Borussia Dortmund secured their place in a Champions League semi-final for the first time in 11 years after beating Atletico Madrid at the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday night, winning 5-4 on aggregate.
But not only was this a historic night for Die Schwarzgelben, showing grit and determination to overcome a usually resilient Atletico side, but it’s also excellent news for the Bundesliga.
As reported by Kicker, Borussia Dortmund have doubled their chances of qualifying for the 2024/25 competition, and it could lead to a scenario that’s never existed before. With BVB sitting in fifth, their win on Tuesday increases the chances of five German teams playing in next season’s competition but for the first time ever, there could be six.
Should Borussia Dortmund go on to win the Champions League and finish fifth or lower, and if the Bundesliga is one of the top two leagues in the European Cup at the end of the season, then six German teams will be playing in the 2024/25 Champions League.
Should Dortmund finish fifth, the team that finishes sixth would also qualify for the premier competition. If BVB be sixth or lower, then the team that finishes in fifth would clinch a spot. At the moment, Eintracht Frankfurt would benefit.
When asked by Kicker what is the maximum number of teams a club from one league can qualify for the Champions League, UEFA stated that the maximum theoretical number is seven.
A historic night for Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund hosted Atletico Madrid at the Westfalenstadion needing to overturn a 2-1 deficit. In a frantic opening five minutes, both teams could have scored, but it wasn’t until Julian Brandt opened the scoring just after the half hour mark that there was a sense of belief around the stadium. Ian Maatsen then gave Dortmund the lead on aggregate minutes later, before Atletico responded with two goals shortly after the break, to lead on aggregate.
But Borussia Dortmund fought magnificently. There was two minutes and twenty seconds between Niclas Füllkrug’s glancing header and Marcel Sabitzer’s superbly placed shot past Jan Oblak, securing Dortmund’s place in the Champions League semi-final.
