1. Competition
1.1 The Goethe-Institut is holding the competition “Bundesliga Total!” on its website goethe.de/stepintogerman
1.2 Participation is exclusively online and is free of charge for the participants (with the exception of Internet connection charges of the participant).
1.3 The competition will run from October 8, 2026, to May 20, 2027.
2. Participation
2.1 By participating, the participant agrees with these terms and conditions and the application of German law.
2.2 The competition is open to all students who are enrolled in a middle school or high school in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean at the time of the competition. It is possible to participate as an individual or a member of a team the size of which is not limited. In case of participation as a team all the team members must be enrolled in the German program of a middle school or high school at the time of the contest. A team must name two team representatives. There can only be a maximum of one team per middle school or high school. There is no maximum of team members.
2.3 Participants under the age of 18 ensure that their guardians have consented to their participation.
2.4 Participation in the contest and the chance of winning are not contingent on the purchasing of goods or use of services.
3. Implementation and execution
3.1 Teams should send an email to stepintogerman-sanfrancisco@goethe.de to participate in the contest.
The deadline to register is October 5, 2026 (11:59pm PT).
3.2 The participating teams will be divided into three groups (A, B, C). This is decided via a random selection process. Each group is assigned a team in the Bundesliga. From October 2026 to May 2027, the teams answer questions about selected match days and guess the results of the Bundesliga matches. The teams receive points for all correctly answered questions. After every round the standings will be published on the Step into German website.
3.3 Upon completion of the competition, the winning team in each group is the team with the highest number of points. Should two teams have the same number of points, the team whose guesses of goal numbers shall be the winner.
3.4 Each winning team decides how to distribute the prizes amongst their own team.
4. Liability
4.1 The Goethe-Institut will not assume any liability of any kind for the loss or incompleteness of the data transmitted by the participant, unless the loss or incompleteness of the data is a result of intentional or grossly negligent behavior on the part of the Goethe-Institut or its staff. This will also apply to the publication of information by third parties on account of technical errors in the transmission of data and/or unauthorized access.
4.2 Irrespective of other statutory preconditions for the assertion of claims, the following exclusions from and limitations of liability will apply to the Goethe-Institut’s liability to pay compensation for damages as provided for in section 3 of these conditions of participation.
4.3 The Goethe-Institut will have unrestricted liability, provided the cause of the damage is a result of intention or gross negligence.
4.4 Furthermore, the Goethe-Institut will be liable for any slightly negligent failure to comply with material duties where the failure to comply with these duties endangers the achievement of the purpose of this contract, or for any failure to comply with duties where their fulfilment would actually make the orderly conduct of the competition possible in the first place and where the participants would usually expect them to be performed. In this case, however, the Goethe-Institut will only be liable for foreseeable damages typically associated with contracts of this kind. The Goethe-Institut will not be liable for any slightly negligent failure to comply with duties other than those specified in the preceding sentences.
4.5 The limitations of liability set out above will not apply where injury to life, the body and health is suffered, where any defect becomes apparent following the assumption of guarantees for the characteristics of a product and where defects are fraudulently concealed. Liability under the Product Liability Act will remain unaffected.
4.6 In so far as the Goethe-Institut’s liability is excluded or limited, this will also apply to the personal liability of the Goethe-Institut’s employees, representatives and vicarious agents.
5. Data privacy
5.1 The participants allow the Goethe-Institut to handle the personal data submitted to the Goethe-Instut as a part of this competition, as long as it is required for execution of the competition and/or to exercise the usage rights pursuant to section 3, in return for the chance to take part in this competition. Personal data include name, contact details and photos as well as where applicable other personal details that members of the team provide.
5.2 Disseminating the data on a third party for other purposes will not occur. Participants are free at any time to call upon the Goethe-Institut to release the data that it holds.
5.3 Participants and teams can withdraw from the competition at any time. Participants can remove their consent for storage of their data at any time and with that withdraw from the competition. The contact address for this purpose is:
Goethe-Institut San Francisco
657 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Subject: “Bundesliga Total!“
6. Exclusion from the competition
6.1 Staff of the Goethe-Institut e.V. and their relatives will be excluded from participation in the competition.
6.2 Persons who (i) make untruthful statements about their personal data, (ii) submit content that is illegal or incompatible with these conditions of participation, or (iii) manipulate or otherwise misuse the electronic facilities created for the competition will be excluded.
7. Premature termination of the competition
7.1 The Goethe-Institute wishes to draw attention to the fact that the availability and functioning of the competition cannot be guaranteed. The competition may be terminated or removed due to external circumstances and constraints without this resulting in any claims against the Goethe-Institut being acquired by the participants. This could include organizational or technical problems (e.g. viruses in the computer system, manipulation or errors in the hard and/or software).
7.2 The Goethe-Institut is entitled to cancel the competition at any time without warning and without providing justification.
8. Final Provisions
8.1 Legal recourse is excluded for the execution of the ascertainment of profits .
8.2 The terms and conditions are available in German, Spanish, French and English languages. In case of any discrepancy among the four language versions, the German language version takes precedence.
8.3 Throughout the execution of the competition the associated legal relationship of the participating persons is that with the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, independent of the location from which the participants take part in the competition.
8.4 If any provisions of these terms and conditions of participation are invalid or unenforceable, this will not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.
