Bundesliga finale: European qualification and survival hangs in balance
With Bayern Munich crowned champions, the final day of the German top flight will decide Champions League access and determine which clubs face the drop or a playoff.
The final day of the Bundesliga season will be defined by two high-stakes three-way contests, determining access to European competition and survival in the top flight. Stuttgart currently leads the race for the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot, holding a narrow advantage over Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen.
Stuttgart faces a difficult away fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. A victory would almost certainly secure their place in the top four. However, the outcome remains fluid; if Stuttgart drops points, Hoffenheim can claim the spot with a win against Borussia Moenchengladbach, returning to the Champions League for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Bayer Leverkusen must defeat Hamburger SV and hope for losses from both Stuttgart and Hoffenheim to secure their position.
In the relegation battle, Wolfsburg, St Pauli, and Heidenheim are level on points, with the bottom two facing automatic relegation and the 16th-placed team entering a promotion-relegation playoff. Wolfsburg, currently in 16th place, visits St Pauli. A loss for either side likely results in relegation or the loss of the playoff spot. Heidenheim, playing at home against Mainz, could leapfrog both rivals into 16th place with a victory.
The top three positions are already settled, with Bayern Munich having secured the title last month, Borussia Dortmund finishing as runner-up, and Leipzig in third. Bayern host Cologne in their final league game, where Harry Kane has scored 33 Bundesliga goals this season. Kane is 22 goals short of Robert Lewandowski’s single-season record, though Bayern have opted to prioritise his fitness for the Champions League.
Union Berlin coach Marie-Louise Eta prepares for her final match in charge of the men’s team, hosting Augsburg on Saturday. Eta, who became the first woman to head coach in any of Europe’s five biggest men’s leagues, will take over the Union Berlin women’s team next season. Meanwhile, Bayern defender Alphonso Davies suffers from a hamstring injury ahead of the World Cup, and teammate Serge Gnabry has ruled himself out of the tournament due to a thigh muscle tear.
In the second division, Schalke has already secured promotion as champions. Elversberg holds a goal-difference advantage over Hannover and Paderborn for the second promotion spot and can seal it with a win against Preussen Muenster on Sunday.
