For those of us who follow German football closely, one of the year's definite highlights is when the ball finally kicks off again in the top tier in Germany. Nothing beats the roaring joy and it is always delivered to such an extent in the opening round. The fans deliver, the players deliver and the surprises come – always. For the undersigned, I get the somewhat (unfortunate) joy of an early kick-off in the 2nd Bundesliga, where Schalke 04 is followed closely, but that in no way diminishes the joy of seeing the teams in the division above in action. There is something special about the Bundesliga, and it always has been. When I was a little boy I ran around in various German club shirts, my friends ran around in United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea shirts. When the Premier League was kicked off it was certainly exciting and still is, but the focus was always on German football. That has not changed over the years. To properly recharge for the first kick of the year in Germany, I will take a look at the teams, transfers, rumors, young talents and round it all off with a never-so-small table tip for this year's season. The joy is great here in the yard, this is the same feeling as Christmas and a birthday at once! Happy reading!
Bundesliga 2025/2026
This season's Bundesliga boasts a very good mix of big teams that are well-established in the Bundesliga, or at least have a historical connection to the league (sorry Hamburg, that's where you end up). Some teams, like Leverkusen, have lost several important players to other leagues and Ten Haag has a formidable job ahead of them. Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig have also lost important players up front, while Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart have managed to keep their important contributors – maybe this will be a better season, especially for the latter. Bayern is, as always, a big favorite and has an excellent squad this year. Besides, we have a good mix of teams that can quickly end up in no man's land, while we always get a surprise – will it be solid Augsburg or Freiburg, or maybe Hamburg will strike as an underdog? Let's take a closer look at the teams in alphabetical order, what they have done over the summer and how the season might play out.
Augsburg
Augsburg is a classic mid-table team. They have quality in most areas, but vary largely every season in quality and form. Last season was no exception, the season started quite miserably before they suddenly had a brilliant period from mid-January to the beginning of April, where they went undefeated and kept a clean sheet for 6 games in a row. This was followed by a complete collapse at the end of the season, going from European play to no man's land via 5 miserable performances. This is typical Augsburg, you see pretty much the same thing every season and it is natural to expect the same this season as well.
Augsburg have made a good effort in the transfer market. 5 players have returned from loans to various clubs, while 3 new faces have come in: Fellhauer from Elversberg, Massengo from Burnley and Saad from St. Pauli. The former has been one of Elversberg's most solid players this season and has already provided an assist for Augsburg in the cup match against Hallescher. Massengo has been little visible in Burnely and has spent most of his time on loan at Auxerre, where he has been consistently in the red. Expectations for Massengo can be said to be nil - the season will tell. Saad should be a fresh addition, he has had some stable seasons at St. Pauli, and like Fellhauer, Saad provided an assist in the cup match and distinguished himself with a good match.
Apart from the additions, Augsburg boasts Kevin Schlotterbeck, Arne Maier, Wolf and Essende as the most important pieces in the team. These players must deliver for Augsburg to have a season to remember.
Bayer Leverkusen
It has been chaotic in Leverkusen after Alonso's departure to Real Madrid. In came a familiar figure in Ten Haag, a gentleman who is well known to most, mostly for a somewhat miserable time at Manchester United, but also for his brilliant build-up at Ajax. The challenge is great for Ten Haag, here is a team that more or less needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Wirtz and Frimpong have disappeared to Liverpool, Tah to Bayern Munich, Boniface seems to be disappearing to AC Milan, Adli has gone to Bournemouth, Xhaka has gone to Sunderland, Hermoso has returned to Roma, Hradecky has disappeared to Monaco, Kovar is on loan to PSV Eindhoven and Mukiele has returned to PSG. All players were an essential piece in what Alonso built, and this year's Leverkusen team is nothing like last season's. When you also have a new manager and playing style into the picture, Leverkusen quickly becomes a wildcat – here you don't know what you're getting until the season has progressed a bit and 5-6-7 games have been played. With that, it becomes very difficult to place Leverkusen this season. By the way, some exciting names have arrived in the doors.
