2023/24 Bundesliga permutations: Who can qualify for Europe, who will be relegated?
Bayer Leverkusen are already champions, four other teams are assured of UEFA Champions League football next season, while Darmstadt are confirmed as relegated. Find out which other teams' fates can be decided on Matchday 33...
Make your predictions for the remaining games to see how the table could look
Title
This is done and dusted already, with Leverkusen ending Bayern’s 11-year reign with the third-quickest title in 61 seasons of the Bundesliga on Matchday 29. The question now for the Werkself is whether they can become the first-ever unbeaten side, a dream they kept alive with a merciless 5-1 crushing of Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 32, albeit with coach Xabi Alonso having rung the changes to his starting XI.
Watch: Leverkusen’s title story
UEFA Champions League
Leverkusen also became the first team from any country to book their place in the revamped 2024/25 Champions League way back on Matchday 27.
Matchday 31 saw Bayern officially clinch their Champions League spot with a win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Borussia Dortmund's semi-final first-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain has already secured the Bundesliga a fifth Champions League qualifier berth. Therefore, VfB Stuttgart, RB Leipzig and BVB are all now also assured of Champions League football in 2024/25 regardless of what happens over the remaining matchdays.
Find out more about how the Bundesliga earned a fifth Champions League spot
Watch: The season finale!
Remaining European places
Sixth place
If Dortmund are crowned European champions this season, the team that finishes sixth in the Bundesliga would also qualify.
For now though, sixth place equals a spot in next season’s Europa League.
Frankfurt can wrap that up on Matchday 33 if:
- They win at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday
- They draw and Freiburg (who host Heidenheim on Saturday) and Hoffenheim (who go to Darmstadt on Sunday) don’t win
- Freiburg lose and Hoffenheim and Augsburg (who host Stuttgart on Friday) don’t win.
Seventh place
Currently, the team that comes seventh in this season’s Bundesliga will be in next season’s Conference League play-offs.
If Leverkusen win the DFB Cup to complete a domestic double, seventh place would then become a Europa League place with the team that finishes eighth going into the Conference League play-offs.
Frankfurt will be assured of finishing at least seventh if:
- They draw and Freiburg or Hoffenheim don’t win on Matchday 33
- 2 of the following 3 situations occur: Freiburg lose, Hoffenheim don’t win, Augsburg don’t win
Freiburg will be assured of finishing at least seventh if:
- They beat Heidenheim and Hoffenheim lose and Augsburg and Werder Bremen (who go to Leipzig on Saturday) don’t win.
More on the Bundesliga's race for Europe
Relegation
The bottom two drop down to Bundesliga 2 automatically, while third from bottom will contest the play-off against the team that finishes third in the second division.
Bottom side Darmstadt are relegated after only one season back in the top flight after their loss to fellow promoted side Heidenheim on Matchday 31. All teams down to 12th are safe, and all teams down to 14th currently cannot be automatically relegated.
Watch: Darmstadt's relegation confirmed
More on the relegation battle here
Mönchengladbach and Bochum (who host Leverkusen on Sunday) will secure top-flight survival if:
- They win
- They draw and Union Berlin (who go to Cologne on Saturday) lose or Mainz (who host Dortmund on Saturday) don’t win
- Mainz lose
Union will secure top-flight survival if:
- They win and Mainz lose
Union can finish no lower than 16th and the relegation/promotion play-off place if they don’t lose to Cologne.
Mainz can finish no lower than 16th and the relegation/promotion play-off place if:
- They win
- Cologne don’t win
Cologne will be relegated if they do not win against Union.
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