There are a total of 34 games in a Bundesliga season.
Teams play each other twice during any given campaign – once at home and once in an away match. After every club has played all 34 of their fixtures then the team with most points at the end of the season is crowned league champion.
Has The Number Of Games Ever Changed In The Past?
Yes, the number of games in a Bundesliga season has changed in the past.
When the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, each team played 30 games during a season, facing each other twice – home and away. This is a smaller number of games than are played today.
Below are the number of clubs involved in Bundesliga seasons over the last six decades:
1963-65 16 clubs
1965-1991 18 clubs
1991-92 20 clubs
1993 – present 18 clubs
Note: In 1991/92, the Bundesliga increased to an all-time high of 20 clubs, while the East German league was being included following German reunification.
Bundesliga teams are regularly required to play two matches per week. This often occurs when a game is postponed due to issues with weather or when a team is involved in both a Bundesliga match and DFB Pokal Cup tie.
Have Any Teams Failed To Play A Game?
Unexpected and unforeseen situations have prevented Bundesliga matches from being completed.
For example, during the 2020/21 season, Vfl Bochum and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Bundesliga game was called off after Assistant referee Christian Gittelmann was caught by a beer cup thrown midway through the second half.
The match was 71 minutes old and the visitors were leading 2-0 at the time before referee Benjamin Cortus abruptly brought play to a halt.
While the official was not seriously injured, the fixture was subsequently called off.
Typically, in most cases, the team responsible for play being affected is judged to have lost the game 3-0 and the opposing team is awarded three points.
How Does The Bundesliga Season Work?
The Bundesliga is composed of 18 teams in total with a single season involving a home and an away fixture against every other team in the league.
Bundesliga Champions are ultimately crowned at the end of a season based on their final points tally. If two or more teams are tied on points, then they also use goal difference as the priority tie-breaker.
Their rules for determining the end-of-season ranking are as follows:
Goal difference
Goals scored for the entire season
Head-to-head results (total points accumulated)
Head-to-head goals scored
Head-to-head away goals scored
Total away goals scored for the entire season
Playoff at neutral venue if relevant for deciding champion, relegation or participating in a European league, otherwise by draw.
Teams finishing in second, third and fourth place are awarded with qualification into the Champions League. The side ending up in fifth gain entry to the UEFA Europa League with the sixth placed club facing a play-off to qualify for the Europa Conference League.
At the end of each season, the league’s bottom two teams are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga with two teams securing promotion in the other direction.
There is also an annual play-off between the team who finishes 16th in Bundesliga and the side that finishes third in 2. Bundesliga. If the top tier team wins this two-legged tie on aggregate, then both sides remain in their respective leagues.
However, if the 2. Bundesliga club are victorious then they are promoted and the Bundesliga team relegated as a result.
What Is The Maximum Amount Of Points You Can Achieve In A Bundesliga Season?
The maximum number of points a team can achieve over a Bundesliga season is 102.
This would happen if a team were to win all 34 games because each win is worth three points. It is worth mentioning that it is highly unlikely a team will win every game in a Bundesliga season and it has never happened before.
The team with the most points in a single Bundesliga season is Bayern Munich, who accumulated 91 points during the 2012/13 season.
When Does the Bundesliga Season Start?
The Bundesliga season typically starts in mid-August and runs until mid-May of the following year. The season’s start date can differ from year to year, but it likely starts around the third week of August.
Between each campaign is the ‘off-season’ in which players generally don’t play competitive Bundesliga games yet are sometimes required to feature in international tournaments like the European Championship or World Cup.
How Many Points For A Draw In Bundesliga Football?
In most professional football leagues, including the Bundesliga, a draw or tie is worth one point.
Each team gains one point if a match ends in a draw. If a team wins a match, then they are awarded three points. If a team loses a game, then they receive no points.
