Can the Bundesliga clubs compete in Europe next season?

Bayern will be flying the flag for the Bundesliga in Europe again next season - Source: Pixabay

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Another Bundesliga season is over. Bayern have regained their place as the champions of Germany, winning its 12th title in 13 years. Leverkusen was unable to replicate their sensational form this year, while only a late surge from Dortmund allowed that club to think about European football next season.

That Bayern statistic might make it seem as though the Bundesliga is a foregone conclusion each year but, if anything, competition has become fiercer in recent years with no guarantee of Die Roten running away with the title. If you are looking where the best places are to bet on soccer, you may also need some extra information about German teams. The league might be increasingly competitive but Bundesliga sides have disappointed in Europe of late.

Only two Bundesliga teams have lifted a European trophy in the last five years. This season will see no German involvement in any of the three finals. For a league that prides itself on its history, tradition, and achievements of its teams, it is worrying that other leagues are now providing more champions. So, how will the Bundesliga clubs fare next season?

Champions League

As with anything to do with German football, it is Bayern Munich who has been the most successful when it comes to European club competition over the years. Six European Cup/Champions League triumphs see the club sitting behind only Milan and Real Madrid in the all-time winners list. It is with Bayern that German football’s hopes of victory usually lie.

Vincent Kompany’s side struggled this year with the new format and was eventually knocked out at the quarterfinal stage, after dispatching Leverkusen in the previous round. There is no reason why Bayern cannot do better next season though, especially if the current core of the team is bolstered by new arrivals.

Leverkusen were unable to keep up with Bayern in the Bundesliga this year but did fare slightly better in the opening phase of the Champions League. Die Werkself avoided a tricky playoff tie and was a little unlucky to come up against a familiar foe in the last eight. With Xabi Alonso and a raft of star players leaving this summer, however, Leverkusen will do well to improve on the form of the last few years.

Frankfurt are another club that have to contend with losing their best players during the campaign but a third-place finish sees them qualify for the Champions League for only the second time in the last 65 years. Recruitment will be key to any continental success but it will be more likely that Dino Toppmüller’s side prioritize the domestic league.

Dortmund is the other German representation in the Champions League next season, something that came as a surprise after some poor form earlier in the campaign. A lot can be taken from a spirited run-in that earned a top-four finish – and it is Dortmund who might stand the best chance of success, aside from Bayern, in this competition next year.

Europa League

Many people thought that it would be Leverkusen who would win the Europa League last season before the capitulation to Atalanta in the final. Frankfurt had been the only German champions since the single-game final format was brought in at the end of the 1990s – and this year’s side was expected to do well before falling to Spurs in the last eight. Hoffenheim didn’t even make the knockout rounds.

Freiburg and one of Stuttgart and Armenia Bielefeld will be the German representatives in 2025-26 and it feels as though any of these three would struggle to deal with the teams from the other big leagues. England’s Premier League will provide the favorites once again and it might be a while before a German side lifts the second most prestigious trophy in European club football again.

Conference League

Any of the clubs from the big five European leagues should expect to do well in the Conference League, given the relative financial muscle they are able to flex. But Bundesliga sides have never fared too well and this season’s representative only followed that trend.

Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt have failed to make any headway in the past and this year saw last year’s surprise team, Heidenheim, depart in the knockout playoff round. Its position will be taken by Mainz next season and the mixed fortunes of that club over the last few years suggest that we may not see any further German triumphs in the Conference League either.
 

Dortmund fans will have more confidence after their side's impressive run-in. Photo: Unsplash

The future of German clubs in Europe

Although the Bundesliga has consistently proven itself to be one of the most competitive in Europe – especially among the big five – there is still not a lot of confidence in a German club winning one of the European club competitions. Those sides who sneak into either the Europa or Conference League cannot usually compete with their counterparts from Spain and England.

Ironically, given the wealth gap between most of the top Bundesliga clubs and the ultra-rich of England, Spain, and France, it is the Champions League where the best hope of German success lies. As usual, all eyes will be on Bayern, but Dortmund has enough of a pedigree in the competition to make an impression, especially if the club recruits wisely in the summer.

Bundesliga fans will be watching teams from other countries compete in all three European finals over the next month – and many of the clubs in the domestic league will need to do something very special next year if that isn’t to be the case in 2026 as well.