Bundesliga
The countdown is on until the start of the 20224/25 Bundesliga season. Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen will get the action under way on 23 August – here are five reasons why you don’t want to miss a kick…
>>> Get the full 2024/25 Bundesliga fixture list here!
1) Unbeaten Leverkusen
Leverkusen are the team to beat after toppling the mighty Bayern Munich in 2023/24. They also won the DFB Cup, whilst going unbeaten in a German record 40 domestic games over the course of a near-flawless campaign, before extending the streak in a dramatic season-opening Supercup. Was it a one-off, or are Xabi Alonso’s Invincibles the new touchstone of German football? They’ll take some stopping - especially after retaining the services of star players like Alejandro Grimaldo and Florian Wirtz – but there will be no shortage of teams trying to bring them down a peg or two.
Watch: Xabi Alonso's historic first full season at Leverkusen
2) Kompany's Bayern
A first trophyless season since 2011/12 behind them, Bayern will be at the front of the queue of hunters. Thomas Tuchel’s moved on, with former Hamburg, Manchester City and Belgium defender Vincent Kompany his sprightly successor in the Allianz Arena dugout. The record champions have also acquired the services of Japan defender Hiroki Ito and Portugal enforcer João Palhinha, whilst kitting out young prospects Josip Stanišić – a title-winner with Leverkusen last term, albeit one who will miss the start of the season through injury – and Arijon Ibrahimović with new deals; all with a view to returning what they believe is rightfully theirs to Munich. And let's not forget about Harry Kane, who ended his debut season only five short of equalling Robert Lewandowski's 41-goal record for a single campaign.
Watch: Vincent Kompany on "best job in the world"
3) Dortmund reloaded
Like Bayern, Dortmund will be expected to put in a much-improved domestic showing. Despite going better than their great rivals to the south by reaching the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League final, BVB only managed a fifth-placed Bundesliga finish. That was enough to prompt the club to turn over a new leaf, with club legend Nuri Şahin replacing Edin Terzić as head coach, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels moving on, and the likes of Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Groß and Maximilian Beier coming in. What a story it would be if Şahin can bring the good times back to BVB, having won the title as a player at the Signal Iduna Park under Jürgen Klopp in 2010/11.
4) The Boys are Back in Brown
St. Pauli were relegated when Şahin helped Klopp’s Dortmund win their first of two back-to-back Bundesliga titles. After 13 years in Bundesliga 2, the boys in brown are back. Germany’s ultimate cult club return to the big time as sole top-flight representatives of Hamburg – the country’s second largest city – after winning Bundesliga 2 ahead of northern rivals Holstein Kiel. Fabian Hürzeler has since shipped out to England to take the reins at Brighton & Hove Albion, but Pauli’s alternative ethos – reflected in the club’s various anti-right-wing campaigns, brown home kits and black flags adorned with skull and crossbones – is an unwavering presence at the inimitable Millerntor-Stadion. The question is: can new coach Alexander Blessin re-establish their place in the top tier?
Watch: St. Pauli - Return of the Cult Club
5) All the fun at the fair
Pauli and new boys Kiel are welcome additions to a division that offers a little something for everyone, from juggernauts of the ilk of Bayern, Leverkusen, Dortmund and RB Leipzig, to surprise packages like 2023/24 runners-up VfB Stuttgart, and Heidenheim – Frank Schmidt’s Bundesliga first-timers turned soon-to-be UEFA Conference League play-off debutants. Germany's top table also outstrips its continental counterparts for goals per game and sky-high average attendances, whilst being home to up-and-coming world talents and established stars alike. The Bundesliga is quite simply Football As It’s Meant To Be.
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