Bade has come through the doors after a few solid seasons in Sevilla. A solid and eventually experienced center back who will most likely form a stopping pair with Tapsoba and/or Hincapie, possibly Quansah. Bade is currently injured, but is expected back in early September. The aforementioned Quansah comes from Liverpool and is an exciting addition that could fit well into Ten Haag's playing style. Mark Flekken was brought in from Brentford and has good experience in the Bundesliga from his time in Freiburg. Flekken undoubtedly brings good experience to this Leverkusen team. Other players worth mentioning and watching out for this season are Echeverri who is on loan from Manchester City, Maza who comes from Hertha Berlin and was a key player in that team, and Tillman from PSV Eindhoven. Still a young talent, with several good seasons behind him in PSV Eindhoven, Tillman could quickly become an important player in Leverkusen.
As mentioned, it is difficult to place Leverkusen this year, but they undoubtedly have quality in all areas. Should Boniface, against all odds, stay, they still have sharpshooters at the top along with Schick. Leverkusen will be an exciting team to follow and they have every chance of getting off to a good start when they host Hoffenheim at the BayArena in the first game of the season.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich are as Bayern Munich always are: rock solid. They have brought in some solid additions in Luis Diaz and Tah, two players who have already shown themselves in the Supercup final against Stuttgart. Diaz in particular delivered the goods and scored the winning goal. Paul Wanner has also returned from Heidenheim, where he has been able to develop well. Wanner is expected to be seen on the substitutes' bench, where he will hopefully show his good sides on the substitutes' bench. Another exciting player who has arrived, and who will possibly overshadow Wanner, is Bischof. One of Germany's greatest midfield talents who already has good experience in the Bundesliga and the national team. As if that were not enough, Karl is also a very exciting attacking talent at only 17 years old. Karl will be seen throughout the season, especially when Musiala is long-term injured.
Out of doors, solid players have disappeared: Coman has left to fill his account in Al-Nassr, Eric Dier gets to experience some luxury life in Monaco, Thomas Müller has gone to Canada, Palinha has gone to Tottenham on loan, Sane has disappeared to Turkey while Tel has made the transfer to Tottenham permanent. Big losses in that sense, but the team still has quality in all aspects. If nothing else a thinner squad, the thinnest squad in Kane's career according to him, but when the starting eleven can boast the aforementioned Kane, Luis Diaz, Olise, Gnabry, Kimmich, Goretzka, Stanisic, Tah, Upamenco, Laimer and the eternal Neuer, it goes without saying that this team will be one to be reckoned with. The substitute bench consists of a number of young talents who will hopefully flourish this season. Everyone hopes for a shorter injury break than expected for Musiala, an incredibly entertaining player. As always, Bayern are tipped to be at the top this year as well, everything else will be surprising. Bayern will host RB Leipzig tonight – a perfect opening match of this year's season!
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have managed to keep several important pieces in the team from last season – the team that struggled tremendously in the first half, but showed a completely different side in the second half of the season. Much is expected of Guirassy and Beier at the top this season, with Sabitzer to manage the midfield together with Gross and Can, and Schlotterbeck and Süle to manage the back row. Dortmund have also brought in none other than little brother Bellingham, a well-known player to most after a few good seasons in Sunderland, and it will naturally be very exciting to see if he can fill his brother's solid Dortmund history. Another exciting player who has come through the doors is Svensson from Nordsjælland, that is, the loan has become permanent. More is also expected of Adeyemi this season, still a young talent, who delivered the goods last season with 12 goals and 9 assists in 41 games. There is a good mix of experience and talent in this Dortmund team, as it often is. Brandt is a lively figure in the dressing room who has delivered the goods steadily in Dortmund for several seasons. Chukwuemeka and Gittens have joined Chelsea, while Moukoko has gone to Copenhagen. In other words, there are no big and noticeable losses for Dortmund. They have every opportunity to build on their 5-match winning streak at the end of last season.
