The absolute classic at the start, an autumn champion after the turn of the year – and the fans knew everything beforehand: Champions Bayern Munich opened the 61st Bundesliga season with an away game at Werder Bremen. The game will take place on August 18 (8:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga, on DAZN and Sat.1). Borussia Dortmund welcomes 1. FC Köln. Cup winner RB Leipzig is required on the first match day at Bayer Leverkusen. In addition, the two promoted players start with away games: second division champions 1. FC Heidenheim have to go to VfL Wolfsburg, Darmstadt 98 travel to the Hessen derby at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The first “leaks” of the game plan were already circulating a day before the announcement scheduled for Friday, then the German Football League (DFL) itself published the complete game plan well over an hour earlier than planned, after the plans had already been circulated on Twitter. The schedule for the 2023/2024 season should actually not be announced until 12 p.m. The DFL could not initially be reached for a statement.
After the dramatic finale of the previous season, the new season started with a small glitch, it should then be less bumpy in terms of sport. For the 113th time, Munich will meet Bremen, there has not been a duel more often in the German upper house. “The appointment is another award for our last season,” enthused Werder coach Ole Werner. This is “a special, big task”.
Even before the start of the league, coach Thomas Tuchel’s champion team will play against cup winners Leipzig in the Supercup on August 12 (8:45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga, on Sat.1 and Sky) for the first title of the season. Large parts of the first round of the cup also take place this weekend.
Bayern’s first top game is on Matchday 6 (September 29 to October 1) in Leipzig. On match day 10 (November 3rd to 5th), the classic at BVB awaits. According to the DFL, the exact times for the first eight Bundesliga match days are planned for the week of July 10th to 14th.
The unity against the “lilies”
At the start of the league game there is a Hessen derby for Eintracht Frankfurt against newly promoted Darmstadt 98. And on the second day of the game, the team of new coach Dino Toppmöller has a neighborly duel on the agenda with the game at Mainz 05.
The first three home games are tough for Borussia Mönchengladbach. On the second day of the game, Gladbach’s new coach Gerardo Seoane meets his former employer Leverkusen, a week later FC Bayern come to the Lower Rhine and in the third home game against Leipzig, Gladbach’s former sports director Max Eberl returns to Borussia-Park for the first time.
After the 16th matchday (December 19th/20th), the Bundesliga goes into the winter break. The autumn champion will then only be formally chosen at the start of the year from January 12th to 14th, with the second half of the season starting a week later. The season finale is scheduled for May 18, 2024, with the cup final taking place in Berlin a week later. The shutdown period for the EM 2024 in Germany begins on June 3rd. From then on there are 20 days until the opening game of the European Championship at home, so Flick has to form a title candidate from his unsure team in a hurry.
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The 2nd division starts three weeks before the Bundesliga on July 28 with the game Hamburger SV against Schalke 04. Newly promoted SV Wehen Wiesbaden will play 1. FC Magdeburg at home on the first day of the game before the away game at Bundesliga- Relegated Hertha BSC follows. After the winter break, it will continue there on January 19, 2024, the last matchday will take place on May 19, 2024.
