It’s that time of the year when all avid football fans are going to be glued to their TV, laptop or even phone screens! On August 13th, the German top-flight football season begins. It is customary for the reigning champions to participate in the season’s first game. Bayern Munich will begin their championship defence with a visit to Monchengladbach as they have done for the previous decade.

Dortmund and RB Leipzig, the typical swarm of title contenders, will also be aiming for a strong start to the season. This year, Wolfsburg and Frankfurt will try to get into the top four.

It’s turning out to be an interesting season, with management changes and the transfer window currently open. In this blog, we’ve covered all the important pointers of the series, however, before we get started, let’s take a walk down the memory lane.

All teams playing in the two Bundesligen require a mandatory licence to compete in the league or be relegated to the regional leagues.

An Overview of Bundesliga 2020-21

The last day of the Bundesliga season for 2020/21 was quite exciting, even in Bayern Munich’s dead rubber against Augsburg, when Robert Lewandowski scored a final-minute goal of hitting 41 for the sake of a single campaign, thereby beating Gerd Muller’s record for most points.

No one dared to approach Lewandowski, so he claimed the Torjägerkanone. Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg would join Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in the Champions League next season, having already clinched their places ahead to the final weekend.

The Europa League berth was finished by Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. The Union Berlin celebrated in the seventh position, which was established for European football for the very first time.

But it wasn’t all bliss, because someone had to go from the Bundesliga to the second level. The destiny of Schalke had long been known, and a prominent Bundesliga player in Werder Bremen was added to their relegation.

Eventually, FC Koln provided themselves with a second shot at Bundesliga’s survival by overtaking Bremen into the relegation play-off berth on the last day.

Competition format

The German football champion is determined only by the results of the Bundesliga. Every team plays every other team twice, once at home and once on the road. Previously, a win was considered two points, a tie was for one point, and a defeat was worth none. But since the 1995–96 season, a win has been worth three points, a draw is for one point, and a defeat is worth zero points.

At the conclusion of the annual season, the team with the most points is crowned German champion. The top 4 teams in the league presently qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage directly.

The last two teams in the table are demoted to the 2. The top two clubs of the 2. Bundesliga, on the other hand, are promoted. A two-leg play-off match is held in the Bundesliga. The winner of this match will play in the Bundesliga following season, while the loser will play in the 2. Bundesliga.

If two clubs are drawn on points, the following tie-breakers are used in the following order:

1. Target difference during the season
2. Total number of goals obtained through the season
3. Results of head-to-head competition (total points)
4. Goals scored in head-to-head competition
5. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches
6. The Total number of away goals scored this season

When two clubs are still attached, a single match is conducted at a neutral venue to determine the placing after all of those tie-breakers have been used. In the history of the Bundesliga though, this was never necessary.

For the team selection, only five non-EU representatives must be part-time squads. The selection of nine substitutes, three of which may be utilized throughout the game length, is allowed.

Bundesliga 2021-22 League Table

Bochum topped the table and qualified for the Bundesliga for the very first time since 2010 with a 3-1 victory against SV Sandhausen. Greuther Furth, who defeated Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-2 despite having played half the match with 10 men, will join them in Germany’s premier league.

Holstein Kiel, which defeated Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal, was defeated 3-2 by Darmstadt and now faces FC Koln in a two-leg relegation play-off to gain entry into the Bundesliga for the very first time.

Check out the complete list of teams and their locations in the table below:

Team changes

Stadiums & Locations

The Bundesliga is the world’s most popular football league in terms of average attendance.

Bundesliga 2021-22 Fixtures

With less than a month left before the first match in the series, check out the schedule of the first three days below:

• Friday 13th August
• M’gladbach vs Bayern Munich

• Saturday 14th August
• Arminia Bielefeld Vs SC FreiburgFC
• FC Union Berlin Vs Bayer Leverkusen
• Augsburg Vs Hoffenheim
• Wolfsburg Vs Bochum
• Stuttgart Vs Greuther Furth
• Borussia Dortmund Vs Eintracht Frankfurt

• Sunday 15th August
• Mainz Vs RB Leipzig
• Cologne Vs Hertha Berlin

How to View the Bundesliga Campaign 2021-22 in India

Star Sports is the sole broadcaster of Bundesliga live games in India. Star Sports and Bundesliga had been in talks about renewing their broadcasting contract.

However, after failing to agree on the commercial parameters of the arrangement, both Star Sports and Bundesliga have chosen to split ways. As a result Star Sports will no longer broadcast Bundesliga fixtures in India.

Since the 2020 season, no firm has purchased the television rights for the Bundesliga in the Indian subcontinent. This will not dissuade German club supporters because the game can still be viewed online.

In India, the Bundesliga 2021-22 series can be streamed live via the FanCode app. The FanCode app may be downloaded through the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store. To watch the matches on the app or website, you must have a membership.

Yannick Colaco, Co-Founder of FanCode, commented on the fan experience, saying, “As among the most highly watched football leagues around the world, we are eager to connecting and joining the new and current Bundesliga football supporters on the platforms to even further build on their fanaticism quotient.”

“Germany and India embrace a world-renowned enthusiasm for the sport, and we feel that the Bundesliga’s quick, high-scoring game is a great fit for Indian supporters,” stated Robert Klein, CEO of Bundesliga International.

Together with the Bundesliga, FanCode will broadcast the German Supercup match featuring Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund live.

Indian audiences may also watch live broadcasts of the 2021-22 Bundesliga on Jio TV, but only if they are Jio members.

Besides this, if you want to watch Bundesliga live, you can also purchase a good VPN to stream the matches.

The national team’s defeat against Yugoslavia (0–1) in a 1962 World Cup quarter-final game in Chile was one (among many) reasons for the development of a national league.

Conclusion

Even though the Bundesliga matches aren’t being broadcast or streamed by any major network, fans of the series can enjoy the matches on other portals. After all, nothing comes in between a true fan and watching their game! Stay tuned with us for more information on the schedule and other updates related to Bundesliga 2021-22.