By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The 64th Bundesliga season kicks off with the league’s most attended fixture in history (over 6.3 million spectators across 114 meetings) when defending champions FC Bayern München host VfB Stuttgart at Allianz Arena on Friday night.
It will be the defending champions’ 25th official Bundesliga opening match – they have never lost one (19 wins, 5 draws).
SV Elversberg become the 59th club to feature in Bundesliga when they welcome Bayer 04 Leverkusen to the smallest town to host top-flight football in Germany. Die Werkself begin life under Spaniard Carles Martínez – the club’s sixth non-German coach since 2019.
A new era begins at RB Leipzig as Martín Demichelis becomes the first Argentine head coach in Bundesliga history. The former Bayern defender’s maiden opponents are Borussia Mönchengladbach, who have never won at the Red Bull Arena in 10 attempts.
SC Paderborn 07 are back for a third attempt at the Bundesliga, having lasted only one season the previous two times. Ralf Kettemann’s side begin away at 1. FSV Mainz 05, who boast an unbeaten record against their opponents in league meetings (W4, D2) and are looking to avoid a repeat of the disastrous start to last season before Urs Fischer’s rescue act.
FC Union Berlin against Eintracht Frankfurt pits two new coaches against each other, although the latter’s Adi Hütter is returning for a second spell in charge. Both he and opposite number Mauro Lustrinelli have won league titles in Switzerland, but their objective in Germany will be to improve on disappointing results last season.
TSG Hoffenheim visit 1. FC Köln looking to extend their run of nine unbeaten away games against Cologne, with the respective home team failing to win any of the last seven meetings between these teams. The last encounter – also in the Cathedral City – saw Ragnar Ache score the Goal of the Season in a 2-2 draw.
Off the back of their best points haul in seven years, Borussia Dortmund host the season’s first Topspiel in Saturday evening’s primetime slot against Hamburger SV.
The pair have met 104 times before in the Bundesliga, with BVB just edging the head-to-head on 39 wins to 36, having won six of the last seven encounters.
Last season’s beaten UEFA Europa League finalists SC Freiburg host SV Werder Bremen. The Black Forest club are on a four-game winning streak in this fixture and have won the last four encounters at home – both streaks without conceding a goal.
FC Schalke 04 end their three-year Bundesliga hiatus at FC Augsburg, with Edin Džeko in line for his first Bundesliga appearance in over 15 years.
The Royal Blues are unbeaten in their last six league visits to Augsburg, but their most recent trip was a comprehensive 3-0 defeat in the 2024-25 DFB Pokal.