It seems that Kovac has managed to get his team where he wants it. He has brought in some reinforcements and probably wants most of all to build on the team that is unbeaten in the Bundesliga since the 2-0 loss to RB Leipzig in March. Much is set for a good season for Dortmund, especially when rivals such as Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig have lost key players. Dortmund are tipped to challenge Bayern Munich much more than last season, how long they can keep up will be exciting to see. The opening round will be away to St. Pauli, no easy task, but they are expected to take all 3 points back to Dortmund - which their history against St. Pauli also suggests.
Borussia Monchengladbach
Mönchengladbach has an exciting team almost every season, from which much is expected, but it often messes up. This is one of the teams that can be counted on in the middle of the table almost every season, with a few exceptions. The last time Mönchengladbach showed up in the upper echelon was back in the 19/20 season, after that 8th place in 20/21 is the best to show. It is difficult to imagine a different outcome this year, but the preseason has been solid and they host newly promoted Hamburg at home, so if nothing else, a lot is in place for a good start.
Mönchengladbach have mostly traded within Germany this summer, Castrop has come in from Nuremberg, Machino has arrived from Holstein Kiel while Tabakovic is on loan from Hoffenheim. All of them must be said to be quality additions to an exciting Gladbach team. There is a lot of young talent in Gladbach, talent that has accumulated good experience. Netz at left back is getting better and better with each season, Neuhaus is gradually developing and Kleindienst had a very good 24/25 season. With the addition of Machino and Tabakovic at the top, Gladbach undoubtedly has some good sharpshooters to boast about, in addition to a well-established midfield and back row.
If we take the preseason into consideration, as well as the additions, we can quickly see an exciting Gladbach team that can challenge in the upper echelon this year – when the additions are injury-free. Until then, there is some uncertainty about what we will be able to deliver. Overall, a good Gladbach season is predicted.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt have gradually lost one key player after another. The team started brilliantly last year with dominance from Marmoush and Ekitike. The former left for Manchester City in January, while Ekitike made the expected move to Liverpool this summer after a brilliant season with 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 games. That loss is of course huge, but a small highlight of the sadness for Frankfurt fans is the arrival of Burkardt, a player who really delivered for Mainz last season. Naturally, there is great excitement about what he will achieve in Frankfurt this season.
Frankfurt have been relatively active in the transfer market, but it has mostly been about bringing in unknown names from lower-ranked leagues or internally in Germany. The most notable is perhaps Doan from Freiburg and of course the aforementioned Burkardt. Kristensen has also made the transfer from Leeds permanent. Frankfurt's coffers have been rather filled up, without necessarily having been able to spend this money. In addition to Ekitike, Trapp has also disappeared to Paris FC – an experienced goalkeeper who will be greatly missed. The opportunity is there for Kaua to take 1st place, but the competition is strong with Zetterer, who has been brought in from Werder Bremen – the team that is on the opposite half of the field in the opening match.
As with Leverkusen, it is also a bit difficult to place Eintracht Frankfurt this season. They certainly have quality in the team, but they have lost players who have made a difference when they have needed it most and expected it least. Who will take over that key role is rather a question mark - good across the board, but not good enough to challenge for 1st place - that is probably where Frankfurt is placed this season.
FC Heidenheim
Heidenheim barely survived last season, after a brilliant 8th place the season before that. The difficult 2nd season in the Bundesliga was as expected – tough. The small town in Baden-Württemberg with just under 47,000 inhabitants is entering its 3rd season in the Bundesliga and has one main goal: survive. Frank Schmidt is sticking to his game and philosophy – it worked brilliantly in the first season and may have put several teams to bed, but it didn't work last season. In any way. When they have also struggled to bring in solid signings, it is difficult to see how this season will be anything other than a fight for survival. But there are some bright spots.
Arijon Ibrahimovic is on loan from Bayern Munich – not related to our Zlatan so there is no move there, but still an exciting German talent at 19 years old who got a great start to his Heidenheim career with an assist against Bahlinger in the cup. Ibrahimovic is in a creative wing-midfield role and could quickly become important to serve Zivzivadze and/or Kaufmann at the top. Besides that, Heidenheim has a very exciting player in Brazilian Scienza, a player who has delivered consistently in his two seasons. There are also a few more questions about Heidenheim's back row. Siersleben – Gimber – Mainka have several seasons together at the club and have been with each other in ups and downs. One thing is certain: they have routine. That routine is needed to the utmost, at the same time that it must be delivered at the very top. All in all, Heidenheim's midfield is considered the strongest - combined with an experienced back three and top players who have to deliver - so this could be a better season for Heidenheim.
