The Bundesliga was founded in 1962 inDortmund[1] and the first season started in 1963–64. The structure and organisation of the Bundesliga, along with Germany's other football leagues, have undergone frequent changes. The Bundesliga was founded by theDeutscher Fußball-Bund (English: German Football Association), but is now operated by theDeutsche Fußball Liga (English: German Football League). Fifty-eight clubs have competed in the Bundesliga since its founding.[2]Bayern Munich has won 33 of 62 titles (with 60 appearances), including eleven consecutive seasons between 2013 and 2023. Other past champions includeBorussia Dortmund,Hamburger SV,Werder Bremen,Bayer Leverkusen,Borussia Mönchengladbach, andVfB Stuttgart.
The Bundesliga is composed of two divisions: the 1. Bundesliga (although it is rarely referred to with theFirst prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (2nd Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German footballsince 1974. The Bundesligen (plural) are professional leagues. Since 2008, the3. Liga (3rd League) in Germany has also been a professional league, but may not be called Bundesliga because the league is run by the German Football Association (DFB) and not, as are the two Bundesligen, by theGerman Football League (DFL).
Below the level of the 3. Liga, leagues are generally subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of the Nord (North), Nordost (Northeast), Süd (South), Südwest (Southwest) and West divisions. Below this are thirteen parallel divisions, most of which are called Oberligen (upper leagues) which represent federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below theOberligen differ between the local areas. The league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by thereunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national league of East Germany.
Every team in the two Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations.
As in other national leagues, there are significant benefits to being in the top division:
A greater share of television broadcast licence revenues goes to 1. Bundesliga sides.
1. Bundesliga teams draw significantly greater levels of fan support. Average attendance in the first league is 39,512 per game—approximately twice the average of the 2. Bundesliga.
Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels helps 1. Bundesliga teams attract the most lucrative sponsorships.
1. Bundesliga teams develop substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorships and marketing of their team brands. This allows them to attract and retain skilled players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities.
The 1. Bundesliga is financially strong, and the 2. Bundesliga has begun to evolve in a similar direction, becoming more stable organizationally and financially, and reflecting an increasingly higher standard of professional play.[citation needed]
No clubs have played continuously in the Bundesliga since its foundation; on 12 May 2018, Hamburger SV was the last founding club to be relegated for the first time.[6][7]
In the 2008–09 season, the Bundesliga reinstated an earlier German system of promotion and relegation, which had been in use from 1981 until 1991:
The bottom two finishers in the Bundesliga are automatically relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, with the top two finishers in the 2. Bundesliga taking their places.
The third-from-bottom club in the Bundesliga will play a two-legged tie with the third-place team from the 2. Bundesliga, with the winner taking up the final place in the following season's Bundesliga.
From 1992 until 2008, a different system was used, in which the bottom three finishers of the Bundesliga were automatically relegated, to be replaced by the top three finishers in the 2. Bundesliga. From 1963 until 1981 two, or later three, teams were relegated from the Bundesliga automatically, while promotion was decided either completely or partially inpromotion play-offs.
The season starts in early August[8] and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). Starting with the 2002-03 season, opening matches were introduced to feature defending champions on Friday nights on the first match day. Defending champions have not lost the opening matches since then, winning 19 of the 24 matches (up to the 2025-26 season). Starting with the 2021–22 season, kick off times were changed with Friday matches starting at 8:30 pm, Saturdays at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, and Sundays at 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.[9]
Before the formation of the Bundesliga, German football was played at an amateur level in a large number of sub-regional leagues until, in 1949, part-time (semi-) professionalism was introduced and only five regionalOberligen (Premier Leagues) remained. Regional champions played in a tournament of between eight and sixteen teams to crown a national champion.[10] On 28 January 1900, a national association, theDeutscher Fußball Bund (DFB) had been founded inLeipzig with 86 member clubs. The first recognized national championship team wasVfB Leipzig, who beatDFC Prague 7–2 in a game played atAltona on 31 May 1903.
