Mention European football and indeed the world leagues at large and one of the names that will feature at the top is The Bundesliga, alongside English Premier League, Italy Serie A, Spanish La Liga, and France Ligue 1. The Bundesliga started in 1963 and up-to-date it has been home to many stars, as well as supplied European football tournaments with some of the best players for years.
Although it's small than its counterparts in Europe, the league has been followed by millions of fans across the world as well as provided betting enthusiasts with plenty of chances to place their bids. Now with Bitcoin bookmakers, cryptocurrency adopting betting fans will appreciate placing their bets on their favorite teams in the Bundesliga. This article will explore the league, highlighting the teams that will be participating in 2021/2022 as well as those to watch during the season. This information is useful to the betting fans as they will know which teams to bet on come the season.
Participating teams
Bundesliga is smaller than other European leagues where eighteen teams participate. Other leagues in Europe comprise twenty teams. It has been announced that the league will be starting on August 13th, 2021, running up to May 14th in 2022. The teams which will be participating in the 59th edition of the Bundesliga include:
Of all the eighteen teams that will play in the 2021/2022 league, the following clubs may surprise many:
FC Augsburg
Hertha BSC
Union Berlin
Arminia Bielefeld
VfL Bochum
Borussia Dortmund
Eintracht Frankfurt
SC Freiburg
Greuther Furth
1899 Hoffenheim
FC Koln
RB Leipzig
Bayer Leverkusen
Mainz 05
Borrussia Mönchengladbach
Bayern Munich
VfB Stuttgart
VfL Wolfsburg
FC Augsburg
Augsburg was founded in 1907 and spent a considerable period fluctuating between the second and third divisions. It has been relegated to the fourth division twice but bounced back, eventually earning a promotion to the Bundesliga ten years ago. Since 2011, it has remained in the league recording good performances.
It has even participated in the UEFA Europa League wherein in the 2015/2016 season they reached the Round of 32 before being hounded out by Liverpool. Its current squad includes Rani Khedira, Jan Moravek, Noah Bazee, Michael Greygoritsch, and Marek Suchy. For the last five seasons, the team has been oscillating between 13th and 15th positions. With the start of the new season in August, the team is expected to perform better given its strong forward department.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen is an exceptional club in German given that it is not bound by the 50+1 rule where supporters are supposed to hold half of the shares plus one. Since it was founded in 1904, the team is owned by Bayer, a pharmaceutical company. Although the club has never won the league, they have been runners-up five times. Bayer has performed well in European tournaments where it has won one UEFA Cup as well as finished as runner up in UEFA Champions League in 2001-02 seasons. They finished in the sixth position in the last season.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich is the king of German soccer having won the most titles as well as participating in the Europe championships and performing well. The club also sums up as the richest and popular in Germany.
Founded in 1900, the club has produced great players who have played for the German side as well as in other teams across the world. As the current winners, they will also be starting the season as the favorites. This will put lots of pressure on the team, something that analysts argue could help fire them up to the top, once again. Football fans will be waiting to see whether the team that has fourteen international wins, becomes the champions this season.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund is one of the German football clubs to have won the UEFA champions league. The club which was founded in 1909 has been the German Champions eight times with the latest one being the 2011-12 seasons. They have also been runners-up nine times with 2018-19 and 2019-20 being the latest season.
Borrussia Mönchengladbach
The team emerged 8th in the 2020/2021 league table with 49 points; having won 13 games, drawing 10, and losing 11. In the 2019-20 season the team started so well that they were even topping the league in December. The second half of the season saw the team drop to finish in the fourth position and 17 points behind the winners.
Hertha Berlin
One of the oldest clubs in German, Hertha Berlin has a record of underachievement. It has never won the Bundesliga title despite being almost 120 years old. They finished in the fourteenth position garnering thirty-five points, winning 13 games, drawing 10, and losing 11.
