Bundesliga
What is an 'Englische Woche'?
Even if you do not have any knowledge of the German language, you can probably work out that the footballing term 'Englische Woche' translates as 'English week'. Let's take a look into how the term came about and what makes it rather special in Germany.
What does it mean?
While the origins of the term 'Englische Woche' are difficult to pin down, the meaning is clear. At some time since the advent of the Bundesliga in 1963, the practice of scheduling fixtures on a midweek evening was noted as such an English concept that the phrase caught on.
Midweek fixtures are significantly rarer in Germany, after all. The first season of the Bundesliga featured just 16 teams and therefore had 30 matchdays, meaning the whole season could easily be scheduled on weekend afternoons. That equation did not change drastically with the increase to 18 teams (and 34 matchdays) in 1965/66.
The English top flight featured 22 teams at this time, however, and with two cup competitions also contested (compared to one in Germany, the DFB Cup), frequent matches on midweek evenings in England made the concept perceived as distinctly English in Germany.
That continues to this day, with the English Premier League having four more matchdays than the Bundesliga's 34, and the English second tier featuring 46 matchdays compared to 34 in Bundesliga 2.
What is so special about an 'Englische Woche'?
They are quite simply a rare occurrence in Germany, and the experience of attending a match late in the evening on a weeknight is an unusual and therefore memorable one for Bundesliga fans - especially for clubs not featuring in a European competition with regular midweek fixtures.
Of course, for those clubs who do have the additional burden of midweek European matches, an 'Englische Woche' is a far more common things. The term does not just refer to a midweek league fixture but to any week that sees games played on both weekends and with another match during the week on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
When is a Bundesliga Englische Woche scheduled?
The long answer: Whenever the DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) deems it appropriate in the organisation's planning of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 fixture schedules. The short answer: Not very often at all.
The 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 Bundesliga seasons were all scheduled with just one 'Englische Woche' each, in December 2023, January 2025 and January 2026. Meanwhile, the 2024/25 Bundesliga 2 campaign did not feature a single 'Englische Woche', and 2025/26 has followed suit.
The 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign will have its seemingly now customary round of midweek fixtures in January, for Matchday 16.
However, an extra 'Englische Woche' (Matchday 24) has unusually been added in March for both divisions. That is because there will be no games at all played on the first weekend of May, since Labour Day (1 May 2027) falls on a Saturday and it has been agreed with the government not to hold any fixtures that weekend.
Back to 2025/26, keep your eye on Matchday 17, which will include Bayern Munich's trip to Cologne, Borussia Dortmund's clash with Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt's trip to VfB Stuttgart, for your Englische Woche fix this campaign!