On 28 August, Germany will kick off the 64th season in the history of the Bundesliga — the country's premier national football championship. The tournament will feature 18 clubs, each of which will play 34 matches, facing every opponent once at home and once away; in total, 306 matches will be played in the championship. The opening round promises to be spectacular: in addition to the match between the Munich side and Dortmund's "Borussia," RB Leipzig will take on Borussia Mönchengladbach, while returning Schalke will face Augsburg. The Munich side are entering the new season at full throttle, having won every possible trophy on the domestic front, which is why they are listed as the main favourites.
Favourites and the chasing pack
Traditionally, the main title contender remains Bayern Munich, and ahead of the start of the championship it is hard to believe that anyone will be able to mount a real challenge to them. Nevertheless, the tournament's history regularly proves that upsets happen. The chasing pack this season remains virtually unchanged: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Hoffenheim and Bayer are once again ready to challenge the hegemon. According to commentators, it is precisely these five clubs that have the most realistic chances to contest the lead and compete for the top of the table throughout the championship.
Newcomers to the elite and the "dark horses"
After several seasons outside the elite, Schalke is returning to the Bundesliga — the former club of Yevhen Konoplyanka. The "Cobalt Blues" confidently navigated the 2. Bundesliga, winning the title with 70 points to their name, and now their task is harder — to maintain the pace and establish themselves in the top division. The genuine "dark horse" of the competition is called Elversberg — a modest club from Saarland, for whom this is a historic first promotion to the top flight. The comeback of the tenacious Paderborn is also noted separately, as they too debut in the elite in the 2026/27 season.
European competitions and summer transfer records
Last year, Freiburg was the last club to jump onto the train to Europe, playing in the Conference League. In addition to the favourites, Eintracht, Augsburg and Mainz are fully capable of mounting a challenge for European qualification spots, however, anyone could end up in this group, which makes the middle of the table especially unpredictable. The German transfer market this summer once again confirmed its status as one of Europe's main talent forges: the clubs demonstrated exemplary skill in capitalising on their assets, and the main financial record of the off-season was the €125 million fee for Yan Diomande's move to Real Madrid.
Tournament history
Germany's nationwide football championship was first held in 1903 — the first champion was Leipzig, which has no connection to the modern RB Leipzig. The only professional Bundesliga in its current format started in 1963, and its first triumphant club was Köln. Over the entire history, 29 different clubs have become champions. The absolute leader in the number of titles is Bayern — 33 championships; followed by Nuremberg (9), Borussia Dortmund (8), Schalke (7), Hamburg (6), as well as Borussia M and Stuttgart — 5 each.
Contradictory data
When cross-checking materials from different publications, minor discrepancies are noticeable that readers should bear in mind. First, in the preview text the same club appears under two spellings — "Goffenheim" and "Hoffenheim," which is a transliteration variation, not two different teams. Second, the sources emphasise the "age" of the tournament differently: if counted from the first nationwide championship in 1903, we are talking about a history of more than a century, whereas the professional Bundesliga in its modern format has existed since 1963 — hence the figure of the "64th season." Finally, specific financial figures (in particular, the Diomande transfer fee) are cited in the preview as the outcome of the off-season and may be refined as the transfer window closes.
Where to watch the matches in Ukraine
Matches of the German Bundesliga in Ukraine are shown by Setanta Sports. The games are available on the Setanta Sports OTT platform, as well as on the network's linear TV channels in cable networks and media services, in particular on MEGOGO. Thus, fans will be able to follow the start of the 64th season and Bayern's battle with the chasing pack in the familiar broadcast format.
