By Ben McFadyean.

The Bundesliga won seven European slots in 24/25 based on its good performances in the 23/24 campaign, including BVB’s reaching the Champions League final.

However, German clubs have had a largely poor campaign this season. At the last-16 stage, four teams, Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Stuttgart, and Heidenheim, are already out.

Bayern and Leverkusen were drawn together in the Champions League round 16, with the tie all but decided after Bayern’s decisive 3-0 win.

It’s all to play for BVB, but LOSC Lille has a slight advantage going into the home game at the Stade Pierre Mauroy following the 1-1 draw on Tuesday at the Westfalenstadion.

Dino Toppmöller’s Eintracht, fourth in the Bundesliga, has put itself in a strong position for the Europa League tie following the outstanding 2-1 win at the Ajax Arena.

All of the German quarterfinal candidates suffered shock home losses. Leverkusen, who will be without Florian Wirtz after he sustained an injury on Saturday,  lost 0-2 against Werder. Whilst relegation candidates Bochum were, despite going 2-0 down, able to take advantage of the extra man at the Allianz Arena, Bayern, after Joao Palhinha was sent off just before half-time, in their 3-2 win, the first by VFL in Munich since 1991.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Eintracht also lost to Union Berlin 1-2 at the Waldstadion. Whilst there was mass indignation and whistling from the Yellow Wall and around the Signal Iduna Park at the disjointed performance in BVB’s 0-1 loss against Augsburg. As a visibly shaken Niko Kovac analysed at the post game press conference after his side’s loss: “The emphasis is on recovery, and a lot can change in three days.”

So, what results do German clubs need to gain additional slots in European competitions ahead of this week’s second-round games?

Following this season’s UEFA reform of the qualifying system, the number of places in European competitions has increased. Based on current performances, the Premier League and La Liga are ahead in that race. However, results and outstanding performances by the remaining German teams could still change the order.

Under the old system, a maximum of five clubs from one association could play in the Champions League. UEFA has removed the cap; seven teams can now qualify for the top tier of European competition.

As it stands, the top four, the fifth and sixth, will qualify through league performance in Europe, and the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League will be eligible if they do not finish in the top four.

The Bundesliga had seven teams in European competitions going into 24/25, mainly due to the poor performances of the Premier League teams.

Looking ahead to the 25/26 season, the situation is different, with the Premier League now in a position of strength. Despite champions Manchester City being knocked out by Real Madrid, all six other English clubs have gone straight through to the round of 16.

Going into the second-leg ties, Liverpool, in particular, looks in a good position following their impressive 1-0 win over PSG at Parc des Princes. Likewise, Chelsea also holds the best cards after the Blues’ 2-1 win in Copenhagen.

In contrast, Manchester United look vulnerable after being held to a 1-1 draw against Basque side Real Sociedad. Tottenham also will need to find an extra gear to turn over the 1-0 loss suffered in Holland to AZ Alkmaar.

As it stands, the English league is likely to benefit from the extra place. They lead the coefficient table and could have eight teams qualifying for Europe in the season ahead.

The Spanish league is currently second in the ranking, with six sides still in European competitions; despite Atletico and Real Madrid going head to head, only Real Betis, which struggled in their 2-2 at home to Vitória SC, and Bilbao, which lost 2-1 to AS Roma, look in danger going into the second leg.

La Liga also looks set to have an additional team in the Champions League: the sixth-placed team in the Europa League, the winners of the Copa del Rey, and the seventh-placed team in the Conference League, so a total of eight teams.

With Inter, AS Roma, Fiorentina, and Lazio still in their respective competitions, Italy is currently third, ahead of the German league, in the most recent coefficient table, that of March 5. The brackets indicate how many of a league’s original allocations remain in the competitions:

1. England, 21.750 – (6/7)
2. Spain, 19.607 – (6/7)
3. Italy, 18.437 – (4/8)
4. Germany, 16.421 – (4/8)
5. Portugal, 16.050 – (2/5)
6. Belgium, 15.250 – (3/5)
7. France, 15.000 – (3/7)
8. Netherlands, 14.750 – (4/6)
9. Greece, 11.687 – (2/4)
10. Czechia, 10.350 – (1/5)

In terms of which Bundesliga sides will represent the German league, Bayern, Leverkusen, Frankfurt, and Mainz are leading the race for the Champions League. There are currently five points between 5th and 10th place, with BVB, Freiburg, Monchengladbach, Leipzig, and Wolfsburg all fighting it out.

The English and Spanish leagues have the advantage, but Serie A and the Bundesliga have it all to play for.