What do the Bundesliga clubs need to reach the UEFA Champions League and Europa League knockouts?
Eintracht Frankfurt have exited the competition, but Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen are still in contention to join Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase. As for UEFA Europa League rivals Freiburg and VfB Stuttgart, will it be a case of straight through to the last 16 or into the play-offs? Find out who needs what in the final round of league phase fixtures to progress...
German clubs in Europe: results & fixtures!
UEFA Champions League: league phase
Bayern Munich - 2nd - already qualified for last 16
With 18 points from a possible 21, Bayern are one of two teams safely through to the last 16 with a game to spare. It's a return bettered only by table-toppers Arsenal who - with a perfect record in the league phase - are one of only two teams to have beaten Vincent Kompany's charges in all competitions so far this season. If both sides avoid defeat on Matchday 8 - Bayern go to PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal host Kairat Almaty - they will advance as the top two.
Bayern can only climb into first place if they win and Arsenal lose in such a way that overturns the English Premier League leaders' superior goal difference (+18 vs. +13). However, the defending Bundesliga champions are unlikely to finish lower than third. That could only happen if they lose in Eindhoven, and Real Madrid (with a goal difference of +11 ahead of Matchday 8) win by a suitable margin away to Portugal's Benfica. Liverpool are five goals further back and host Qarabağ.
Finishing first or second has its advantages, with the top two facing the winners of the round of 16 play-off game between 15th and 18th or 16th and 17th, respectively. The top two are also guaranteed to play the second leg at home in every round until the final. Third and fourth, on the other hand, get home advantage in the second leg in the last 16 and quarter-finals - but not the semis.
Borussia Dortmund - 16th - knockout phase play-off position (seeded)
Dortmund can also finish in the top eight, thereby bypassing the knockout play-off round. However, as well as needing to win at home to 14th-placed Inter Milan, they're reliant on several of the 10 teams currently stationed fifth to 15th slipping up. Realistically, after dropped points against Bodø/Glimt and Tottenham Hotspur, BVB's most likely route to the knockouts is via the play-offs.
Follow Dortmund vs. Inter LIVE!
A win or draw against Inter will seal the deal. If not enough for a top-eight finish, three points will take Dortmund through as one of eight teams with play-off seeding, but a draw might bump them down a rung or two, with 17th through 24th unseeded. It would take a lot of results going against them to be eliminated, but a heavy defeat could yet spell the end of the road.
Bayer Leverkusen - 20th - knockout phase play-off position (unseeded)
Leverkusen are two points worse off than Dortmund but still have things in their own hands. A win at home to already eliminated Villarreal will be enough for a play-off berth - in all probability unseeded - but a draw carries the risk of them going out. A third defeat of the league phase could be disastrous, with as many as eight teams currently in the elimination places still in with a mathematical shot at securing a play-off lifeline.
Follow Leverkusen vs. Villarreal LIVE!
Eintracht Frankfurt - 33rd - already eliminated
Frankfurt's fate was confirmed after they surrendered a 2-1 lead in defeat to Qarabağ on Matchday 7. The result left them four points adrift of 24th, ahead of a league phase-ending home game with Tottenham. They are still fighting the cause for an extra Bundesliga qualifier for 2026/27, where every win helps
Follow Frankfurt vs. Spurs LIVE!
UEFA Europa League: league phase
Freiburg - 3rd - automatic qualifying position
As with the Champions League, the Europa League league phase's top-eight sides go directly into the last 16.
With 17 points (W5, D2) on the board, Freiburg are almost home and hosed. As long as they avoid defeat at play-off hopefuls Lille, they'll go straight through. Die Breisgauer can still mathematically fall out of the top eight, but only if they lose and the teams in fourth to ninth all win in a way that overturns goal difference. Whatever happens, Julian Schuster's team cannot finish lower than ninth - a seeded play-off berth.
Follow Lille vs. Freiburg LIVE!
VfB Stuttgart - 13th - knockout phase play-off position (seeded)
Stuttgart are guaranteed at least a play-off spot, but their prospects of finishing in the top eight were rocked by last Thursday's 2-0 defeat at Roma. The DFB Cup holders now need to win at home to Switzerland's Young Boys - themselves hoping to stay alive via the play-offs - to have any chance of skipping straight through to the knockout phase. Anything less puts them in danger of going into the play-offs unseeded.
Follow Stuttgart vs. Young Boys LIVE!
Watch: All of Deniz Undav's Bundesliga goals this season for Stuttgart
What are the league phase tiebreakers?
1 - Goal difference
2 - Goals scored
3 - Away goals scored
4 - Wins
5 - Away wins
6 - Higher number of total points collected by league phase opponents
7 - Higher goal difference attained of league phase opponents
8 - Higher goals scored by league phase opponents
9 - Disciplinary points
10 - UEFA club coefficient
Related news
Why Dortmund will beat Inter
BVB will lean on their impressive home form and versatile goalscoring options as they look to defeat the Italian side.
Stuttgart jostle for position against Young Boys
Sebastian Hoeneß's side are already assured of a place in the Europa League play-off round, and victory will give them an easier draw, on paper.
Freiburg on the cusp
Julian Schuster's men only need a draw at Lille to guarantee themselves a place in the top eight of the Europa League's league phase.