The new Bundesliga season. A glimpse into the future. Who will be the winners?

The 2026/27 Bundesliga season kicks off on Friday, 28 August 2026, with defending champions Bayern Munich hosting VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena in a blockbuster Matchday 1 fixture. Vincent Kompany's side arrives in scintillating form after lifting the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park, where goals from Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise sealed a record-extending 12th Supercup title. The champions will be eager to begin their title defense on home soil against a Stuttgart side that pushed them hard throughout the previous campaign.

Bayern Munich's squad for the 2026/27 campaign features a formidable lineup led by Harry Kane, who continues to spearhead the attack after a prolific 2025/26 season. The summer transfer window saw the Bavarians strengthen key areas with the arrivals of Nathaniel Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt and Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven, while Manuel Neuer signed a one-year contract extension to remain between the posts. The predicted XI includes Neuer, Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz, and Kane—a lineup capable of repeating the dominant 5-1 demolition of FC Köln that closed out the previous Bundesliga campaign.

The 2026/27 Bundesliga season kicks off on August 29, 2026, when Borussia Dortmund welcome Hamburger SV to Signal Iduna Park for the opening matchday. Niko Kovac enters his first full campaign at the helm with a significantly reshaped squad, aiming to mount a serious title challenge after finishing second last season. Hamburger SV, meanwhile, begin their second consecutive top-flight campaign hoping to build on their narrow escape from relegation in 2025/26, though the visitors face a daunting task against a Dortmund side that has historically dominated this fixture.

Dortmund's preparations have yielded mixed results, as evidenced by their 1-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup final. The Black and Yellows closed out the previous Bundesliga season in strong fashion, securing a 0-2 away win at Werder Bremen and edging Eintracht Frankfurt in a 3-2 thriller. For 2026/27, the squad has been bolstered by high-profile additions including Joey Veerman from PSV Eindhoven, Giannis Konstantelias from PAOK, and Konstantinos Karetsas from Genk, while Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt have departed. Injury concerns persist, however, with Ramy Bensebaini, Carney Chukwuemeka, Nico Schlotterbeck, and captain Emre Can all unavailable for the opener.

SV 07 Elversberg will host Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 15:30 CEST in the opening fixture of the 2026/2027 Bundesliga season. This historic clash at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde marks the first ever Bundesliga meeting between the two clubs, as Elversberg embark on their debut campaign in Germany's top flight following promotion from the 2. Bundesliga.

Both teams enter this matchday with positive momentum from the DFB-Pokal first round. Elversberg fought back to secure a 1-3 away victory against MSV Duisburg on August 22, with Francis Onyeka's late double turning the tie in their favour. Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, began their 2026/2027 campaign in emphatic fashion under new head coach Carles Martínez, cruising to a 0-4 win at Wehen Wiesbaden where Patrik Schick, Lucas Vázquez, Nathan Tella and Christian Kofane all found the net. The Werkself squad for 2026/2027 has been bolstered by summer arrivals including Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina, complementing an established core featuring Schick, Aleix García, Robert Andrich and Exequiel Palacios.

FC Köln and TSG Hoffenheim get their 2026/27 Bundesliga campaigns underway on Saturday, 29 August 2026, when they meet at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. Kick-off is set for 15:30 CEST, and both clubs will view this as a chance to lay down an early marker in what promises to be a competitive fixture. The Billy Goats are preparing for their second straight season back in the top flight under head coach René Wagner, while Hoffenheim arrive with renewed ambition after a fifth-place finish last term and an active summer in the transfer market.

Köln have been busy assembling their 2026/27 squad, making Jahmai Simpson-Pusey's move from Manchester City permanent for €6 million, signing Luka Lochoshvili and Tom Krauß on permanent deals, while adding Thijs Dallinga on loan from Bologna and Australian international Paul Okon-Engstler. Despite these reinforcements, the hosts ended last season poorly, suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat away to Bayern Munich before falling 1-3 at home to Heidenheim on the final two matchdays. With captain Marvin Schwäbe in goal and creative outlets like Said El Mala and Jan Thielmann in midfield, Köln will hope their pre-season work translates into a stronger start this time around.

