The German Football League (DFL) has no plans to expand the Bundesliga to 20 teams in the foreseeable future, managing director Steffen Merkel said during a media panel on Thursday. "We're not thinking about this," he said.
The German Football League (DFL) has no plans to expand the Bundesliga to 20 teams in the foreseeable future, managing director Steffen Merkel said during a media panel on Thursday.
"We're not thinking about this," he said.
The Bundesliga currently has 18 teams, while other top leagues in Europe, such as La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A, all have 20 clubs.
This results in more matches, which can bring more revenue from ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
Merkel cited two reasons why an expansion of the Bundesliga is currently not in debate.
The first is the fact that an expansion is closely linked to the TV partners' rights cycles. The DFL has just awarded the broadcasting rights for the 2025-26 to 2028-29 seasons.
In addition, the football calendar would become even more packed for the clubs.
"We have to be realistic," Merkel warned.
According to Merkel, there's a "trend" for leagues with 20 clubs to consider downsizing to 18 teams. That's what happened in France's Ligue 1 recently.
The French top tier was reduced from 20 to 18 teams starting with the 2023-24 season, due to the tense economic situation in French professional football.
Eighteen teams have played in the Bundesliga on a permanent basis since 1965. The first two seasons, 1963-64 and 1964-65, were played with 16 clubs.
Category: General Sports
