One of the greatest leagues of all time comes from Germany. The league comes with two tiers and it is the most attended league in all of Germany, possibly even the world. You may be surprised to find out that there are ‘only’ 18 teams competing in the top football competition in the country. This league not only attracts fan for the wonderful game and talent, but also for all the betting opportunities such as the William Hill promo for 2019!
Even if you haven’t heard of it, any football fan worth their salt has seen Bayern Munich in action, which is, coincidentally, the most successful team in this competition. To demonstrate how important Bundesliga is, we will only mention that there are but three leagues above it in UEFA rankings, based on the number of years they were in the top three winners. The leagues above it, currently, are La Liga, the Premier League, and Serie A. So, what is the superhero origin story of Bundesliga and what is its format?
Once Upon a Time?
In 1963, the German people were somewhat tired of their current league system. Ever since football became popular in Germany, there were attempts to make a single national league. Thirty years before the birth of Bundesliga, football was a sport played by amateurs. In fact, the national football association was very much against professional gameplay, going so far as to ban players and even entire teams, who have been suspected of playing against professional teams from other countries.
The two World Wars certainly didn’t help with the creation of the professional national league. However, the pressure from the public was strong, as the players, the teams, and the fans wanted to have a strong league that could take on the world’s best teams and players. When Germany was defeated in 1962 FIFA World Cup and failed to acquire even the fourth position, a decision was made to finally approve Bundesliga.
The Format and Regulations
The 18 teams in the league play two games with every other team during the season. The point system bestows 3 points to the winner, a single point in case of a draw, and no points for losing. The team with the most point, naturally, is the German football champion. The top three teams enter the group stage of the UEFA Champions, unlike many other leagues at this level, where there is the fourth team, as well. In this case, the team that fell short of getting into the top three spots is allowed to enter the Champions League later on.
Bundesliga has a second division, also known as 2. Bundesliga. The teams that are relegated from the second division go to 3. Liga. The name differs from others on the grounds that it is regulated by the DFS, as opposed to Bundesliga, which is regulated by Deutsche Fußball Liga.
All teams that want to qualify for Bundesliga have to show that they are dedicated to providing their youth with the opportunity to play in the teams in the future. Furthermore, you are not guaranteed a place in Bundesliga every year. At the end of every season, each club that still wishes to compete must submit an application to the DFS. The financial regulations are there to keep the teams profitable, meaning that a team struggling financially may not be eligible to participate. The DFS goes as far as to limit the trading deals between teams to keep the team afloat financially.