Through the 1950s, there were continued calls for the formation of a single top-tier professional league for the country. Disadvantages to the tournament system included the fact that the top teams from different regions would play only once a year at most, and that single-elimination tournament meant that a less-deserving team could win if they hit a lucky streak during the tournament.[10] Another concern was that professional leagues in other countries were drawing Germany's best players away from the semi-professional domestic leagues. At the international level, the German game began to falter as German teams often fared poorly against professional teams from other countries. A key supporter of the central league concept was national team head coachSepp Herberger, who doubled as a delegate to theDFB national assembly from Mannheim and wanted Germany to catch up with centralized systems of Italy, Spain, and England.[11]
Meanwhile, in East Germany, a separate league was established with the formation of theDS-Oberliga (Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga) in 1950. The league was renamed the Football Oberliga DFV in 1958 and was generally referred to simply as the DDR-Liga or DDR-Oberliga. The league fielded 14 teams with two relegation spots.
The Bundesliga was founded at the annual DFB convention at theWestfalenhallen inDortmund on 28 July 1962.
The defeat of the national team by Yugoslavia (0–1) in a1962 World Cup quarter-final game in Chile was one impetus (of many) towards the formation of a national league. At the annualDFB convention under new DFB presidentHermann Gösmann (elected that very day) the Bundesliga was created inDortmund at theWestfalenhallen on 28 July 1962 to begin play starting with the1963–64 season.[11]
At the time, there were fiveOberligen (premier leagues) in place representing West Germany's North, South, West, Southwest, and Berlin. East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain, maintained its separate league structure. 46 clubs applied for admission to the new league. 16 teams were selected based on their success on the field, economic criteria and representation of the various Oberligen.
The first Bundesliga games were played on 24 August 1963. Early favorite 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga champion with second place clubs Meidericher SV and Eintracht Frankfurt.
The German football champion is decided strictly by play in the Bundesliga. Each club plays every other club once at home and once away, which makes a total of 34 matchdays per season. Originally, a victory was worth two points, with one point for a draw and none for a loss. Since the 1995–96 season, a victory has been worth three points, while a draw remains worth a single point, and zero points are given for a loss. The club with the most points at the end of the season becomes the German champion. Currently, the top four clubs in the table qualify automatically for the group phase of theUEFA Champions League. The two teams at the bottom of the table are relegated into the 2. Bundesliga, while the top two teams in the 2. Bundesliga are promoted. The 16th-placed team (third-last) in the 1. Bundesliga and the third-placed team in the 2. Bundesliga play a two-leg play-off match. The winner of this match plays the next season in the 1. Bundesliga, and the losing side in the 2. Bundesliga.
If teams are level on points, tie-breakers are applied in the following order:
Goal difference for the entire season
Total goals scored for the entire season
Head-to-head results (total points)
Head-to-head goals scored
Head-to-head away goals scored
Total away goals scored for the entire season
If two clubs are still tied after all of these tie-breakers have been applied, a single match is held at a neutral site to determine the placement. However, this has never been necessary in the history of the Bundesliga.
In terms of team selection, matchday squads must have no more than five non-EU representatives. Nine substitutes are permitted to be selected, from which five can be used in the duration of the game.
Number of teams relegated (automatic relegation except as noted):
1963–64 to 1973–74: 2
1974–75 to 1980–81: 3
1981–82 to 1990–91: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga played a two-leg relegation match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga
1991–92: 4
1992–93 to 2007–08: 3
Since 2008–09: 2 automatic plus the 16th-place team in the First Bundesliga playing a two-leg relegation match against the third-place team of the Second Bundesliga for the final spot in the First Bundesliga
Until the 2016–17 season, an additional place in the Europa League could also be granted via theUEFA Fair Play mechanism. This rule was maintained from the UEFA Cup. The last Bundesliga team to gain entry to the UEFA Cup via the fair play rule wasMainz 05 in2005–06.
DFB-Pokal (German Cup) winner: Qualifies for the group stage of Europa League regardless of league position.
Until 2015–16, if the Cup winner qualified for the Champions League or Europa League by more than one method, the cup winner's place in the Europa League went to the losing cup finalist if it had not already qualified for European competition, entering the competition a stage earlier than if it had won the Cup. This rule was retained from the Europa League's predecessor, the UEFA Cup. From 2015–16, the runners-up no longer qualified for the Europa League, and the Europa League berth reserved for the DFB-Pokal winners is transferred to the highest finisher below the european qualification places.
