FAQ on the VBL Club Championship
The VBL Club Championship by WOW, in which Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs compete for the German Club Champion in eFootball, was launched for the first time in the 2018/19 season. This FAQ provides answers as to why the DFL is involved in eSports and how the VBL Club Championship by WOW works.
How is participation in the VBL Club Championship determined?
At its general meeting in May 2022, the DFL decided to anchor the WOW Virtual Bundesliga as an additional competition in the league statutes of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga starting from the 2023/24 season.
How are the matches in the VBL Club Championship played?
Unlike in the past, the clubs no longer compete in divisions during the league phase: Starting from the 2025/26 season, all clubs will face each other in five qualification tournaments. From October to February, one so-called Showdown will take place each month. The road to the final in Hamburg leads through the offline Showdown knockout phases in Leipzig (Sunday, 26 October 2025), Frankfurt (Sunday, 23 November 2025), Cologne (Friday, 19 December 2025), Berlin (Monday, 2 February 2026), and Stuttgart (Sunday, 22 February 2026).
A Showdown usually lasts ten days and consists of an online preliminary round and an offline knockout phase. In the online preliminary round, which is played on a Thursday and a Tuesday, the best 16 teams qualify for the offline knockout phase on the following weekend. In each online preliminary round, every club plays six matchups with classic points awarded. The matchups for the 2025/26 season will be played exclusively in the 1v1 mode. A matchup consists of two individual games in 1v1 mode – all goals scored over two 90-minute matches are added together for an overall result. The matches are played in EA SPORTS FC 26 in the “Ultimate Team” mode, and the pairings for each qualification tournament are drawn anew – so there is no fixed schedule before the season starts. In the offline knockout round, there is an opportunity to earn additional points for the overall ranking.
The overall ranking determines which clubs qualify for the playoffs on 25/26 February and the final on 7/8 March 2026 in Hamburg. The clubs ranked 1-8 in the overall table qualify directly for the final, while the clubs ranked 9-24 compete in the playoffs for the remaining eight spots in the final event. For the clubs ranked 25-35, the season ends after the last Showdown. In the final tournament, the German Club Champion in eFootball will be determined.
What is at stake in the VBL Club Championship?
In addition to qualification for the ongoing single-player competition (VBL Open Playoffs respectively VBL Grand Final), the participating clubs play for the title of ‘German Club Champion in eFootball’, the Bundesliga Trophy of the VBL Club Championship and a prize money pool of 87,500 Euros.
The trophy is designed in the style of the Bundesliga Trophy. The V-shaped notches are a nod to the cursor that marks the player currently being controlled in EA SPORTS FC and is also part of the VBL logo. The silver-coloured trophy, which has a diameter of around 50 centimetres, will be used as a travelling trophy. with the names of the victorious clubs engraved each time.
Where can I watch the matches in the VBL Club Championship?
The matches of the VBL Club Championship by WOW are broadcast live on the official VBL Twitch channel. As in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, conference broadcasts are intended to provide variety and excitement. Viewers also have the opportunity to help decide which matches are shown in the conference.
More information on the VBL Club Championship.
Social Media channels of the Virtual Bundesliga: