VfB Stuttgart has clinched the final German berth for next season’s Champions League after securing a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in a tense Bundesliga finale on Saturday afternoon.
The Swabians finished the campaign in fourth place, joining Bayern Munich (1st), Borussia Dortmund (2nd) and RB Leipzig (3rd) in Europe’s elite club competition. The result came after Stuttgart fought hard to overcome Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen in a tight race for the top-four finish.
How Stuttgart secured their Champions League qualification
Stuttgart’s qualification was anything but straightforward. The game against Frankfurt started brightly, with goals from Chema Andrès (10th minute) and Nikolas Nartey (45th+4) putting them ahead before the break. However, Frankfurt clawed their way back in the second half, equalizing through two penalties converted by Jonathan Burkhardt.
Despite the setback, Stuttgart held firm to ensure they finished ahead of Hoffenheim (61 points) and Leverkusen (59 points), both of whom suffered late-season slip-ups. Hoffenheim was thrashed 4-0 at Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Leverkusen could only manage a 1-1 draw at home against Hamburger SV.
Promotion and relegation drama in the Bundesliga
At the opposite end of the table, the battle for survival also delivered dramatic outcomes. Heidenheim’s 2-0 home defeat to Mainz 05 confirmed their relegation to the 2. Bundesliga alongside St. Pauli, who lost 3-1 to Wolfsburg at home. Wolfsburg, sitting in 16th place, now faces a relegation playoff against the 3rd-placed team from the second tier—either Elversberg, Hannover 96, or Paderborn.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich capped off a dominant season with a 5-1 thrashing of FC Köln, finishing with an impressive 122 goals scored—36 of which came from Harry Kane, who netted a hat-trick last Saturday (10th, 13th, and 69th minutes). The Bavarians also claimed their 35th Bundesliga title, further cementing their status as Germany’s most successful club.