The 2025/26 Bundesliga season gets back underway with Bayern Munich seeking to defend the German title once again, having reclaimed it in the 2024/25 season.
Bayer Leverkusen had knocked Bayern off their perch in 2024 with Xabi Alonso’s incredible unbeaten double winners, but former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has led the Bavarians back to the top of German football.
Erik ten Hag is now in charge at Leverkusen and there has been a lot of change at Leverkusen, so the greatest challenges for Bayern’s probable dominance could come from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
Down at the other end of the table, the return of the Hamburg derby will take centre stage at some point this season, with Hamburg gaining promotion to compete against St. Pauli in the top-flight for the first time ever.
The Sporting News takes you through the latest odds and predictions as one of Europe’s most entertaining leagues gears up to get back up and running again this weekend…
Bundesliga predictions 2025/26: Title winners
As mentioned, Bayern Munich are the reigning champions and Vincent Kompany’s side will be expected to defend their title after the additions of Jonathan Tah and Luis Diaz over the summer.
They could, though, get off to a slow-ish start with Jamal Musiala out injured, and the likes of Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller having departed the club with incoming business yet to be complete. Yet even with a depleted attacking setup, they still defeated Stuttgart in the DFL-Supercup in Stuttgart last weekend.
Bayern are the overwhelming favourites and the chasing pack in Germany will have their work cut out, so looking at the odds of the title winner without Bayern could be handy.
| Bundesliga title odds according to Dafabet | |
|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 1.22 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 8.00 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 11.00 |
| RB Leipzig | 17.00 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 51.00 |
Last season’s runners-up and the 2023/24 champions Bayer Leverkusen have lost the aforementioned Tah, as well as Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz this summer, with a decline to be expected.
Borussia Dortmund were magnificent in the second half of last season following the appointment of Niko Kovac, and the Black and Yellow should continue their resurgence, with Jobe Bellingham now in the middle of the park.
RB Leipzig are an unpredictable team, having seen a lot of key departures this summer amid a stagnation within the whole Red Bull sporting organisation. Eintracht Frankfurt have also continued to sell with Omar Marmoush departing for Manchester City in January and Hugo Ekitike leaving for Liverpool this summer, but manager Dino Toppmoller remains the star and remains at the club.
| Bundesliga winner without Bayern Munich odds with Dafabet | |
|---|---|
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2.38 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2.75 |
| RB Leipzig | 5.50 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 19.00 |
| Stuttgart | 23.00 |
| Freiburg | 29.00 |
| Werder Bremen | 34.00 |
Bundesliga predictions 2025/26: Top four & Champions League contenders
In terms of a push for the top four and potential UEFA Champions League qualification, albeit fifth be enough to reach Europe’s elite club competition should German sides perform well in Europe this season, the race is likely to be fascinating.
Several different sides have gotten themselves into the top level of European club football from the Bundesliga in recent seasons, including Union Berlin and Stuttgart, and the latter should again challenge this time around.
Freiburg and Mainz narrowly missed out last year, but the former should push for the top four once again, while Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg will be among those looking for a resurgence, too.
| Bundesliga top four odds with Dafabet | |
|---|---|
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1.14 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1.22 |
| RB Leipzig | 1.80 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 4.00 |
| Stuttgart | 5.00 |
| Freiburg | 7.50 |
| Werder Bremen | 10.00 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | 13.00 |
| Wolfsburg | 13.00 |
| Hoffenheim | 13.00 |
| Mainz | 13.00 |
| Cologne | 15.00 |
| Hamburg | 17.00 |
| Augsburg | 21.00 |
| Union Berlin | 34.00 |
| St. Pauli | 41.00 |
| Heidenheim | 51.00 |
When is the start and end date of the Bundesliga season 2025/26?
The 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign gets underway on Friday, August 22 with reigning champions Bayern Munich facing RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena.
Unlike other European leagues such as La Liga and Serie A, the Bundesliga still opts to finish the season with all of their matches kicking off at the same time, and the season will conclude on Saturday, May 16 with all nine games played simultaneously.
How to watch the Bundesliga 2025/26 season in the U.K.
Sky Sports will televise at least four Bundesliga matches per weekend, with the occasional fifth based on teams in Europe playing on the Sunday.
In addition, the BBC have won the rights to show a weekly highlights package of the weekend’s football in Germany for the next two seasons.
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