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Bundesliga 2025/26 season preview: Can anyone topple Bayern?

Bundesliga 2025/26 season preview: Can anyone topple Bayern?

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Will Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich stroll to another Bundesliga title or can any of the chasing pack catch them this season?

By Graham Ruthven

Bayern Munich could have skipped the final two games of last season and still been crowned German champions. Effectively, they could have skipped much more than that such was their dominance at the top of the Bundesliga. Nobody even came close to Vincent Kompany’s team as they finished 13 points clear of the rest.

Bundesliga top six, 2024/25

After Bayer Leverkusen’s sensational title triumph of 2023/24, normal service was resumed. Xabi Alonso’s team couldn’t keep up the pace as Bayern won nine of their opening 11 league fixtures and never looked back. By mid-February, the Bavarians had a nine-point advantage that felt even larger on the pitch.

The champions will start their title defence with a home opener against RB Leipzig on Friday. RB Leipzig should be one of the teams capable of at least testing Bayern Munich, but last season’s lowly seventh place finish suggests they will once again be a long way from the Bavarians this term. Friday’s game could highlight the gulf between the two rivals.

Leverkusen showed what is possible by not only taking on Bayern Munich, but surpassing them two seasons ago. Alonso electrified the Bundesliga by forging a dynamic and exciting side that surged to the Bundesliga title, setting a precedent for others to follow. To date, though, nobody else has followed in their footsteps.

Alonso is gone, taking over at Real Madrid this summer, and so too is Florian Wirtz who joined Liverpool in a Premier League-record transfer. Jeremie Frimpong also made the move to Anfield while Jonathan Tah made the cross-Bundesliga switch to Bayern Munich, further strengthening the German champions.

Erik ten Hag has been hired to build on the foundations left behind by Alonso, but there will almost certainly be a transition period. Who will replace Frimpong’s energy and attacking threat down the right wing? Can summer signing Malik Tillman step up as the direct replacement for Wirtz? Will ten Hag stick with Alonso’s back three or shift to a new set up?

Borussia Dortmund might be best-placed to run Bayern close, at least on the basis of how they finished last season. Under Niko Kovač, the Black and Yellows turned around their season, ultimately finishing fourth and salvaging Champions League qualification when they had previously been closer to mid-table.

Dortmund lost Jamie Gittens over the summer with Mats Hummels also retiring. However, they have brought in Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland to provide some much-needed dynamism in midfield and still boast one of the Bundesliga’s most reliable goalscorers in the shape of Serhou Guirassy. Will Dortmund have the overall consistency, though?

Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed an excellent 2024/25 season, finishing third behind only Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. However, The Eagles lost Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in January and Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool last month, meaning they must find a way to replace the 30 league goals that have dropped out of their team.

Like so many Bundesliga teams, RB Leipzig have also said goodbye to some of their best players this summer. Benjamin Šeško joined Manchester United while Xavi Simons is widely expected to sign for Chelsea before the end of the summer transfer window. This, of course, is the Red Bull model, but it makes it almost impossible for Leipzig to build anything lasting.

Stuttgart could be competitive after holding on to prize asset Nick Woltemade. The 6ft 6” forward had been strongly linked with a summer switch to Bayern Munich after catching the eye for Germany at the U21 European Championships, but Stuttgart dug their heels in over their valuation of the player. That someone of Woltemade’s quality didn’t join Bayern can only be a good thing for the broader strength of the Bundesliga.

In truth, it’s difficult to envisage any of these rival sides having the quality and squad depth to truly challenge Bayern Munich this season. The Bavarians are entering their second season under Kompany and there’s good reason to believe they will be even stronger having absorbed more of the Belgian’s methods and ideas.

Bayern have also strengthened their attack by signing Luis Díaz from Liverpool with Tah, as already referenced, arriving from Leverkusen to give the Bundesliga champions greater security at the back. They might not be so vulnerable in defensive transition this season. That was one area of weakness they had to address.

The last two teams to get the better of Bayern Munich in a title race were something special. Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund did it in 2011 and 2012 with Alonso’s Leverkusen replicating the achievement last year. It will likely take something just as memorable for the Bavarians to be toppled this season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Bundesliga 2025/26 season preview: Can anyone topple Bayern?

Will Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich stroll to another Bundesliga title or can any of the chasing pack catch them this season?

By Graham Ruthven

Bayern Munich could have skipped the final two games of last season and still been crowned German champions. Effectively, they could have skipped much more than that such was their dominance at the top of the Bundesliga. Nobody even came close to Vincent Kompany’s team as they finished 13 points clear of the rest.

Bundesliga top six, 2024/25

After Bayer Leverkusen’s sensational title triumph of 2023/24, normal service was resumed. Xabi Alonso’s team couldn’t keep up the pace as Bayern won nine of their opening 11 league fixtures and never looked back. By mid-February, the Bavarians had a nine-point advantage that felt even larger on the pitch.

The champions will start their title defence with a home opener against RB Leipzig on Friday. RB Leipzig should be one of the teams capable of at least testing Bayern Munich, but last season’s lowly seventh place finish suggests they will once again be a long way from the Bavarians this term. Friday’s game could highlight the gulf between the two rivals.

Leverkusen showed what is possible by not only taking on Bayern Munich, but surpassing them two seasons ago. Alonso electrified the Bundesliga by forging a dynamic and exciting side that surged to the Bundesliga title, setting a precedent for others to follow. To date, though, nobody else has followed in their footsteps.

Alonso is gone, taking over at Real Madrid this summer, and so too is Florian Wirtz who joined Liverpool in a Premier League-record transfer. Jeremie Frimpong also made the move to Anfield while Jonathan Tah made the cross-Bundesliga switch to Bayern Munich, further strengthening the German champions.

Erik ten Hag has been hired to build on the foundations left behind by Alonso, but there will almost certainly be a transition period. Who will replace Frimpong’s energy and attacking threat down the right wing? Can summer signing Malik Tillman step up as the direct replacement for Wirtz? Will ten Hag stick with Alonso’s back three or shift to a new set up?

Borussia Dortmund might be best-placed to run Bayern close, at least on the basis of how they finished last season. Under Niko Kovač, the Black and Yellows turned around their season, ultimately finishing fourth and salvaging Champions League qualification when they had previously been closer to mid-table.

Dortmund lost Jamie Gittens over the summer with Mats Hummels also retiring. However, they have brought in Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland to provide some much-needed dynamism in midfield and still boast one of the Bundesliga’s most reliable goalscorers in the shape of Serhou Guirassy. Will Dortmund have the overall consistency, though?

Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed an excellent 2024/25 season, finishing third behind only Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. However, The Eagles lost Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in January and Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool last month, meaning they must find a way to replace the 30 league goals that have dropped out of their team.

Like so many Bundesliga teams, RB Leipzig have also said goodbye to some of their best players this summer. Benjamin Šeško joined Manchester United while Xavi Simons is widely expected to sign for Chelsea before the end of the summer transfer window. This, of course, is the Red Bull model, but it makes it almost impossible for Leipzig to build anything lasting.

Stuttgart could be competitive after holding on to prize asset Nick Woltemade. The 6ft 6” forward had been strongly linked with a summer switch to Bayern Munich after catching the eye for Germany at the U21 European Championships, but Stuttgart dug their heels in over their valuation of the player. That someone of Woltemade’s quality didn’t join Bayern can only be a good thing for the broader strength of the Bundesliga.

In truth, it’s difficult to envisage any of these rival sides having the quality and squad depth to truly challenge Bayern Munich this season. The Bavarians are entering their second season under Kompany and there’s good reason to believe they will be even stronger having absorbed more of the Belgian’s methods and ideas.

Bayern have also strengthened their attack by signing Luis Díaz from Liverpool with Tah, as already referenced, arriving from Leverkusen to give the Bundesliga champions greater security at the back. They might not be so vulnerable in defensive transition this season. That was one area of weakness they had to address.

The last two teams to get the better of Bayern Munich in a title race were something special. Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund did it in 2011 and 2012 with Alonso’s Leverkusen replicating the achievement last year. It will likely take something just as memorable for the Bavarians to be toppled this season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.