If we summarize the team as a whole, compared to other teams in this year's edition of the Bundesliga, it is expected that Heidenheim will still struggle. Zivzivadze is experienced, but slow. If Kaufmann does not deliver, things will suddenly become difficult. The team really has to dig back to the 23/24 edition, if they can do that then it will not take much for them to find themselves in an intense match in the middle of the table. The starting point is good, they welcome Wolfsburg at home and must get points from there, the matches that follow are against RB Leipzig and Dortmund, and then it could suddenly be a very tough start to the season.
FC Cologne
It is gratifying to have Cologne back in the Bundesliga after a struggling season in the 2nd Bundesliga. Such a big team and city naturally belong at the top, and after a troubled start to the season last year they eventually got the machinery going and clawed their way to 1st place in a very exciting end to the season. Cologne have used the summer very well and have prepared for this year's season as best as possible for a newly promoted team.
An important addition to Cologne is Ragnar Ache, the man who has delivered very well in his last 2 seasons in Kaiserslautern. He is in the prime of a footballer's life at 27 years old and fits perfectly into a newly promoted team in the upper echelon. Ache has a lot to offer this team and is a solid addition. Furthermore, they have brought in Bülter from Hoffenheim, a stable and good winger with rich Bundesliga experience, and they have also brought in Johannesson from Fortuna Düsseldorf, a player who did well there. In addition, they have brought in two solid additions on loan in the form of Kaminski and Krauss, as well as bringing in a solid talent in van den Berg. Besides that, some may recognize the name Sebulonsen from his time in Viking, he comes from Brøndby, and it is always nice to get Norwegian additions in the Bundesliga. The hope is of course that he will play his way into a permanent role in the team. Finally, Cologne has also brought in experienced Ron-Robert Zieler and has a fairly complete team consisting of experienced Bundesliga players as well as top players from the 2nd Bundesliga.
Cologne have lost Lemperle to Hoffenheim, a player who has always been good for Cologne, but does not have the big losses outside that should be of great importance. The coverage is good and there is a belief that this Cologne team will achieve something this season. They will probably struggle in the lower tier, but it is a bit difficult to imagine them being in relegation contention.
Freiburg
Freiburg is a bit like Augsburg – a stable Bundesliga team that occasionally plays brilliantly and then falls behind, a bit of a rollercoaster ride throughout the season type of team. Ironically, Freiburg hosts Augsburg and it automatically smells of a draw from that match, with a slight favor to Freiburg.
Freiburg has done a bit of shopping in Germany. Jung has come in from Werder Bremen, Matanovic from Eintracht Frankfurt, Treu from St. Pauli, while Weisshaupt has returned from loan at St. Pauli. Solid additions, but nothing that screams that they will challenge for a European place this season. Because there Freiburg has been a lot sharper than Saturday's opponent; even though they finished in a disappointing 10th place last season, they consistently delivered a good season before the teams around them found form in the final stretch. In the seasons before that, they were both 5th and 6th place.
It's a bit difficult to place this Freiburg team ahead of this season. They have some experienced players in the stable, while there is some young and unknown talent that may blossom. But the assessment comes with uncertainty, and Freiburg will probably be placed in a bit of a no-man's land. They go a bit under the same umbrella as Leverkusen, where we'll see where we have them after 5-6 games.
Hamburger SV
As with Cologne, it is just as gratifying, if not more gratifying, to finally have Hamburg back in the Bundesliga. The road back has been long and winding, in every way a real test of patience for the fans. Most have lost count of how many managers have come and gone, and how many times there has been a 3rd place and loss in promotion matches. The joy was therefore extremely great when they finally secured the important 2nd place that gave direct promotion in May after a consistent and solid season in the 2nd Bundesliga. With promotion, a little extra advance work is required and the management in Hamburg has also been there. They have brought in some good and important additions to an exciting squad.
