With Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg advancing to the semi-finals of their respective international competitions, the successes of these two Bundesliga clubs are fueling hopes for a fifth Champions League spot for Germany’s top flight next season.
Despite Mainz 05’s exit from the Conference League after a 0-4 defeat to Strasbourg in the quarter-finals, Germany managed to gain ground on Spain in the annual UEFA rankings during the recent European club competition week.
Spain currently holds the second position with 21.406 points, but Germany is close behind with 21.214 points. The top two associations each season are rewarded with an additional Champions League qualification spot. The advancement of Bayern Munich to the Champions League semi-finals, following their 4-3 aggregate victory over Real Madrid, and SC Freiburg’s convincing progress in the Europa League with a 3-1 win against Celta Vigo, could prove invaluable for the Bundesliga.
In direct encounters, two Spanish rivals were eliminated: Real Madrid and Celta Vigo. Furthermore, FC Barcelona was knocked out of the Champions League in a domestic tie against Atletico Madrid. Betis Sevilla also fell short in the Europa League quarter-finals, losing to Sporting Braga.
The only remaining Spanish representative in European competitions besides Atletico is Rayo Vallecano. The team narrowly advanced in the Conference League against AEK Athens, despite a 1-3 loss in the second leg, thanks to their 3-0 victory in the first leg.
BVB Benefited Greatly Two Years Ago
Bayer Leverkusen stands to be a significant beneficiary of this improved standing. The Werkself is currently fifth in the Bundesliga table, four points behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig. This mirrors the situation for BVB about two years ago, with the key difference being that Borussia was primarily responsible for their own success then. By reaching the Champions League final against Real Madrid, Dortmund managed to avert a financial catastrophe that would have resulted from significant financial losses.
Eintracht Frankfurt, currently in seventh place, would also benefit, as the qualification spots for the Europa League and Conference League would shift down by one place each.