DFL releases fixtures: Revierderby on December 12, Klassiker on November 8

As is tradition, the season kicks off with a Friday evening match: On August 28 (8:30 p.m.), FC Bayern Munich hosts VfB Stuttgart in a repeat of the most recent DFB-Pokal final. The match will be broadcast live on Sat.1 and Joyn. It is also a rematch of the DFB-Pokal final, which the Munich side won 3-0. Three weeks before the league start, however, the two arch-rivals already face off on August 22 (8:30 p.m./Sat.1 and Joyn) in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup in Dortmund.

The Opener: Bayern vs. Stuttgart on Friday Night

The first Bundesliga matchday at a glance: Borussia Dortmund hosts Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart travels to FC Bayern, BVB welcomes HSV, and promoted side SV 07 Elversberg celebrates its historic Bundesliga debut at home against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In addition, RB Leipzig faces Borussia Mönchengladbach, SC Freiburg hosts Werder Bremen, FC Augsburg welcomes Schalke 04, Mainz 05 takes on SC Paderborn, Union Berlin meets Eintracht Frankfurt, 1. FC Köln faces TSG Hoffenheim, with the remaining matches rounding out the opening day.

Bremen's coach Daniel Thioune looks forward to the opening match with a special feeling: "Freiburg ist für mich ein besonderer Auftakt, weil es auch mein erstes Spiel als Werder-Trainer war," freut sich Bremens Coach Daniel Thioune. However, Bremen start on the road. HSV, too, is confident despite opening their competitive campaign away at runners-up Borussia Dortmund (August 29/30): "Wir freuen uns darauf, zu Hause in die neue Spielzeit zu starten," says coach Merlin Polzin.

HSV and Werder: Tough Away Tasks to Start

In their second season back in the top flight, HSV faces the runners-up from Dortmund right away. Away matches at RB Leipzig (October 11) and then at the "Roten" (October 12) follow. For Holstein Kiel, there is a reunion with new coach Marcel Rapp on matchday two, when he returns to his former team.

First Derbies: Franconian Klassiker and Rhineland Duel

The first true Bundesliga derby comes on matchday 5, with the Franconian derby between SpVgg Greuther Fürth and 1. FC Nürnberg. The first leg is already scheduled for matchday 2, with the return fixture on matchday 19 at the Max-Morlock-Stadion and the Wildpark. The Rhineland derby between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach is also part of the schedule (return fixture on matchday 22). The "Geißböcke" also host Bayer 04 in a local derby on matchday 9.

The Nordderby between Werder Bremen and HSV is scheduled for matchday 10. The first leg takes place in Bremen (matchday 20), with the return fixture on the weekend of November 5. For Hannover 96, the Nordderby against Werder is a special first-half-of-the-season fixture, while they also face the "Wölfe" from Wolfsburg as early as matchday 2.

Revierderby: BVB vs. Schalke in December

The heart of the fixture list for fans in the Ruhr area is the Revierderby between Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund. BVB and S04 meet for the first time on December 12, 2026, with the return fixture slated for matchday 29. Thus, the 2026/2027 season features the eagerly awaited clashes of this Ruhrpott classic. Schalke are a promoted side in the Bundesliga this season. The last two Revierderbies took place in the 2022/23 season: Dortmund first won their home match 1-0 thanks to a goal from Youssoufa Moukoko, before the return fixture at Schalke ended 2-2.

The Klassiker between FC Bayern Munich and BVB is scheduled for November 8. The team coached by Vincent Kompany first hosts BVB at the Allianz Arena (matchday 30), with the return fixture on the weekend of November 5. The two arch-rivals thus already meet before the league campaign proper, in the Supercup on August 22. Further top matches involving record champions Bayern in the first half of the season include a clash with Schalke as early as matchday 2.

The Klassiker: Bayern vs. BVB on November 8

The exact scheduling of Bundesliga matchdays 1 to 4 will take place in calendar week 29 (July 13), with matchdays 3 to 6 scheduled in parallel along with the first Bundesliga timings in the following week. The first league break of the year due to international matches comes already after matchday 4. On matchday 2, Hannover 96 hosts the "Wölfe" from Wolfsburg, and the "Roten" receive a visit from FSV Mainz 05 on matchday 2.

In the 2. Bundesliga, the league kicks off as early as August 7 with the opening match VfL Bochum vs. Hertha BSC (8:30 p.m.), which will also be broadcast free-to-air on Sat.1. The 2. Bundesliga features no fewer than six teams from northern Germany this season: FC St. Pauli, Hannover 96, Holstein Kiel, Eintracht Braunschweig, as well as promoted sides VfL Osnabrück and Energie Cottbus as another northern representative. Relegated side VfL Wolfsburg is also part of the field.

Second-Tier Opener: Bochum vs. Hertha on August 7

Energie Cottbus return with a home match against Hannover 96, and the "Störche" (Holstein Kiel) must travel to SV Darmstadt 98 to begin the season. To open the season, Hannover 96 travel to promoted side Energie Cottbus. The "Löwen" (Eintracht Braunschweig) visit 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and the Lower Saxony derby between Eintracht Braunschweig and Hannover 96 takes place at the Löwen on matchday 9.

Hannover's traditionally heated derbies against Braunschweig are scheduled for matchdays 9 and 26 respectively. This means there are three Lower Saxony derbies in 2026/2027. The exact scheduling of 2. Bundesliga matchdays 1 and 2 will also be announced next week (July 6).

Northern Duels: Three Lower Saxony Derbies

The coaches' comments reflect the mixed feelings: "Es ist sicherlich ein herausfordernder Start für uns," it is said from Lower Saxony with a view to the difficult opening opponents. "Natürlich hätten wir die Saison gerne mit einem Heimspiel gestartet," says coach Merlin Polzin, but adds: "Trotzdem freuen wir uns sehr auf dieses Duell." "Klar ist aber, dass wir möglichst erfolgreich in die Saison starten wollen."

Sources for the published fixtures are the Deutsche Fußball-Liga (DFL) and the Sport-Informations-Dienst (sid). The overall market values of the aforementioned top clubs illustrate the economic dimension: Bayern Munich stand at €512.40 million, HSV at €142.58 million, Eintracht Frankfurt at €86.35 million. With the publication of the full fixture list, anticipation for the 2026/27 season is now also concretely anchored in the calendar.

For fans in Germany, the new Bundesliga season officially begins on August 28, 2026. Until then, they can use the weeks of preparation to organize their tickets for the derbies and top matches – above all for the Revierderby on the first weekend of December.

While the German national team most recently caused frustration among fans at the World Cup, football supporters can now turn their focus to the new Bundesliga season, which is kicked off with the Supercup on August 22 in Dortmund.