FSV Mainz 05 welcome newly-promoted SC Paderborn 07 to the MEWA Arena on Saturday, August 29, 2026, for a Bundesliga 2026/2027 season opener that pits ninth-placed Mainz against the play-off winners. Paderborn secured their return to Germany's top flight after a dramatic relegation play-off triumph, becoming just the second 2. Bundesliga side to win this tie in the last 15 years. The match kicks off at 14:30 local time with Mainz looking to extend their unbeaten record against Paderborn, having never lost to the East Westphalians in six previous meetings.

Mainz enter this fixture on the back of a mixed end to the previous campaign. The Nullfünfer secured a confident 0-2 away victory at Heidenheim on the final day, but that was preceded by a disappointing 1-3 home defeat to Union Berlin and a hard-fought 1-2 win at St. Pauli. Paderborn, meanwhile, arrive in the Bundesliga full of confidence after holding Wolfsburg to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their promotion play-off before clinching a 2-1 extra-time victory in the return fixture to seal their top-flight return.

The 2026/2027 Bundesliga season kicks off at Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday, August 29, 2026, as Union Berlin host Eintracht Frankfurt in a Matchday 1 clash. Both clubs enter the new campaign under fresh leadership, with Mauro Lustrinelli taking charge of Union Berlin and Adi Hütter returning to the Eintracht Frankfurt dugout. The fixture promises an intriguing tactical battle between two sides eager to start the season on the front foot in front of a packed home crowd in Berlin.

Union Berlin carry momentum from the tail end of the previous campaign, having gone unbeaten in their final three fixtures. The Iron Ones closed out the 2025/26 season with a dominant 4-0 victory over Augsburg, followed by a hard-fought 1-3 away win against Mainz, and a dramatic 2-2 draw with FC Köln. For 2026/27, Lustrinelli can call upon an attacking core featuring Marin Ljubičić, Andrej Ilić, and Jeong Woo-Yeong, while Christopher Trimmel and Janik Haberer provide experience in midfield.

FC Augsburg open their 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign on Sunday, August 30, when they welcome newly promoted FC Schalke 04 to the WWK Arena for a Matchday 1 clash. Both sides enter the fixture on the back of DFB-Pokal victories, with Augsburg edging Energie Cottbus and Schalke dispatching Hallescher FC to advance to the next round. Manager Manuel Baum will look to build on last season's mid-table finish, while Schalke aim to make an immediate impact on their return to the top flight after a three-year absence.

For the 2026/27 season, Augsburg have reshaped their squad with arrivals such as Hennes Behrens, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Calvin Brackelmann, and Sima Suso, while Michael Gregoritsch and Anton Kade are expected to lead the attack. Schalke counter with an experienced roster featuring Edin Džeko, Kenan Karaman, Robin Gosens, and Maximilian Wöber, alongside summer signings Junior Adamu, Satoshi Tanaka, and Junior Dina Ebimbe. Both coaches are likely to field their strongest available lineups as they look to start the season with three points.

SC Freiburg and SV Werder Bremen meet at the Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday, August 30, 2026, for the Bundesliga 2026/2027 season opener. Kick-off is set for 15:30 CEST as both clubs aim to start the new campaign on a positive note. Freiburg enter the fixture on the back of an unbeaten pre-season, having secured comfortable wins over Crystal Palace and Strasbourg, while Werder Bremen will be desperate to erase the memory of a poor end to the previous term that saw them finish just above the relegation places.

Julian Schuster's Freiburg side for the 2026/2027 season retains its core with Vincenzo Grifo, Maximilian Eggestein, Matthias Ginter, Philipp Lienhart, and striker Igor Matanovic all expected to start. New faces Jan-Niklas Beste and Johan Manzambi add depth to a midfield already boasting Yannik Engelhardt and Patrick Osterhage, while Noah Atubolu remains first choice in goal. The hosts are without Florent Muslija long-term due to a cruciate ligament tear, and Rihito Yamamoto is also unavailable. Freiburg's attacking quality was evident in their final home game of last season when they dismantled RB Leipzig 4-1, though they did fall to a high-scoring 3-2 defeat away to Hamburger SV in their penultimate league outing.