Relegation 2025: teams, dates, TV
For four teams, the season isn't over yet after the final matchday of the Bundesliga, 2. Liga, and 3. Liga; they have to—or are allowed to—play off in the relegation playoffs. The most important information at a glance.
For 1. FC Heidenheim and coach Frank Schmidt, the season is going into extra time. IMAGO/Eibner
Who will stay in, who will be relegated? These questions will only be answered for four teams after the final matchday in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga, as well as the 3rd League. The 16th-placed team will fight to stay in the league, and the third-placed team will fight for promotion.
Who will play in the relegation in 2025?In the Bundesliga, 1. FC Heidenheim has been in 16th place since Saturday and will find out on Sunday whether they will face 1. FC Köln, SV Elversberg, SC Paderborn, Fortuna Düsseldorf, or 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In the 3. Liga, 1. FC Saarbrücken snatched third place on Saturday and will play against Eintracht Braunschweig, Preußen Münster, or SpVgg Greuther Fürth for a spot in the 2. Bundesliga.
When will the relegation matches take place?The first leg for the final Bundesliga spot will take place on Thursday, May 22, 2025. The return leg will take place four days later on Monday, May 26. After the home advantage in the relegation playoffs is awarded to the club with fewer days off before the first leg, the relegation first leg will first take place at the 16th-placed Bundesliga team—in Heidenheim—before the final decision on promotion or relegation is made at a home game of the third-placed team in the second division.
The first leg of the relegation playoff for the last remaining starting spot in the second division will then take place on Friday, May 23, 2025. According to the rules, the lower-ranked team – Saarbrücken – will initially enjoy home advantage, before the third-division team faces the second-division team in the return leg four days later, on May 27.
1. FC Magdeburg had a long sniff of promotion – but their dream of a Bundesliga title has been dashed. What's next for the Elbe region? Who shaped their strong season? Also: VfL Bochum faces the bitter step of relegation to the 2nd division – and is already making new plans.
The private broadcaster SAT.1 will broadcast all four relegation matches live on free TV. The media company will also stream the games via ran.de. Pay-TV broadcaster Sky will also broadcast live coverage of the final four highlights of the 2024/25 season.
What is the mode?As in previous years (since the 2021/22 season), the away goals rule does not apply. If the score is tied after the first and second legs, the match will go into extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.
Both video assistant and goal-line technology will be used in all four matches.
What is the balance?Since 2008/09, relegation has been played again – and the Bundesliga team has usually prevailed. Only three times have the second division teams celebrated their victory: Nuremberg (2009 against Energie Cottbus), Fortuna Düsseldorf (2012 against Hertha BSC), and Union Berlin (2019 against VfB Stuttgart).
This was also the case last season: VfL Bochum had made up for a 3-0 first-leg defeat in the return match against second-division side Fortuna Düsseldorf and won a penalty shootout in one of the most dramatic relegations since the reintroduction of Germany's top division.
The situation is completely different in the duel between the second and third division teams, as the lower-class team won twelve times in 16 duels - in 2023/24 SSV Jahn Regensburg against Wehen Wiesbaden ( 4:3 after two legs ).
