In this guide
A smaller league field changes the match countThe automatic places and the additional contestHow to read the return legA useful translation in a programme guideThe Bundesliga is the top division of German men’s league football. Eighteen clubs play one another home and away, producing 34 league matches for each club. The title is decided through the league season rather than a championship play-off.
At the other end of the table, the word play-off has a different purpose. It describes a contest for Bundesliga status in the following season, involving a club trying to stay up and another trying to move up.
A smaller league field changes the match count
With 18 clubs, each has 17 opponents. Playing each twice gives 34 fixtures. The same arithmetic explains why a 20-club home-and-away league has a different match count; it is not a shorter match duration or a missing set of cup fixtures.
The automatic places and the additional contest
The bottom two Bundesliga clubs go down automatically. The club finishing 16th plays the third-placed club from Bundesliga 2 over two legs. The winner earns the Bundesliga place for the following season.
| Position or stage | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Bundesliga bottom two | Automatic relegation |
| Bundesliga 16th | Promotion/relegation play-off |
| Bundesliga 2 third | Opposition in that play-off |
How to read the return leg
The two legs are resolved by their combined score. Away goals do not carry an extra weighting. If the aggregate remains level at the end of the second leg, extra time and then penalties can decide the outcome. A score graphic for the current match and the aggregate graphic answer different questions.
A useful translation in a programme guide
German coverage often uses Relegation as the name of this play-off. In this context it identifies the contest, not proof that one of the clubs has already been relegated. Keep Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 identities distinct, and preserve the leg number. That context explains why a top-division club can appear in a post-season match against a second-division club without the fixture being a cup tie.