Capaldo comes in from RB Salzburg, an exciting player from Argentina who has been delivering better and better and who is expected to be a solid addition. They have also brought in Peretz on loan from Bayern Munich, as well as Poulsen from RB Leipzig who will definitely fit well into this Hamburg team. Finally, it is worth mentioning Rayan Phillip who was a key player in Eintracht Braunschweig, a player who will be exciting to follow in Hamburg. No quality players have been lost in that sense, except for Karabec perhaps, the rest were either old or a bit dead meat in this stable, Selke for example. All in all, Hamburg has an exciting squad ahead of the season.
It will be exciting to follow this Hamburg team that is mostly tipped for a direct return to the 2. Bundesliga. Unfortunately, it is thought to be relatively similar here too, they have quality but not good enough quality to feed the best nor mid-table teams. It is considered that it could be a tough season for Hamburg, but the fans will undoubtedly provide an extra dimension of vitamin injection that can work wonders.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim's talent factory is always exciting to follow, no exception at the start of the season. There are almost always big changes every summer in Hoffenheim, and we have also seen that this summer. Several exciting players have been brought back, including Asllani and Damar from Elversberg, as well as Drexler and Grillitsch. All players who have benefited from loans and definitely grown from it.
Out the doors, Bülter has gone to Cologne, Bischof to Hoffenheim while the list is long of other players who have left the team either permanently or on loan. The first two were the most important contributors worth mentioning, and it must be said that Hoffenheim again this year has an exciting squad with a lot of talent and a good dose of experience. There is absolute faith that we will see a better Hoffenheim this year that can fight in the upper echelon. Orban got better and better over the last season, Lemperle comes in with a lot of experience, Kramaric is always stable, and then you also have Asllani who absolutely knows where the goal is. It is a solid starting eleven, especially up front, while they can pull in players from the bench who can make a difference.
Hoffenheim is possibly a slight underdog this year that is worth following. They have a number of exciting players who can deliver at a high level, so Hoffenheim is tipped to end the season in the upper half of the table.
Mainz 05
Mainz 05 has lost a lot in the sale of Burkardt and with that Weiper has big shoes to fill. Mainz had an impressive 24/25 season, where they were very close to securing an impressive Champions League place. It didn't quite hold up, perhaps a bit typical for a team like Mainz, to slip on the banana peel when it counts the most. They still have European games, before this weekend's round they were in Trondheim where they were beaten 2-1 by Rosenborg. And then alarm bells should ring, not because Rosenborg are miserable, congratulations for an important and well-played 2-1 win, but Mainz should be far better than that. They certainly should, and with this it is so clear that it will be very difficult for this team to manage something spectacular like last season without a real goalgetter. There are many similarities with Heidenheim in the 23/24 season who played brilliantly, came to Europe, and then struggled heavily in the league and European games last season. It could soon look like this will be a very similar season for Mainz to Heidenheim. At the same time, they will enjoy European games, and if nothing else, hope that some proper replacements come in before the transfer window closes.
Mainz have made an attempt to upgrade their squad a bit. Hollerbach has come in from Union Berlin, Krauss is back from a loan spell in Bochum, but was loaned out to Cologne straight away, while Richter has come in from Hamburg after a loan spell. In other words, thin. It will be difficult to see how Mainz will make it big, with extra matches on the calendar, this season. They are tipped for a lower tier of the table.
