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Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt clinched qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League on the final day of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga campaign, while SC Freiburg missed out and will compete in the Europa League instead.
Dortmund sealed fourth place-the last available Champions League spot-with a 3-0 home victory over already-relegated Holstein Kiel on Saturday. The match turned in Dortmund’s favor early, as Kiel were reduced to ten men within the first ten minutes. Under coach Niko Kovač, who took charge in February when the club was in 11th place, Dortmund completed a remarkable resurgence, winning their final five league matches and collecting 22 of a possible 24 points in their last eight fixtures.
Eintracht Frankfurt maintained third place by defeating Freiburg 3-1 away. Freiburg, who needed a win to leapfrog Frankfurt for a Champions League berth, instead dropped to fifth-two points behind Dortmund-and will enter the Europa League.
Elsewhere, Mainz secured a place in the UEFA Conference League after drawing 2-2 with Bayer Leverkusen, finishing sixth. RB Leipzig missed out on European competition after a 3-2 home loss to Stuttgart, ending the season one point behind Mainz.
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At the top of the table, Bayern Munich, who had already clinched the Bundesliga title with two rounds remaining, concluded their campaign with a 4-0 win at Hoffenheim. The match marked Thomas Müller’s 503rd and final Bundesliga appearance for Bayern, closing a distinguished chapter in the club’s history.
The final standings mean that Dortmund and Frankfurt will join Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in representing Germany in the 2025-26 Champions League. Freiburg will compete in the Europa League, while Mainz enters the Conference League, and Leipzig is left without European football next season.
This season’s conclusion was notable for Dortmund’s dramatic turnaround under new management and the intense competition for European qualification, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the Bundesliga’s closing weeks.
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