History of Bundesliga in Timeline

The Bundesliga is Germany's premier professional football league, featuring 18 teams competing in a promotion and relegation system with the 2. Bundesliga. The season spans from August to May, with matches primarily held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. All Bundesliga teams participate in the DFB-Pokal cup, and the league champion earns a spot in the DFL-Supercup. It represents the highest level of German football.

January 1900: Formation of Deutscher Fußball Bund (DFB)

On January 28, 1900, a national association, the Deutscher Fußball Bund (DFB), was founded in Leipzig with 86 member clubs.

May 1903: First Recognized National Championship Team

On May 31, 1903, VfB Leipzig beat DFC Prague 7–2 in a game played at Altona to become the first recognized national championship team.

1903: All German Men's Titles Since 1903

Since November 2005, all German men's titles since 1903 are included on the star.

1949: Introduction of Semi-Professionalism

In 1949, part-time (semi-) professionalism was introduced to German football and only five regional Oberligen (Premier Leagues) remained.

1950: Formation of DS-Oberliga in East Germany

In 1950, a separate league was established in East Germany with the formation of the DS-Oberliga (Deutscher Sportausschuss Oberliga).

1958: DS-Oberliga Renamed

In 1958, the DS-Oberliga was renamed the Football Oberliga DFV and was generally referred to simply as the DDR-Liga or DDR-Oberliga.

July 1962: Bundesliga Created

On July 28, 1962, the Bundesliga was created in Dortmund at the Westfalenhallen at the annual DFB convention.

1962: Bundesliga Founded in Dortmund

In 1962, the Bundesliga was founded in Dortmund. The structure and organisation have undergone frequent changes since then.

August 1963: First Bundesliga Games Played

On August 24, 1963, the first Bundesliga games were played. 1. FC Köln was the first Bundesliga champion.

1963: Relegation System in Place

From 1963 until 1981 two, or later three, teams were relegated from the Bundesliga automatically.

1963: Start of Bundesliga Championships

From the 1963-64 season, 58 teams have taken part in 63 Bundesliga championships.

1963: Planned Start of Bundesliga Play

In 1963, plans were made for the Bundesliga to begin play starting with the 1963-64 season.

1963: Teams Winning Three or More Championships Since 1963 Recognized

In 1963, teams winning three or more championships since 1963 are recognized with the honour of "Verdiente Meistervereine".

1963: Bundesliga Era Since 1963

Since 1963, the FC Bayern Munich has won a record 32 titles in the modern Bundesliga era.

1963: First Bundesliga Season

The first Bundesliga season started in 1963-64.

1963: Special Logo Developed

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bundesliga, a special logo was developed for the 2012–13 season, featuring a "50" and "1963–2013".

1974: Introduction of the 2. Bundesliga

In 1974, the 2. Bundesliga (2nd Bundesliga) became the second tier of German football.

1974: All German Women's Titles Since 1974

Since November 2005, all German women's titles since 1974 are included on the star.

1976: Bundesliga Leads UEFA Ranking

In 1976, the Bundesliga led the UEFA ranking.

1981: Promotion and Relegation System in Use

From 1981 until 1991, the Bundesliga used a system of promotion and relegation that was reinstated in the 2008-09 season.

1981: End of Relegation System

In 1981, the relegation system that was in place from 1963 ended.

1984: End of Bundesliga's UEFA Ranking Lead

In 1984, the Bundesliga's lead in the UEFA ranking ended.

1990: German Reunification and League Merger

Following German reunification in 1990, the East German leagues were merged into the West German system.

1990: Bundesliga Led UEFA Ranking Again

In 1990, the Bundesliga once again led the UEFA ranking.

1991: Seeding of East German Clubs into Bundesliga

In 1991, Dynamo Dresden and FC Hansa Rostock were seeded into the top-tier Bundesliga division ahead of the 1991–92 Bundesliga, with other clubs being sorted into lower tiers.

1991: End of Promotion and Relegation System

In 1991, the system of promotion and relegation that was reinstated in the 2008-09 season ended.

1992: New Promotion and Relegation System Introduced

From 1992 until 2008, the bottom three finishers of the Bundesliga were automatically relegated, replaced by the top three finishers in the 2. Bundesliga.

1992: Founding of the J.League

In 1992, the J.League of Japan was founded, strongly influenced by the philosophy of the Bundesliga.

1995: Change in Point System for Victories

Since the 1995–96 season, a victory has been worth three points, while a draw remains worth a single point, and zero points are given for a loss.