Rasen Ballsport Leipzig
Rasen Ballsport Leipzig was founded in 2009, making it one of the youngest clubs in Bundesliga. The club has been performing well at home as well as in the European league, they made history in 2020 when they participated in the Champion League for the first time and reached the semi-finals, losing against France’s PSG. In the last season, they were the runner-up with sixty-five points; having won nineteen matches, drew eight, lost 7, and a goal difference of twenty-eight.
Wolfsburg FC
The fourth-placed team in the 2020/2021 season, Wolfsburg FC may surprise many when they become the top contenders. Having garnered sixty-four points where they won 17 matches, drew, and lost ten and seven matches respectively, the Volkswagen associated team is ranked thirty-sixth in UEFA Club rankings, three positions ahead of Valencia. This is a team to watch both at the regional and national levels.
The 59th edition of the Bundesliga may surprise many, watch out for these teams, be careful when betting for the matches which they participate in, and above all take advantage of the Bitcoin Bookmakers as they make it easy for you to participate in the bets.
Sugro UK, KP Snacks and b2b.store have worked together to complete the first-of-its-kind pre-sell campaign, Sugro WhatsApp E-Presell, using a wholesaler’s WhatsApp channel.
Using functionality in b2b.store’s ProConnect Platform, Sugro UK trialed the new functionality with one of the key Group Members, R&I Jones.
The messages encouraging pre-sell orders for KP Snacks’ McCoy’s Hot ‘n’ Spicy crisps were sent out to R&I Jones customers, allowing retailers to tell a wholesaler how many boxes of the product they would like to purchase.
The entire process was completed within the WhatsApp message, with only a few taps needed for a retailer to record the quantity of products they would like to order, and their customer number.
It is the first WhatsApp message of its kind to be sent in the UK’s food and drink wholesale industry but is expected to become increasingly common as more businesses use paid-for WhatsApp platforms to communicate with customers.
“We are absolutely delighted to launch Sugro WhatsApp E-Presell which enables both Sugro UK Wholesale Members as well as its Retail Partners to provide advance product volume commitments for new product launches.
"This functionality is particularly powerful as it ensures that suppliers have accurate forecasts before product launches, enabling better stock availability and distribution from day one of products being available on the market,” said Sugro UK’s Head of Commercial and Marketing Yulia Petitt.
“We’re proud that it’s Sugro member, Aled, R&I Jones who has made such an important first step in the industry’s WhatsApp usage,” added Yulia.
“The KP Snacks promotion was one agreed for all Sugro members, but R&I Jones recognised the opportunity to send this out to its customers using WhatsApp – displaying the power of their channel and getting a direct response.
“The ease and speed of using WhatsApp for these commitments simplifies the presell process, ensures accuracy, and strengthens relationships across the supply chain. It’s definitely the future.”
The message was curated with the help of b2b.store, which had developed the ability to send pre-sell promotions specifically with the wholesale sector in mind.
KP Snacks’ Business Account Manager, Adam Gibbons, was delighted that the McCoy’s Hot ‘n’ Spicy crisps were chosen as the promotion for the pioneering WhatsApp message.
“We recognise that WhatsApp is a marketing tool that’s growing in popularity with wholesalers, so we’re always excited to see the latest developments,” said Gibbons.
“But for a KP Snacks promotion to be the focus of the message is especially notable for us, and we’d like to think that more will follow as the pre-sell functionality becomes more universally available in the future.”
Variety store chain Poundland has seen a significant reduction in serious incidents of theft and lesser cases of anti-social behaviour after installation of body cameras, one of its top executives has stated.
Calling body cameras are a "great visual deterrent" Adam Starkey, Investigations Manager at Poundland stated, "Since installation of the body cameras, we have seen a significant reduction in serious incidents.
"Colleagues have commented that the cameras support their confidence in dealing with anti-social behaviour and they feel protected in the working environment."
