Bayer 04 sends Heidenheim to Europe with a shot.
Bayer Leverkusen's cup triumph determines who will compete internationally next season. The European spots for Bundesliga teams are decided, with only Eintracht Frankfurt remaining uncertain about which continental competition they'll participate in.
The European berths for Bundesliga clubs are set: After Bayer Leverkusen's surprising cup victory, it's official that eight German teams will join the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League next season.
The celebration in Heidenheim was less extravagant than in Leverkusen when referee Bastian Dankert blew the final whistle in the surprising cup final. Since Leverkusen emerged victorious, the promoted team, which placed an impressive eighth in its first Bundesliga season, will now advance to the playoffs for the Conference League. Had second-division Kaiserslautern won, FCK would've played in the Europa League, leaving Heidenheim out.
"Making history"
The 50,000-population town made waves: "That we, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846, can compete in a European tournament for the first time is the cherry on top of our incredibly successful first Bundesliga season," said board chairman Holger Sanwald. "It's a reality: Our team will continue to make history." The Bundesliga team will join the Conference League in its fourth and final qualifying round.
TSG Hoffenheim also shares in the double winner's joy: The seventh-place team from the Kraichgau handed their place in the Conference League to Heidenheim and will start in the Europa League instead.
Eintracht Frankfurt still lacks certainty about which European competition they'll contest next season. Thanks to the expansion of the Champions League and Borussia Dortmund's impressive run to the Champions League final, Frankfurt could reach the top tier as the sixth-placed team from the previous season.
However, Dortmund must win the final against Real Madrid. If Dortmund, who disappointed in the Bundesliga as fifth, manages to pull off this feat, it would be a significant coup, relegating Frankfurt to the Champions League for the second time in their club history. For the Frankfurt team, the Champions League final on June 1st is a million-dollar game, where they have no control: Each participant in the Champions League will receive 18.85 million euros as a starter in the upcoming season, while a win in the group stage earned 2.8 million euros in the previous season. In contrast, participating in and winning the Europa League earns 2.6 million euros and 360,000 euros, respectively.
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- Following Bayer Leverkusen's victory in the cup, 1.FC Heidenheim will participate in the playoffs for the Conference League, making their debut in a European tournament after their impressive eighth-place finish in the Soccer Bundesliga.
- Despite Eintracht Frankfurt's uncertainty about which European competition they'll enter next season, their possible sixth-place finish could still secure them a spot in the Champions League, earning them a significant financial boost of 18.85 million euros compared to participating in and potentially winning the Europa League.
Source: www.ntv.de
