End of Point Sharing in Football Bundesliga

According to the football Bundesliga, all twelve clubs unanimously agreed to suspend the point division from the 2026/27 season. However, the division into a championship and a qualification group, each with six teams, will remain in place for the upcoming seasons.

Criticism of Injustice Due to Point Division in Football Bundesliga

The halving of points, introduced in the 2018/19 season, brought more excitement but also a certain injustice. Coaches in the league regularly called for its abolition. The consensus: The division devalues the athletic performances before the halving.

Football Bundesliga: Age Limit for the Austrian Pot

A change was also decided regarding the Austrian pot, which financially rewards playing minutes of players eligible for the ÖFB national team. An age limit will apply, but only from 2027. For the distribution, the playing minutes of domestic U22 players will be counted triple, those of U24 players double, and those of U26 players single. Playing minutes of older players will no longer be financially considered. Additionally, the regulation was adjusted so that all Austrians under 26 who are in play bring money, regardless of the number of foreign players.

There had been recent concerns about whether the Austrian pot, introduced in the Bundesliga in 2004/05, still had its effect in its current form. The pot was recently endowed with around six million euros annually. Sturm Graz, Red Bull Salzburg, Rapid, and LASK waived participation. To participate, currently (still) at least twelve Austrians must consistently appear on the match report (with more than seven registered substitutes, 13).

Agreement on Distribution Key for TV Money

Regarding the distribution of proceeds from the sale of media rights, a pillar model will be maintained, the league announced. From the upcoming season, these will be distributed according to the following key: Base amount: 50 percent; sporting performance (points earned): 30 percent; stadium spectators: 10 percent; Austrian pot: 10 percent.

In September, the league and the pay-TV broadcaster Sky agreed to extend their cooperation until the end of the 2029/30 season. Previously, according to APA information, around 42 million euros were generated per year, but now it is likely to be only a total of 34 million - 28 coming from Sky, the rest from other partners such as ORF and Sportradar.

Future of VAR "still completely open"

However, budget constraints could decide the end of the Video Assistant Referee by the end of the year. "Whether and in what form the VAR will take place in the future is still completely open," said Ebenbauer, for whom the substantive benefit of the VAR is beyond question. Because the total pie to be distributed is getting smaller, the league, together with the ÖFB, is currently looking for potential savings - including with the VAR, which currently costs around 1.5 million euros a year. "This particularly concerns personnel on one side and technical solutions on the other," explained Ebenbauer. Currently, the tender for potential technical service providers is taking place from 2026.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.