Having analysed data from the six months before and after installation, the stores where body cameras have been deployed have seen an average of an 11 per cent decrease in incidents reported, specifically violence towards colleagues, whereas stores without the body cameras have seen a significant increase, especially in violent, weaponised crime.
A high number of spotlight stores (high shrinkage outlets) have benefited from a significant decrease in shoplifting or have dropped off the spotlight list entirely.
"As a company we are focused on listening to our colleagues’ safety concerns and to help them with the issues they face in stores. We hold regular listening groups to encourage utilisation and share best practice.
"From an evidential point of view, the footage is of great quality and easy to manage. This gives further reassurance to our teams when we use the footage for successful prosecutions.”
The body cameras have now been deployed in 177 of the highest risk stores across Poundland and Dealz, with teams in several Pepco stores also equipped with the cameras. Stores across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were selected based on their incident and shrinkage data.
Poundland is using Motorola Solutions’ VideoManager digital evidence management solution to prepare, store and process video data, including the ability to tag and match body camera videos with CCTV footage and other incident data.
CSE has over 30 years’ experience in providing two-way radio and body camera video solutions. It branded the cameras with bespoke logo labels for each store.
Scottish independent retail chain PGNJ Group has reached a significant milestone in its ongoing support for Glasgow charities, with total donations now exceeding £20,000.
This incredible achievement reflects the dedication and generosity of PGNJ colleagues and customers across its 11 stores, with further locations in development for 2025.
Community lies at the heart of PGNJ Group’s ethos. Through its stores and Nisa’s Making a Difference Locally (MADL) initiative, the retailer has raised over £8,000 last year alone.
Recent funds will directly support vital programs that ensure that every baby, child and young person treated at Scotland's largest children's hospital receives the extra special care they deserve.
The charity provides funding life-changing projects and services for the children and families treated at Scotland's largest children's hospital.
“The Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity is incredibly close to the hearts of our staff and customers," said Jay Javid, Director of PGNJ Group. "I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together. Every penny raised in our stores through MADL and other efforts is helping to make a real difference to children and families who need it most. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.”
PGNJ Group has a proud history of giving back through MADL. Recent donations include £1,000 to James Aiton Primary School and contributions of £700 to Glasgow Cash for Kids. These acts of kindness highlight the collective commitment of PGNJ colleagues and customers to supporting their local communities.
Stores raise money through a variety of initiatives, from donation tins at checkouts to the sale of Co-op own brand products in store. This spirit of giving and connection drives the retailer’s success and deepens its bond with the communities it serves.
Kate Carroll, Head of Charity at Nisa, added: “I know how passionate Jay and his staff are about supporting their communities, so I’m delighted to see this generous donation to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. I’m sure the money will go to some fantastic initiatives to support young people treated at the hospital.”
By reaching this £20,000 milestone, PGNJ Group has not only demonstrated its dedication to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity but also reinforced its mission to put community first. As the group expands its presence in 2025, it remains steadfast in its commitment to making a difference locally and supporting causes that resonate with its staff and customers.
Using cash not only affects consumer spending habits but also supports a deep psychological sense of ownership - something rarely experienced with digital transactions, shows a new research exploring how different payment methods influence spending behaviour.
The study, published in Qualitative Market Research in late 2024, reinforce the well-documented advantages of cash, such as its accessibility, resilience, and data privacy.
The study concludes that "when we handle cash, we are not just spending money; we are parting with a piece of ourselves." While digital payments are undoubtedly convenient, the research underscores the vital role cash continues to play in both monetary systems and society.
Cash remains the most inclusive payment method, accessible to everyone, including the elderly, unbanked individuals, and those in rural areas, states the report. With increasing bank closures, access to cash has been under threat.
However, new laws from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations introduced in September 2024 ensure continued protection and improvement of cash access for businesses and consumers alike.
