaten home run that has put the 05ers firmly in contention for European qualification. The Carnival Club were even up to third at one point and although a top-four finish is not out of the question just yet, a run of seven games without a win has not helped. Yet, European football in some form is still very much in Mainz's hands.

Werder BremenPosition: 8thPoints: 47 (32 games)Goals: 50-56 (-6)

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Ole Werner's side have struggled for consistency over the course of the 2024/25 campaign, but time and again, they have shown that they can compete with the very best on their day. A run of four consecutive league defeats between February and March left them plummeting down the league. However, a shock victory on Matchday 25 away at champions Leverkusen started a run of five wins in six games. The Green-Whites are motoring once more and currently on a six-game unbeaten sequence that includes four victories, they could yet make the top six.

Borussia MönchengladbachPosition: 9thPoints: 45 (32 games)Goals: 55-54 (+1)

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The Foals came worryingly close to a relegation play-off at the end of 2023/24 but, thanks in large part to the arrival of star striker Tim Kleindienst, Gerardo Seoane's were looking far better equipped for a European push this time around. Inconsistency has held the Foals back from achieving greater things this term, however, as their current run of five games without a win - including three straight losses - can attest to. Although still technically possible, Gladbach's appearance in European competition next season appears highly unlikely.

>>> What does Stuttgart's DFB Cup final against Arminia Bielefeld mean for European qualification?

VfB StuttgartPosition: 10thPoints: 44 (32 games)Goals: 57-51 (+6)

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Stuttgart faced a challenging start to a campaign that kicked off without departed giants like Guirassy and Waldemar Anton. A run of six wins in eight games sent Sebastian Hoeneß's men up the standings and back into familiar territory, but last season's runners-up have now have just two wins in their last 11 Bundesliga games since victory in Dortmund. Key goal threat Deniz Undav has returned after injury issues but has struggled to fire. Nick Woltemade has impressed after emerging from the shadows, while fellow striker Ermedin Demirović, who plundered a hat-trick in the 4-0 Matchday 28 win over Bochum has helped shoulder the burden as the Swabians seek a return to Europe, which now appears more likely by winning the DFB Cup.

>>> How is the battle to stay in the Bundesliga unfolding?

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