How American-style playoffs can save predictable European leagues

Why Bayern Munich's 10th consecutive Bundesliga title, and PSG's eighth Ligue 1 win in the last ten seasons, is bad news for those leagues which need a shake-up.

League system not fit for purpose

You could be forgiven for thinking Paris Saint-Germain had lost the game and thrown away the title. The Parc des Princes crowd once again booed Mauricio Pochettino’s side during their 1-1 draw with Lens on Saturday, and few stayed behind to celebrate a result which secured the Ligue 1 crown.

It was a surreal scene which drove home why the traditional league system is no longer fit for purposes in several European countries.

More than 500 miles to the east, Bayern Munich were crowned German champions on the same day. It is their 10th title in a row. The atmosphere at the Allianz Arena was nowhere near as toxic as at the Parc des Princes. Most Bayern fans celebrated the achievement. Yet the fact that lifting the Bundesliga trophy has become a routine part of their season is not a healthy situation for anyone.

A shake-up is required. Introducing a US-style playoff system has the potential to revitalise the top flights of French and German football. It would not be sufficient to end PSG or Bayern’s dominance of their respective divisions, but it would at least make the season seem like less of a foregone conclusion.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski was part of the squad that celebrated a 10th consecutive Bundesliga title last weekend

No more status quo

The playoff system is not perfect. New York City won the MLS Cup in 2021 despite finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference, 22 points behind first-placed New England Revolution. Some will argue that that represents a form of sporting injustice. Yet the lack of competitiveness in France and Germany in particular means the status quo will no longer do. Closed shops are not good for business.

It is worth noting that PSG did not win the Ligue 1 title last term, with Lille finishing a point clear at the summit. They also failed to finish on top of the pile in 2016/17, when a thrilling young Monaco side romped home in style. But the direction of travel is clear. PSG have won eight of the last 10 titles. Even big clubs like Lyon, Marseille and Saint-Etienne cannot keep up.

The current set-up at the Parc des Princes is dysfunctional, as evidenced by PSG’s collapse against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Their star player wants to leave, Mauricio Pochettino is on the verge of being sacked and reports suggest the club will listen to offers for their most expensive ever signing. Yet even amid such disorder, PSG are 13 points clear at the top of the table.

Over in Germany, supporters of the current system argue that Bayern’s dominance is nothing new. That is true to an extent. But before this current run, the most consecutive titles they had won was three. Their superiority was not quite so entrenched and it was interrupted by spells of success for Borussia Monchengladbach, Hamburg and Borussia Dortmund. Bayern were bigger than the rest, but the Bundesliga was not a monopoly.

Increased excitement

It is common to hear that fans of other German clubs are not too bothered by Bayern’s supremacy because there is always plenty going on elsewhere in the league, from the race for the top four to the battle to avoid relegation. But those sources of drama would not be eradicated if a playoff system was introduced. In fact, it would only increase the excitement.

The advantages PSG and Bayern enjoy within their domestic leagues are structural, so there is little chance of any meaningful change happening organically. According to the latest edition of the Deloitte Football Money League, PSG generated revenue of €556m in 2020/21. No other French club made more than €160m over the same period. Bayern placed third in Europe with €611m, not far off double the €337m Borussia Dortmund made.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be the appetite to make the game more economically equal, so something must instead be done to the format of problematic European leagues. Traditionalists might instinctively bristle at the prospect of titles being decided by playoffs, but the system is already used for relegation in both France and Germany, and in lower divisions right across the continent for at least one of the promotion places.

PSG and Bayern Munich would still win more titles than most under this system. Bayern have won all but one of their last 11 Bundesliga meetings with Dortmund. They would probably beat them in a playoff too – but at least there would be a greater sense of jeopardy and uncertainty. 

Football is in a sense part of the entertainment industry, but competition is a vital element of any elite sport. At the top of Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, it does not exist right now. French and German football should take a look across the Atlantic and introduce a US-style playoff system that could save their leagues.