During natural disasters, power outages, and cyberattacks, cash serves as a crucial fail-safe. Unlike digital payments, which depend on electricity and internet connectivity, cash transactions remain unaffected, ensuring that businesses can continue operating in critical situations, states the report.
As digital transactions grow, so do concerns over data privacy and fraud risks. Cash payments remain anonymous, providing consumers with peace of mind that their financial activities are not being monitored or exploited.
A 2021 white paper study from cash handling specialists Volumatic highlighted strong consumer demand for payment choice, with many preferring a combination of cash and digital methods. A diverse payment ecosystem strengthens economic stability, allowing banks and businesses to mitigate risks associated with system failures and cyber threats.
Mike Severs, Sales & Marketing Director at Volumatic, said: “With the upcoming rise in National Insurance and the National Living Wage rates, coupled with increasing business costs, we understand the challenges businesses face. Investing in cash handling equipment not only boosts efficiency but also improves financial performance - further proving the enduring value of cash.
“With cash usage on the rise and its benefits extending beyond financial considerations to consumer well-being, businesses must adapt to customer preferences.
"Offering a choice between cash and digital payments is key to meeting customer needs and ensuring a resilient, stable economy.”
For retailers concerned about handling and processing cash, innovative solutions from Volumatic offer seamless and secure management. As experts in cash handling technology, Volumatic provides tailored solutions that enhance efficiency while reducing costs.
Volumatic’s all-in-one cash-handling solution, the CounterCache intelligent (CCi), has helped retail businesses cut cash processing costs by up to 75 per cent. Acting as a secure storage device, forgery detector, and cash counter, the CCi - when paired with CashView Enterprise software - delivers real time reporting and full visibility from POS to bank deposit.
For businesses seeking simpler solutions, Volumatic also offers a range of money-counting scales, friction note counters and secure deposit devices - designed to improve efficiency and security while saving valuable time and resources.
Specialty wholesaler Cotswold Fayre has been paying a hefty amount to combat rising crime and theft on its depots by installing CCTVs and extra staff on the shop floor.
Paul Castle, managing director of Cotswold Fayre, a specialty wholesaler based in Reading, told BBC that it “paid a fortune” to have CCTV cameras installed in its two sites while employing extra staff to reduce theft loss.
Castle told BBC, “I think the independent sector is always going to get hit harder than the multiples, because we don’t have as many security guards and all of the barriers.”
Castle said that to prevent theft, Cotswold Fayre has had to hire extra staff to be on the shop floor.
He explained that while this has stopped some of the stock loss, it has also increased the company’s overheads.
"You either suffer the loss of the product going, or you pay for the extra wages to prevent it going in the first place. The reality of it is, we’ve got no other protection or backing or support from anybody or anything. It’s your wits against that of the thief.”
The cost to businesses is about more than just the value of the lost stock.
Castle said, “If somebody comes in and pinches three bottles of vodka and they’re the only three bottles of vodka I’ve got and I’ve got to wait another week [for more], I lose the sales as well as the product.”
Cotswold Fayre
Cotswold Fayre
Cotswold Fayre supplies as a wholesaler the products of over 400 brands into around 2,000 retail sites. In recent years, it begun to operate its own large scale farm shops, under the Flourish brand, which it uses to showcase the range in its wholesale division.
Its currently supplies to a broad mix of operators from farm shops, which account for 30 per cent of sales, delis, garden centres, convenience stores, which has grown to 13 per cent of sales, department stores, and online retailers, which is now accounts for a hefty 30 per cent of revenues.
Castle's statement comes as an annual crime survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) found that in the year to last August, customer theft rose by more than 20 per cent to £2.2 billion, taking the total cost of crime in the retail sector to nearly £4.2 billion, including the cost of crime prevention. Incidents of violence and abuse exceeded 2,000 a day for the first time.
The survey from the BRC found that a third of larger retailers rated the police response to crime on their premises as fair, good or excellent, while majority (61 per cent) considered it poor or very poor.