When does Bundesliga 2025/26 start? Dates, promotions, and everything you need to know

Can anyone match Bayern Munich again after the 2024 scare?
Text: Javier Escribano
Published 2025-08-07

The 2025/26 Bundesliga season is close. A little over a month after Club World Cup, regular season is nearly here: the calendar of the German top flight reveals that the season will kick off on August 22, and will run until May 16, 2026.

Bayern Munich, the winner of every season since 2013 except for 2024, when Bayer Leverkusen took the crown, will defend their title and try to win the first points against RB Leipzig, in the opening match of the season. The times for the first matchday, out of 34, are:

Friday, August 22

Bayern vs. RB Leipzig: 20:30 CEST, 19:30 BST


Saturday, August 23

Leverkusen vs. Hoffenheim: 15:30 CEST, 14:30 BST
Union Berlin vs. Stuttgart: 15:30 CEST, 14:30 BST
Freiburg vs. Augsburg: 15:30 CEST, 14:30 BST
Heidenheim vs. Wolfsburg: 15:30 CEST, 14:30 BST
Frankfurt vs. Werder Bremen: 15:30 CEST, 14:30 BST
St. Pauli vs. Borussia Dortmund: 18:30 CEST, 17:30 BST


Sunday, August 24

Mainz 05 vs. Köln: 15:30 CEST, 14:30 BST
Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Hamburg: 17:30 CEST, 16:30 BST


All teams from Bundesliga 2025/26

This season, FC Köln and Hamburger SV return to top flight, while Holstein Kiel and VfL Bochum were relegated to Bundesliga 2. These are the 18 teams this year in first division:


FC Augsburg
Union Berlin
Werder Bremen
Borussia Dortmund
Eintracht Frankfurt
SC Freiburg
Hamburger SV
1. FC Heidenheim
TSG Hoffenheim Sinsheim
1. FC Köln Cologne
RB Leipzig Leipzig
Bayer Leverkusen
Mainz 05 Mainz
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Bayern Munich
FC St. Pauli
VfB Stuttgart
VfL Wolfsburg

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