The race for Europe goes down to the wire | OneFootball

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

With one round of fixtures left to play in 2024/25, Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund are vying for two UEFA Champions League spots, while Mainz and RB Leipzig will battle it out to compete in Europe at all next season.

WANT MORE NEWS LIKE THIS? FIND MORE ARTICLES ON THE OFFICIAL BUNDESLIGA APP.

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 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.

In what could prove to be a winner-takes-all fixture on the final day, fourth-placed Freiburg host third-placed Frankfurt. Dortmund in fifth host already relegated Holstein Kiel at the same time. Only two of those three in contention can ultimately qualify for the Champions League for 2025/26.

Fifth place will go into the UEFA Europa League and sixth into the UEFA Conference League play-offs. Germany's final European berth will go to the winner of the DFB Cup final between VfB Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld. They will enter the Europa League's league phase.

Mainz in sixth are tied on points with Leipzig in seventh. They host Leverkusen and Stuttgart respectively in what is essentially a shootout to get into Europe via the Conference League, unless Dortmund were to slip up and open the door to the Europa League.

>>> How does European qualification work?

Eintracht Frankfurt Position: 3rdPoints: 57 (33 games)Goals: 65-45 (+20)

Last 5 results:

Final match:

It looked set to be a fine and historic campaign for Dino Töppmöller's men. The Eagles showed 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 Champions League football next season. However, they have hit a blip at just the wrong time, with back-to-back draws against Mainz and then St. Pauli meaning a top-four finish is not yet in the bag. Their fate remains in their own hands, with a win at Freiburg enough to do the job, but what looked like being the club's first Champions League via the league in their history could still fall through their fingers.

FreiburgPosition: 4thPoints: 55 (33 games)Goals: 48-50 (-2)

Last 5 results:

Final match:

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 one game to go as they target a maiden Champions League qualification. They face direct rivals Eintracht Frankfurt on the final day, knowing a win will guarantee their place in the competition.

>>> Find more detailled Matchday 34 permutations here!

Borussia DortmundPosition: 5th Points: 54 (33 games)Goals: 68-51 (+15)

Last 5 results:

Final match:

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.

A run of six wins in their last seven games has seen them surge up the standings to fifth. They will guarantee continental football with a draw against Kiel, but a win by multiple goals would see their seemingly improbable push for the Champions League become a reality at the expense of Frankfurt or Freiburg.

MainzPosition: 6thPoints: 51 (33 games)Goals: 53-41 (+12)

Last 5 results:

Remaining match:

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 in pole position for European qualification.

The Carnival Club were even up to third at one point, and although a top-four finish is now out of the question, European football in some form - likely the Conference League - is still very much in Mainz's hands.

RB LeipzigPosition: 7thPoints: 51 (33 games)Goals: 51-45 (+6)

Last 5 results:

Final match:

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.

Zsolt Lőw was pleced in charge until the end of the season after the dismissal of Marco Rose at the start of April, but there's a real risk it won't be enough. The Champions League is already out of reach, and Leipzig have work to do - and need help from elsewhere - if they are to even compete in Europe at all next season.

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

LIKED THE ARTICLE? FIND MORE ARTICLES ON THE OFFICIAL BUNDESLIGA APP.