Bayer Leverkusen won their first Bundesliga title on Sunday night, defeating Werder Bremen 5-0 to end Bayern Munich’s 11-year dominance. But the German championship does not guarantee them a place in the number 1 seeding group for next season’s Champions League.
That’s because the new format of this tournament is about to take place. Unlike previous football seasons, where winning the top European leagues, Champions League or Europa League would guarantee a place in the first group, this will be changed.
Now, only the defending Champions League champions automatically get a spot in group 1. The remaining 35 names are allocated into four groups, depending on UEFA coefficients and their achievements in European competition in The past 5 seasons. This means that despite winning the Bundesliga, even winning the Europa League this season will not give Leverkusen an advantage in the draw.
Currently ranked 14th in UEFA’s coefficient, Bayer can still climb to higher positions if they win this year’s C2 Cup. They will enter the return match against West Ham with a 2-0 lead. Ranked above Leverkusen in terms of coefficient are Manchester United and Chelsea. But even without this Premier League duo in next year’s C1 Cup, Bayer will still find it difficult to enter group 1.
