Bundesliga 2026-27: Teams, Format and Everything You Need to Know

The German top flight returns on August 28 with Bayern Munich defending the title, three promoted clubs joining the competition and Elversberg preparing for their first Bundesliga season.

The 2026-27 Bundesliga season is ready to begin. Germany’s top division returns on Friday, August 28, one week later than the previous campaign due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with defending champions Bayern Munich hosting VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena in the opening match.

Bayern are again the team to beat. They dominated the 2025-26 Bundesliga, finishing first with 89 points after winning 28 of their 34 matches and losing only once. Borussia Dortmund finished second with 73 points, followed by RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League positions.

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Which teams will play in the Bundesliga?

The Bundesliga maintains its traditional 18-team format. The 2026-27 participants are Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg, Mainz, Union Berlin, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hamburg, Cologne, Werder Bremen, Schalke, Elversberg and Paderborn.

Three clubs arrive from Bundesliga 2. Schalke earned automatic promotion alongside Elversberg, who will become the 59th different club to compete in Bundesliga history. Paderborn secured the final place by defeating Wolfsburg in the promotion/relegation play-off and return to the top flight for the first time since 2019-20.

They replace Wolfsburg, Heidenheim and St. Pauli. The latter two occupied the automatic relegation positions last season, while Wolfsburg finished 16th before losing the play-off.

How does the Bundesliga format work?

Each of the 18 clubs plays every opponent twice — once at home and once away — for a total of 34 matches per team. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.

At the bottom, 17th and 18th are automatically relegated to Bundesliga 2. The team finishing 16th enters a two-legged play-off against the third-placed Bundesliga 2 side for a place in the following season’s top division.

What else is new in 2026-27?

There are several changes beyond the promoted clubs. Adidas returns as the Bundesliga’s official match-ball supplier, replacing DERBYSTAR. The season will also introduce rule changes approved by IFAB and first implemented at the 2026 World Cup.

The summer transfer window runs from July 1 through August 31, meaning squads can continue changing even after the opening matchday.

German football also retains its enormous appeal in the stands. The Bundesliga averaged 42,332 spectators per game in 2025-26, the highest figure among Europe’s top five leagues.

With Bayern defending another title, Dortmund, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Leverkusen among the established challengers, and three promoted clubs bringing new storylines, the 64th Bundesliga season has plenty to follow from the opening weekend.