1996: Bundesliga Given Its Own Logo

In 1996, the Bundesliga was given its own logo to distinguish itself.

1997: Dortmund Won the Champions League

After having won the Champions League in 1997, Dortmund gambled on maintaining their success but failed.

2000: Youth Academy Requirement

After 2000, the German Football Association and the Bundesliga required every club to run a youth academy with the aim of developing local talent for the club and the national team.

2002: Introduction of Opening Matches

Starting with the 2002-03 season, opening matches were introduced to feature defending champions on Friday nights on the first match day.

2004: Borussia Dortmund's Debt

In 2004, Borussia Dortmund reported a debt of €118.8 million (£83 million). Also in 2004 Hertha BSC reported debts of £24.7 million.

2004: Introduction of "Verdiente Meistervereine"

In 2004, the honour of "Verdiente Meistervereine" (roughly "distinguished champion clubs") was introduced in Germany to recognize sides that have won three or more championships since 1963 by the display of gold stars.

November 2005: DFB Allows All Former Champions to Display a Star

In November 2005, the DFB decided to allow all former champions to display a single star inscribed with the number of titles, including German men's titles since 1903, women's titles since 1974 and East German titles.

2006: Dortmund Narrowly Escapes Liquidation

In 2006, Borussia Dortmund narrowly escaped liquidation after an expensive group of largely foreign players failed to maintain the club's success.

2006: Gazprom Becomes Major Sponsor

In 2006, Gazprom became a major sponsor of Bundesliga football.

2008: Financial Stability of Bundesliga Clubs

After the 2008-09 season, 11 of the 18 Bundesliga clubs were profitable due to regulations that discourage control by a single entity and operate under tight restrictions on the use of debt for acquisitions.

2008: End of Promotion and Relegation System

In 2008, the promotion and relegation system that was introduced in 1992 ended.

2008: Bundesliga Reinstates Promotion and Relegation System

In the 2008-09 season, the Bundesliga reinstated an earlier German system of promotion and relegation, which had been in use from 1981 until 1991.

2008: Bayern Munich Profit

In the 2008–09 season, the leading German club Bayern Munich made a net profit of just €2.5 million.

2008: The 3. Liga Established

Since 2008, the 3. Liga (3rd League) in Germany has also been a professional league.

September 2009: UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations

The clubs in the Bundesliga have been subject to regulations not unlike the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations agreed upon in September 2009.

2009: Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund Net Loss

In 2009 financial year, Schalke 04 made a net loss of €30.4 million and Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA, made a net loss of just €2.9 million in 2008–09 season.

2009: Bundesliga Turnover

In the 2009–10 season, the Bundesliga's turnover was €1.7bn, broken down into match-day revenue (€424m), sponsorship receipts (€573m) and broadcast income (€594m).

June 2010: Clubs Officially Allowed to Wear Stars

Since June 2010, certain clubs have been officially allowed to wear stars while playing in the Bundesliga, based on the number of Bundesliga titles won.

2010: New Logo Announced

A new Bundesliga logo was announced for the 2010–11 season in order to modernise the brand logo for all media platforms.

2010: Increase in Youth Players

As of 2010, the Bundesliga and second Bundesliga spend €75m a year on youth academies, which train five thousand players aged 12–18, increasing the percentage of under-23-year-olds in the Bundesliga from 6% in 2000 to 15% in 2010.

2012: FC Bayern Munich Dominance Between 2012 and 2022

Between the 2012–13 season and the 2022–23 season, FC Bayern Munich won 11 consecutive titles.

2012: Special Logo Developed

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bundesliga, a special logo was developed for the 2012–13 season, featuring a "50" and "1963–2013".

2013: Bayern Munich Dominance Begins

In 2013, Bayern Munich started a streak of eleven consecutive Bundesliga titles, which lasted until 2023.

2013: Special Logo Developed

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bundesliga, a special logo was developed for the 2012–13 season, featuring a "50" and "1963–2013".

July 2014: One Star Designation Adopted

As of July 2014, a system of one star designation was adopted, taking into account Bundesliga titles and other national championships, for clubs playing outside the Bundesliga.

2015: StarTimes acquires exclusive television rights for Sub-Saharan Africa

In 2015, StarTimes, a digital TV operator, acquired exclusive television rights for Sub-Saharan Africa for five years, starting from the 2015–16 season.

December 2016: New Bundesliga Logo Announced

In December 2016, it was announced that a new Bundesliga logo would be used for the 2017–18 season, featuring a matte look and modified slightly for digitisation requirements.

2017: New Bundesliga Logo in Use

For the 2017–18 season, the new Bundesliga logo was used, featuring a matte look and modified slightly for digitisation requirements.

2017: Bundesliga Broadcast on TV

From 2017 to 2018, Bundesliga matches were broadcast on TV in Germany on Sky Deutschland and Eurosport.

2017: Bernd Heynemann Interview

In 2017, former East German referee Bernd Heynemann gave an interview with the Leipziger Volkszeitung.

2017: Bundesliga Outperforms English Premier League in Online Influence in China

In 2017, the Bundesliga outperformed the English Premier League in online influence in China, attributed to its open embrace of live-streaming and fast-forward visions.

May 2018: Hamburger SV Relegated

On May 12, 2018, Hamburger SV, the last founding club, was relegated for the first time.

2018: Bundesliga Broadcast on TV

From 2017 to 2018, Bundesliga matches were broadcast on TV in Germany on Sky Deutschland and Eurosport.

2018: Sky Simulcasts High-Profile Games on Free TV

Starting with the 2018–19 season, Sky began arranging simulcasts of high-profile Saturday games on free TV to promote its coverage of the league.

April 2019: Revierderby Broadcast on Das Erste

In April 2019, the Revierderby was broadcast on Das Erste.

2019: Eurosport Sublicenses Broadcast Rights to DAZN

Prior to the 2019-20 season, Eurosport sublicensed its broadcast rights to sports streaming service DAZN.

2020: DAZN Broadcast Rights

DAZN broadcast games previously allocated to Eurosport until the conclusion of the 2020–21 season.

2020: ESPN Holds Rights in the United States

ESPN has held rights in the United States since the beginning of the 2020–21 season.

2020: Bundesliga Aired on Taiwanese Television

The 2020-21 season was the last time Bundesliga aired on Taiwanese television before 2024.

2021: Change in Kick-off Times

Starting with the 2021–22 season, kick off times were changed with Friday matches starting at 8:30 pm, Saturdays at 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, and Sundays at 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

2022: FC Bayern Munich Dominance Between 2012 and 2022

Between the 2012–13 season and the 2022–23 season, FC Bayern Munich won 11 consecutive titles.

2023: Bayern Munich's Dominance in Bundesliga

Bayern Munich has won each year from 2013 to 2023.

2023: Bayern Munich Wins Eleventh Consecutive Title

In 2023, Bayern Munich won their eleventh consecutive Bundesliga title, continuing their dominance since 2013.

2024: Bayern Munich Secures Bundesliga Title

Bayern Munich secured the 2024-25 Bundesliga title with two games to spare.

2024: High Attendance

During the 2024-25 season, the Bundesliga is one of the highest-attended association football leagues worldwide, with an average of 38,657 spectators per game.

2024: Bundesliga's UEFA Ranking

For the 2024-25 season, the Bundesliga ranks fourth in UEFA’s league coefficient based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons.

2024: Bundesliga to be aired on MNC Group

In 2024, Bundesliga will be aired on MNC Group's television channels, pay TV, and OTT in Indonesia.

2024: Bundesliga Returns to Taiwanese Television

In 2024, ELTA TV in Taiwan is expected to air Bundesliga, marking its return to Taiwanese television since the 2020–21 season.

August 2025: MBC Group, Mark Goldbridge, and others secure Bundesliga broadcast rights

In August 2025, MBC Group signed a three-year deal to broadcast all Bundesliga games on Shahid and three matches a week on MBC Action across the MENA region. Mark Goldbridge also secured rights to stream the 2025–26 season on "That's Football", alongside "The Overlap". The BBC, Sky Sports, Amazon Prime Video, and Bundesliga's official YouTube channel acquired UK and Ireland broadcast rights.

August 2025: BBC to Broadcast Bundesliga Matches

In the United Kingdom, the BBC have the rights to broadcast one Bundesliga match a week from August 2025.

2025: Number of Teams in Bundesliga Championships

As of the 2025-26 season, 58 teams have taken part in 63 Bundesliga championships.

2025: Bundesliga broadcasting rights contract extended, aired on TV360

In 2025, the Bundesliga broadcasting rights contract is extended in Indonesia, and in Vietnam, Bundesliga will be aired on TV360 from the 2025–26 season.