Football: Loose ends remain as Bundesliga wraps up 2025-26 season

Berlin (Germany), May 17 With the 2025-26 Bundesliga season's final standings confirmed, the final puzzle pieces for German football are still missing. Freiburg, having locked up a UEFA Conference League spot for next season, are now gearing up for the 2026 Europa League final against Aston Villa, scheduled in Istanbul on May 20.

Bayern Munich celebrated their 2025-26 national title in a restrained manner, as the German Cup final on May 23 against Stuttgart is waiting.

Despite several league records, including 122 goals scored and French winger Michael Olise being named the season's best player, only the domestic double makes the season a success, following their UEFA Champions League semifinal defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, reports Xinhua.

The 2025 German Cup holder VfB Stuttgart are among the season's standout winners, having secured Champions League qualification for the second time in three years. Head coach Sebastian Hoeness is also level pegging with Bayern's Vincent Kompany in the running for the season's best coach award.

While Dortmund and Leipzig secured Champions League spots, both sides fly below the radar compared to Bayern and Stuttgart.

For Stuttgart, finishing ahead of rivals including Hoffenheim and Leverkusen in the league table feels like a more significant achievement than the upcoming cup final, where it enters as clear underdogs against the Bavarian side.

Relegated Heidenheim and St. Pauli seem the season's losers at first glance, but are outpaced by Leverkusen, which missed the Champions League aside from Wolfsburg's disappointing run.

The Wolves might have secured position 16 in a nail-biting relegation race, but face two nervy relegation games against the second division's third.

The list of underperformers also extends to the dugout: Leverkusen's Kasper Hjulmand and Eintracht Frankfurt's Albert Riera are both reportedly set to be sacked, while Augsburg's Manuel Baum, Cologne's Rene Wagner, and St. Pauli's Alexander Blessin are also in uncertain positions.

For struggling 2021 Europa League winner Frankfurt, the appointment of Riera has turned out to be a costly misstep, with the side failing to qualify for any European competition next season.

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