The Bundesliga kicks off its 2026-27 season on Friday, Aug. 28, when defending league title-holders Bayern Munich host VfB Stuttgart at Allianz Arena.
The German top flight has a new broadcast partner for games in the United States. The league also welcomes three clubs promoted from 2. Bundesliga: Schalke 04, SC Paderborn and SV Elversberg. For Schalke, this represents a Bundesliga return after three seasons in the second division. Paderborn is back in the top flight for the first time since 2020. Elversberg is in the Bundesliga for the first time, just four years removed from playing in the Regionalliga Südwest.
Entering the fresh campaign, Bayern Munich remains the league favorite, having won 13 of the last 14 Bundesliga titles (Bayer Leverkusen
in 2023-24 is the only outlier, ending an 11-season stranglehold for the Bavarian superclub). Bayern Munich's opening opponent — Stuttgart — finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season and earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
How to watch the Bundesliga in USA
The Bundesliga has a new broadcast partner in the U.S. for the 2026-27 season. USA Network and Fandango are the exclusive English-language rights holders for the top domestic soccer league in Germany.
Telemundo is the Spanish-language Bundesliga broadcaster in the U.S.
What are this weekend's Bundesliga matches?
Bundesliga schedule for Matchday 1
Friday, Aug. 28
- Bayern Munich vs. VfB Stuttgart, 2:30 p.m. ET (Fandango, Telemundo)
Saturday, Aug. 29
- RB Leipzig vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach, 9:30 a.m. ET (Fandango)
- Mainz vs. SC Paderborn, 9:30 a.m. ET (Fandango)
- FC Köln vs. TSG Hoffenheim, 9:30 a.m. ET (Fandango)
- Union Berlin vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, 9:30 a.m. ET (Fandango)
- SV Elversberg vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 9:30 a.m. ET (Fandango)
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Hamburger SV, 12:30 p.m. ET (USA Network, Telemundo)
Sunday, Aug. 30
- SC Freiburg vs. Werder Bremen, 9:30 a.m. ET (Fandango, Universo)
- FC Augsburg vs. Schalke 04, 11:30 a.m. ET (Fandango)
Watch soccer on Sling
Notable American players in the Bundesliga
- Mathis Albert, Borussia Dortmund
- Noahkai Banks, SC Freiburg
- Cole Campbell, SV Elversberg
- Timmy Chandler, Eintracht Frankfurt
- Lennard Maloney, Mainz
- Joe Scally, Borussia Mönchengladbach
- Malik Tillman, Bayer Leverkusen
Scally — whose days at Mönchengladbach might be numbered — and Tillman were both members of the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup, with Tillman making four starts and scoring two goals. The 36-year-old Chandler has made 29 appearances for the USMNT and was on the team's roster for the 2014 World Cup, but hasn't been called into the national team since 2016.
Albert (17 years old), Banks (19) and Campbell (20) have yet to make their USMNT debuts. In April, Albert became the youngest American to debut in the Bundesliga.
Maloney, meanwhile, has made two appearances for the USMNT, both in 2023.
Bundesliga betting odds: Who is favorite to win 2026-27 championship?
According to the latest BetMGM odds, Bayern Munich (-800) is the current favorite to win the 2026-27 league championship, followed by Borussia Dortmund (+900), RB Leipzig (+1600), Bayer Leverkusen (+2000), VfB Stuttgart (+3300) and Eintracht Frankfurt (+5000).
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart: How to watch Bundesliga 2026-27 season opener
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