RB Leipzig
There has been a lot of action in Leipzig over the summer, especially with players leaving the club. The most notable is of course Sesko who has made the trip to the red part of Manchester. Naturally a big loss for Leipzig, Sesko delivered the goods particularly well last season with 21 goals in 46 games, with the key player Leipzig depended on. Without Sesko, Blaswich has also disappeared to Leverkusen, Köhler to Stuttgart, Jäkel to Eintracht Braunschweig, Poulsen to Hamburg and Andre Silva to Elche. But none of these have added the extra element for Leipzig, it was clear last season. The once important Poulsen struggled more on the substitute bench, and the great talent in Andre Silva has withered more and more away. Then it is good to bring fresh blood into the dressing room, and they have brought that in the form of Bakayoko from PSV Eindhoven. The Belgian has delivered things well in the Netherlands, season after season, and is perhaps the goal scorer Leipzig needs after the loss of Sesko. 12 goals in 46 games last season for Bakayoko may not necessarily scare many, but the development potential in Leipzig is enormous, and the creative minds around him could quickly make Leipzig a place where he develops further. In other words: Bakayoko is also someone to watch out for this year. Yan Diomande has joined from Leganés, an exciting young talent at only 18 years old who will be exciting to follow. Other names to mention from the transfer list are Vermeeren who will come over permanently after his loan spell and not least Timo Werner who never made it at Tottenham. There is no doubt that Werner has withered over the years, especially after his time at Chelsea and Tottenham, but perhaps there will be a revival again in Leipzig, a bit like Götze in Frankfurt. Werner certainly has plenty of routine, so he is undoubtedly a good figure to have in the dressing room.
All in all, Leipzig has an exciting team this year. A team that is composed of young talent, creativity and speed. The options at the top are nice with Openda, Werner and Bakayoko, not to mention Cruz and the promising talent Ramsak. On the wings we have Simons and Nusa, two relatively similar players, creative and quick. This often flourishes in the Bundesliga. If they stay injury-free, this could be a brilliant season for both. The midfield is experienced with the Austrians Seiwald, Baumgartner and Schlager, while the aforementioned Vermeeren will be a creative little ace if he gets enough opportunities. Then we have another talent: Ouedarogo. He lost a lot of last season with injuries, but if the youngster stays injury-free then the potential is enormous. Leipzig are also solid at the back; Orban, Geertruida, Klostermann, Raum, Lukeba, Henrichs. All of them have several years of Bundesliga play under their belts.
The starting point is brilliant for RB Leipzig. There is a lot of young talent in this squad, and if the defense can stay stable, this could look really good. The opening match away to Bayern Munich is far from an ideal opponent, but it would be very surprising if Bayern overruns them. There should be more than enough belief in their own skills in this Leipzig team. The match schedule after the Bayern game is definitely manageable for Leipzig. If they get a good start to the season, this could be good. Leipzig is therefore tipped high in the table, a challenger to Dortmund for 2nd place.
St. Pauli
The team that is left with little hope is, as is often the case, St. Pauli. They fought hard last season and deservedly retained their place. But it won't be any easier for the brown-clad team. The club doesn't have the same budget as most clubs in the Bundesliga, but the potential to lure talent to Hamburg is there. It can be an excellent arena for development and that's often where the management at St. Pauli has set its sights. There have been a number of players in and out of the doors at St. Pauli this summer. The most notable transfer for the signings is Oppie who has come from Arminia Bielefeld. It's an excellent transfer, Oppie is a raw left-back with a real left-footed shot. He will undoubtedly be a great addition to St. Pauli. Without Oppie, there are a number of unknown names, mostly from smaller clubs. One that people may know is Ricky-Jade Jones from Peterborough. A striker who has had stable seasons in Peterborough and who has a great opportunity to develop further at the top level in Germany. We won't see him in action in the opening game as he is out with an injury, but he is a player to keep an eye on throughout the season. The most notable ones who have disappeared out the door are Eggestein, Treu and Zoller (who have retired). In addition, the loan spells of van der Heyden, Wagner and Weisshaupt are over.
It is believed that St. Pauli is facing a tough season. The squad is simply composed of too little gunpowder. There is of course some good experience, Irvine for example, but there are several aces missing. The exciting thing this year will be the derby against Hamburg – just put the time in your calendar for that already! It is speculated that this will be the season where St. Pauli has to say snap-snap-snout to the Bundesliga. But I am often proven wrong, because there is something special about St. Pauli and the fans, it is a great club to have in the Bundesliga.