Prior to 2015–16, the team that benefited from that rule did not necessarily have to be a Bundesliga member. For example, although2. Bundesliga sidesAlemannia Aachen lost toWerder Bremen in the2004 DFB-Pokal final, Alemannia secured an entry in the2004–05 UEFA Cup, because Werder qualified for the Champions League as First Bundesliga champions.
The number of German clubs which may participate in UEFA competitions is determined byUEFA coefficients, which takes into account the results of a particular nation's clubs in UEFA competitions over the preceding five years.
History of European qualification
European Cup/Champions League:
Up to and including 1996–97: German champion only.
1997–99: Top two teams; champions automatically into group phase, runners-up entered the qualifying round.
1999–2008: Top two teams automatically into first group phase (only one group phase starting in 2003–04). Depending on the DFB'sUEFA coefficients standing, either one or two other clubs (most recently one) entered at the third qualifying round; winners at this level entered the group phase.
2008–11: Top two teams automatically into group phase. Third placed team had to play in the play-off round for the right to play in the group stage.
UEFA Cup/Europa League:
From 1971–72 to 1998–99, UEFA member nations could send between one and four teams to the UEFA Cup. Germany was always entitled to send at least three teams to the competition and often as many as four. From 1978–79, the number of participants was determined by the DFB's UEFA coefficient standing, prior to this the method for deciding the number of participants is unknown. The best performing teams in the league other than the champion would qualify, although if one of these teams was also winner of theDFB-Pokal then they would enter the Cup Winners' Cup instead and their UEFA Cup place would be taken by the next highest-placed team in the league (5th or 6th place). Briefly in the mid-1970s the DFB decided to allocate the last UEFA Cup place to the DFB-Pokal runner-up instead of a third or fourth team qualified by performance in the league, meaning that at this point the DFB-Pokal qualified two teams for European competition (winners for the Cup Winners' Cup, runners-up for the UEFA Cup). This policy was unique amongst UEFA member associations and was dropped after only a few seasons. Starting with the 1999–2000 season and the abolition of the Cup Winners' Cup (which was then folded into the UEFA Cup), the DFB-Pokal winner now automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup alongside, depending on the DFB's UEFA coefficients standing, between one and three extra participants (if the DFB-Pokal winner also qualified for the Champions League, they were replaced by the DFB-Pokal runner-up; if they were also qualified for the Champions League, the UEFA Cup place went to the next best placed team in the league not otherwise qualified for European competition). Since 1999, the DFB has always been entitled to enter a minimum of three clubs in the UEFA Cup/Europa League, and at times as many as four (the maximum for any European federation). Teams that entered via UEFA's Fair Play mechanism, or those that entered through the now-defunctIntertoto Cup, did not count against the national quota. From2006 through the final Intertoto Cup in2008, only one First Bundesliga side was eligible to enter the Intertoto Cup and possibly earn a UEFA Cup berth. For the 2005–06 season, the DFB earned an extra UEFA Cup place via the Fair Play draw; this place went toMainz 05 as the highest-ranked club in the Fair Play table of the First Bundesliga not already qualified for Europe.
Cup Winners' Cup (abolished after 1999):
The winner of the DFB-Pokal entered the Cup Winners' Cup, unless that team was also league champion and therefore competing in the European Cup/Champions League, in which case their place in the Cup Winners' Cup was taken by the DFB-Pokal runner-up. Today, the DFB-Pokal winner (if not otherwise qualified for the Champions League) enters the UEFA Europa League.
There are 58 teams that have taken part in 63 Bundesliga championships that were played from the1963–64 season until the2025–26 season. The teams in bold compete in the Bundesliga currently. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level. No team has played Bundesliga football in every season; the closest beingBayern Munich andWerder Bremen, who have both played in 61 seasons.
In the 2009–10 season the Bundesliga's turnover was €1.7bn, broken down into match-day revenue (€424m), sponsorship receipts (€573m) and broadcast income (€594m). That year it was the only European football league where clubs collectively made a profit. Bundesliga clubs paid less than 50% of revenue in players' wages, the lowest percentage out of the European leagues. The Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance amongEurope's five major leagues.[30]
Bundesliga clubs tend to form close associations with local firms, several of which have since grown into big global companies; in a comparison of leading Bundesliga and Premiership clubs, Bayern Munich received 55% of its revenue from company sponsorship deals, while Manchester United got 37%.[30][31][32][33]
Bundesliga clubs are required to be majority-owned by German club members (known as the50+1 rule [de] to discourage control by a single entity) and operate under tight restrictions on the use of debt for acquisitions (a team only receives an operating licence if it has solid financials); as a result 11 of the 18 clubs were profitable after the 2008–09 season. By contrast, in the other major European leagues numerous high-profile teams have come under ownership of foreign billionaires and a significant number of clubs have high levels of debt.[32][33]
Exceptions to the 50+1 rule allowBayer Leverkusen,TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, andVfL Wolfsburg to be owned by corporations or individual investors. In the cases of Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, the clubs were founded by major corporations (respectivelyBayer AG andVolkswagen) as sports clubs for their employees, while Hoffenheim has long received its primary support fromSAP co-founderDietmar Hopp, who played in the club's youth system.[34]
After 2000 theGerman Football Association and the Bundesliga required every club to run ayouth academy with the aim of developing local talent for the club and the national team. As of 2010 the Bundesliga and second Bundesliga spend €75m a year on these youth academies, which train five thousand players aged 12–18. This increased the percentage of under-23-year-olds in the Bundesliga from 6% in 2000 to 15% in 2010. This in turn allows more money to be spent on the smaller number of players that are bought.[30][32][33]
In the 2000s, the Bundesliga was regarded as competitive, as five teams won the league title. This contrasted with the EnglishPremier League, then dominated by a "Big Four" (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal), as well as France'sLigue 1, won seven consecutive years byLyon.[35] Since then, however, a resurgentBayern Munich has won each year from 2013 to 2023.[36][37]
For a number of years, the clubs in the Bundesliga have been subject to regulations not unlike theUEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations agreed upon in September 2009.
At the end of each season, clubs in the Bundesliga must apply to theGerman Football Federation (DFB) for a licence to participate again the following year; only when the DFB, who have access to all transfer documents and accounts, are satisfied that there is no threat of insolvency do they give approval.[38] The DFB have a system of fines and points deductions for clubs who flout rules, and those who go into the red can only buy a player after selling one for at least the same amount. In addition, no individual is allowed to own more than 49 per cent of any Bundesliga club, the only exceptions beingVfL Wolfsburg,Bayer Leverkusen and currentRegionalliga Nordost memberFC Carl Zeiss Jena should they ever be promoted to the Bundesliga, as they were each founded as factory teams.[31]
Despite the good economic governance, there have still been some instances of clubs getting into difficulties. In 2004,Borussia Dortmund reported a debt of €118.8 million (£83 million).[39] Having won the Champions League in 1997 and a number of Bundesliga titles, Dortmund had gambled on maintaining their success with an expensive group of largely foreign players but failed, narrowly escaping liquidation in 2006. In subsequent years, the club went through extensive restructuring to return to financial health, largely with young home-grown players. In 2004Hertha BSC reported debts of £24.7 million and were able to continue in the Bundesliga only after proving they had long term credit with their bank.[39]
The leading German clubBayern Munich made a net profit of just €2.5 million in 2008–09 season (group accounts),[40] whileSchalke 04 made a net loss of €30.4 million in 2009 financial year.[41]Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA, made a net loss of just €2.9 million in 2008–09 season.[42]
The Bundesliga is one of the highest-attended association football leagues worldwide, with an average of 38,657 spectators per game during the 2024–25 season making it the second highest attended association football league globally.[43] Bundesliga clubBorussia Dortmund holds the record for the highest average attendance of any football club in the world.[44]
Out of Europe's five major football leagues (Premier League,La Liga,Ligue 1, andSerie A ), the Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance. Many club stadia have large terraced areas forstanding fans. Teams limit the number ofseason tickets to ensure everyone has a chance to see the games live, and the away club has the right to 10% of the available capacity. Match tickets often double as free rail passes which encourages supporters to travel and celebrate in a relaxed atmosphere. According to Bundesliga chief executiveChristian Seifert, tickets are inexpensive (especially forstanding room) as "It is not in the clubs' culture so much [to raise prices]. They are very fan orientated".[30][32][33]Uli Hoeneß, president of Bayern Munich, was quoted as saying "We do not think the fans are like cows to be milked. Football has got to be for everybody."[31]
The Bundesliga has the highest average attendance of any football league in the world.Borussia Dortmund has the highest average attendance atSignal Iduna Park of any football club in the world.
The Bundesliga TV, radio, internet, and mobile broadcast rights are distributed by DFL Sports Enterprises, a subsidiary of theDeutsche Fußball Liga. The Bundesliga broadcast rights are sold along with the broadcast rights to the relegation playoffs,2. Bundesliga andDFL-Supercup.[62]
From 2017 to 2018 to 2018–19, Bundesliga matches were broadcast on TV in Germany onSky Deutschland and Eurosport. Prior to the 2019–20 season, Eurosport sublicensed its broadcast rights to sports streaming serviceDAZN, which will broadcast games previously allocated to Eurosport until the conclusion of the 2020–21 season.[63] Three Friday night matches – the openers of the first and second halves of the season, and on the final matchday before the winter break – are broadcast to all Germans onSat. 1.
Starting with the 2018–19 season, Sky began arranging simulcasts of high-profile Saturday games on free TV to promote its coverage of the league. The April 2019Revierderby was broadcast onDas Erste, and two additional games during the 2019–20 season were broadcast on ZDF.[64][65]
The Bundesliga is broadcast on TV in over 200 countries.
The Bundesliga is broadcast on TV in over 200 countries.ESPN has held rights in the United States since the beginning of the 2020–21 season. 4 matches per season are reserved for linear television with the rest appearing onESPN+.[66][67] In Canada, the Bundesliga is broadcast live onDAZN.[68]
In the United Kingdom and in Ireland, the Bundesliga is broadcast live onSky Sports.[69] Also in the United Kingdom, theBBC have the rights to broadcast one match a week from August 2025 until 2027.[70] In Spain, the Bundesliga is broadcast live onDAZN.[71]
Taiwan'sELTA TV are expecting to aired Bundesliga for the 2024–25 season, marked the first time Bundesliga returned to Taiwanese television since the 2020–21 season.[75]
In 2015, digital TV operatorStarTimes acquired exclusive television rights for Sub-Saharan Africa for five years starting from2015–16 season.[76]
In August 2025,MBC Group signed a three-year deal to broadcast all Bundesliga games onShahid and three matches a week on free-to-air (FTA) channelMBC Action across theMENA.[77][78] That same month, English YouTuberMark Goldbridge secured rights to stream the 2025–26 season on his channel "That's Football", alongside another YouTube channel "The Overlap", while theBBC, Sky Sports,Amazon Prime Video, and Bundesliga's official YouTube channel also acquired UK and Ireland broadcast rights.[79]
In total, 13 clubs have won thebundesliga, not including the formerGerman championship titles won before the Bundesliga's inception and those in theEast German Oberliga. The record champions areBayern Munich with 33 titles.[80]
In 2004, the honour of "Verdiente Meistervereine" (roughly "distinguished champion clubs") was introduced, following a custom first practised in Italy[82] to recognize sides that have won three or more championships since 1963 by the display ofgold stars on their team badges and jerseys. Each country's usage is unique, with the following rules applying in Germany:[83]
3 Bundesliga titles: 1 star
5 Bundesliga titles: 2 stars
10 Bundesliga titles: 3 stars
20 Bundesliga titles: 4 stars
30 Bundesliga titles: 5 stars
The former East German sideBFC Dynamo laid claim to the three stars of a 10-time champion. The club asked for equal rights and petitioned the DFL and the DFB to have theirDDR-Oberliga titles recognized. BFC Dynamo received support from SG Dynamo Dresden and 1. FC Magdeburg in its attempts to achieve recognition for East German titles.[84] The DFL eventually answered that it was not the responsible body and pointed to the DFB, but the DFB remained silent for long time. BFC Dynamo eventually took matters into their own hands and emblazoned its jerseys with three stars, while a decision was still pending.[85] This caused some debate because the club had been the favorite club ofErich Mielke during the East German era. There were rumours that the ten titles won by the club were also due to alleged manipulation of the game by Erich Mielke, while there is no proof that referees stood under direct instructions from theStasi and no document has ever been found in the archives that gave the Stasi a mandate to bribe referees.[86][87][88] In an interview with theLeipziger Volkszeitung in 2017, former East German refereeBernd Heynemann concluded: "The BFC is not ten times champions because the referees only whistled for Dynamo. They were already strong as a bear."[89] Critics in the DFB environment pointed to politically influenced championships in East Germany.[90] BFC Dynamo had been supported by the Stasi and had been advantaged.[90] The club had enjoyed privileged access to talents and access to a permanent training camp at Uckley inKönigs Wusterhausen. However, also other clubs in East Germany had enjoyed similar advantages, which put the DFB in a difficult situation.[90] Former East German referee and thenCDU parliamentarian Bernd Heynemann spoke out for recognition of all East German titles.[86] The issue of recognition for titles outside the Bundesliga also affected pre-Bundesliga champions, such asHertha BSC. The DFB finally decided in November 2005 to allowall former champions to display a single star inscribed with the number of titles, including all German men's titles since 1903,women's titles since 1974 and East German titles.[91]
The DFB format only applies to teams playing below the Bundesliga (below the top two divisions), since the DFL conventions apply in the Bundesliga.Greuther Fürth unofficially display three (silver) stars for pre-war titles in spite of being in the Bundesliga. These stars are a permanent part of their crest. However, Fürth has to leave the stars out of their jersey.
Since June 2010, the following clubs have been officially allowed to wear stars while playing in the Bundesliga. The number in parentheses is for Bundesliga titles won.
In addition, a system of one star designation was adopted for use. This system is intended to take into account not only Bundesliga titles but also other (now defunct) national championships. As of July 2014, the following clubs are allowed to wear one star while playing outside the Bundesliga. The number in parentheses is for total league championships won over the course of German football history, and would be displayed within the star. Some teams listed here had different names while winning their respective championships, these names are also noted in parentheses.
For the first time in 1996, the Bundesliga was given its own logo to distinguish itself. Six years later, the logo was revamped into a portrait orientation, which was used until 2010. A new logo was announced for the2010–11 season in order to modernise the brand logo for all media platforms.[92] To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bundesliga, a special logo was developed for the2012–13 season, featuring a "50" and "1963–2013".[93] Following the season, the 2010 logo was restored. In December 2016, it was announced that a new logo would be used for the 2017–18 season, modified slightly for digitisation requirements, featuring a matte look.[94]
Former England internationalOwen Hargreaves hailed the Bundesliga alongsidePep Guardiola for its positive impact on nurturing young talents, noting that the Bundesliga is the best league in the world to promote young footballers.[95] Many young English talents have sought refuge in Germany in order to regain fitness and football skills.[96] Outside Europe, theJ.League of Japan, which was founded in 1992, was strongly influenced by the philosophy of the Bundesliga. Since then, the J.League has managed to establish itself as one of the best football leagues in Asia, in which it shares a beneficial relationship with its German exemplar.[97]
The Bundesliga has earned praise for its reputation on good financial management and the physical fitness of players.[98]
The Bundesliga outperformed the EnglishPremier League in 2017 in online influence in China, having been accredited for its open embrace of live-streaming and fast-forward visions.[99]
The Bundesliga has at times been criticised for a perceived lack of competitiveness due to the continued dominance of FC Bayern Munich. The club has won a record 32 titles (of 59 available) in the modern Bundesliga era since 1963; a greater level of success than that of all their rivals combined. Indeed, the Bavarian club won 11 consecutive titles between the 2012–13 season and the 2022–23 season.[100] Former Germany internationalStefan Effenberg has suggested that the league be restructured in order to end Bayern's dominance.[101]
^"Archived copy"(PDF).www.fcbayern.telekom.de. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 21 August 2010. Retrieved15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Hönicke, Christian (26 March 2005)."Sternstunden im Sportforum".Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Berlin: Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH.Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved1 November 2020.
^Mike, Dennis; Grix, Jonathan (2012).Sport under Communism – Behind the East German 'Miracle' (1st ed.).Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan (Macmillan Publishers Limited). p. 150 =978-0-230-22784-2.
^MacDougall, Alan (2014).The People's Game: Football, State and Society in East Germany (1st ed.).Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 227.ISBN978-1-107-05203-1.
^Schäfer, Guido (11 October 2017)."Bernd Heynemann im Interview: "Wir brauchen kein Big Brother"".Sportbuzzer (in German). Hannover: Sportbuzzer GmbH. Archived fromthe original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved30 October 2020.Der BFC ist nicht x-mal Meister geworden, weil die Schiris nur für Dynamo gepfiffen haben. Die waren schon bärenstark.
.svg){kind=logo}
.jpg)
.jpg)
