The 2023-24 Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship by WOW sees the competition return for the sixth time, with the best players from Germany and international players representing clubs across the entire country to take part in one of the biggest FC Pro Leagues on EA SPORTS FC 24.
The most reputable real-world Bundesliga teams are set to participate, with Borussia Dortmund and Sport-Club Freiburg among the six new entrants to the 2023-24 campaign, taking the total of competing teams to 35.
So what do you need to know about this season’s competition?
Who is taking part?
The competition is set to be more fierce than ever before, with 35 teams battling against each other for the German club title.
The 35 teams are geographically divided into two divisions (North-West and South-East), with competitors in both competing to earn a place to the Playoffs and the Final of the VBL Club Championship.
Below listed are the 35 teams taking part in the 23/24 Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship and the two divisions.
North-West Division
1. FC Magdeburg
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Monchengladbach
Eintracht Braunschweig
F.C. Hansa Rostock
1. FC Koln
FC Schalke 04
FC St. Pauli
Fortuna Dusseldorf
Hamburger SV
Hannover 96
Holstein Kiel
SC Paderborn 07
VfL Bochum 1848
VfL Osnabruck
VfL Wolfsburg
SV Werder Bremen
South-East Division
1. FC Heidenheim 1848
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FSV Mainz 05
Eintracht Frankfurt
FC Augsburg
FC Bayern Munchen
1. FC Nurnberg
Hertha BSC
Karlsruher SC
RB Leipzig
SC Freiburg
SV Darmstadt 98
SV 07 Elversberg
SV Wehen Wiesbaden
SpVgg Greuther Furth
TSG Hoffenheim
VfB Stuttgart
How does it work?
Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship by WOW
The Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship is where it starts for the 35 competitors. The season starts with the first games on November 18 and November 19, with the campaign running across five months before the final matches of the regular season (Division Phase) on March 5 and March 6.
All clashes are played in an amended Best of Three (Bo3) format, with the same points awarded as seen in real-world football results (three for a win, one each for a draw, and zero for a loss). League matches will be played between sides in their respective divisions, with everyone playing each other twice over the course of the regular season.
The North-West Division and South-East Division both have six playoff spots available for teams finishing from 3rd-8th (March 22), while the top two in each division will directly qualify to the Final of the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship on March 23 and March 24.
Squad Building
New to this year, the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship is making the switch from “95-rated” to “Ultimate Team” mode. That means that participants are now able to choose any player from all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 sides to feature in their squads – as they have previously been allowed to during the single-player competitions.
VBL Power Items
Clubs from the VBL Club Championship can nominate two players from the football team that they are representing to be 99-rated – these are known as VBL Power Items.
Bundesliga Heroes and German Icons
There is also the chance for added nostalgia. Teams are allowed to choose one Bundesliga Hero such as Dimitar Berbatov or Bixente Lizarazu, as well as a German Icon item – which allows for the likes of Lothar Matthäus, Gerd Muller, Michael Ballack, and Bastian Schweinsteiger to feature in the VBL Club Championship.
Playoffs of the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship by WOW
The Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship Playoffs is the penultimate stage of the campaign, and the final obstacle lying between teams and a place in the Final of the VBL Club Championship.
12 teams are set to make the Playoffs this time around, with each division given six qualification spots for the teams that finish from 3rd to 8th.
Sides from both regional divisions go up against each other during this stage, and play a Best of Three format . The six teams that win their playoff match will earn qualification to the Final, where four teams are already waiting.
The final of Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship by WOW
The Final of the VBL Club Championship will take place on the 23rd and 24th of March, 2024. In addition to the Championship Trophy and the title of German Club Champion, the competition’s largest prize pot is up for grabs - 87,500 euros. RB Leipzig, the reigning German Club Champion, secured the trophy for the second time in a row in March 2023.
After months of action from 35 teams competing to prove themselves as the best in Germany, just 10 will remain by the Club Championship Final stage.
Four teams from the first phase earn automatic qualification here by finishing in the top two (1st or 2nd) in their respective division, and they are joined by six teams from the Playoffs competing to earn the biggest share of the €87,500 prize pool.
Two groups of five are created for the Final Group stage, and all teams will play against each other once in a round-robin format. The same best Bo3 play is used throughout the finals as during the regular season, which means that two wins are required to secure victory and points are awarded as seen in real-world football results.
The final eight is formed by the top four teams from each group, who are then moved into a quarter-final bracket – leaving them three victories away from being crowned as Virtual Bundesliga Club Champions.
RB Leipzig won the competition for the second time in a row last time around, which means Umut, Vejrgang and Levyfinn will be aiming for a treble when they defend the title for RB Leipzig in March.
How to follow?
You can follow all of the matches from the VBL Club Championship by WOW live across Twitch, TikTok and the official Virtual Bundesliga website at virtual.bundesliga.com.
And as ever, don’t forget to join the discussion on X, where you can stay updated on all the latest FC24 news at @EASportsFCPro.