Union Berlin
Union Berlin quickly falls into the same category as St. Pauli. The clubs are about the same size and they have a lot of fight in them, but sometimes fall short on talent. Union, like St. Pauli, has not brought in notable names that will steer this team towards something big this season. On the contrary, it looks like this could be a lead-heavy season for the capital team. It is often characterized by a team bringing in players like Oliver Burke. Someone who changes clubs almost every season. They have also got Král back from Mallorca, a player who can be very good in the middle on his good days.
Out of doors, Gosens has now disappeared permanently to Fiorentina. Hollerbach has gone to Mainz, while Vogt has gone to VfL Bochum. Not big losses in that sense, but they haven't gained anything that would deter any clubs either. Preseason has been more or less deplorable for Union Berlin. They can be tough at home, and that's what makes the difference between their table position and St. Pauli. A slightly higher point capture is predicted for Union, but not enough to stay in the Bundesliga for another season.
VfB Stuttgart
It was great entertainment to watch Stuttgart against Bayern Munich in the Super Cup. They played brilliant football at times and definitely had their chances to take Bayern to extra time and penalties. But that is often what separates the top from the near-top. Stuttgart have an exciting team this season with greater expectations attached to them than last season's disappointing 9th place. Last season's loss to Guirassy never seemed to be patched up, but it seems that Sebastian Hoeness has found more out of it.
Stuttgart have done a good job in the transfer market. Chema Andrés has come in from Real Madrid, an exciting, young midfield talent. Darvich has come in from Barcelona, and a great German midfield talent. Of the more well-known names, they have brought in Köhler from RB Leipzig and Tomás from Wolfsburg – both solid additions to the squad. Out of the blue, Boakye has disappeared to Arminia Bielefeld, Bruun Larsen to Burnley, Millot to Al-Ahli and Rieder back to Rennes. Losses that can be patched up properly, on the first try, this time.
Hoeness is undoubtedly on to something, at least if we take the Supercup match into account. They finished last season well and although 9th place was disappointing, it was at least a nice highlight with the DFB-Pokal victory. It is speculated that Stuttgart will once again fight at the top this year, closely challenging Dortmund, Leipzig and Leverkusen.
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen are also a bit like every other season this year: unpredictable. You don't really know what you're going to get from them until a few games have passed. Last season they were brilliant at times, especially away, but then they suddenly messed up something absolutely terrible at home. And Bremen's transfer window does not indicate that they will be a title contender in any way. Here it is considered that it will soon be a relatively similar season to the previous one, but possibly even worse, in the lower half. The most noticeable transfers come in the form of Mbangula from Juventus and Wöber from Leeds (though on loan). Burke has disappeared out the door, Ducksch has disappeared to Birmingham and Zetterer to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Werder Bremen have also had a hopeless run-up to the season. In addition, they were knocked out in the cup against Arminia Bielefeld, a match where they achieved little, against a team they are struggling to get a hold of. And that is exactly how the season is predicted for Bremen: no particular threat at the top and generally a team that screams more relegation than anything else. There should still be more talent in the team than the others who are tipped lower in the table, but no more than that they will have to fight for every single point this season.
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg fall into the same category as Werder Bremen, but they have at least given the transfer window a better try. Amoura's loan spell has been made permanent, Cerný has arrived on loan from Rangers, while a number of other more unknown players have come in. Out of doors, several players have also disappeared. Amoako has gone to Dynamo Dresden, Börner to Darmstadt, Kaminski to Cologne (on loan), Nmecha to Leeds and Tomás to Stuttgart. Roughly speaking, we have nothing noticeable either in or out of doors here. We have much of the same. Repeat, and a repeat of last season is more or less expected for Wolfsburg. The fans have been fed misery for the last 4 seasons, 12th, 8th, 12th, and 11th place is what they have been served, although there have been some highlights here and there. But all in all, there is a lack of quality, creativity and occasional will in this team. There is no strong belief that they will be stuck in the lower half of the table, but without being relegated.
Bundesliga 2025/26 table tips
And with that, we've looked at all the teams and come up with a never-so-serious table tip for this year's season:
