Bayern München beat VfB Stuttgart 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final on 23 May 2026, and the game was shaped by one player more than anyone else. Harry Kane scored all three, posted a 9.3 rating and carried Bayern to their first domestic double in 6 years, since the 2020 sextuple. For Vincent Kompany, it was the cleanest possible way to finish a season his side had largely controlled.

Why Kane decided the final so clearly

The scoreline says control, but Kane made it decisive.

He opened the scoring in the 55th minute, added a penalty in 90+2 and ended the final with three goals. His finishing was as sharp as the numbers suggest: 3 of his 4 shots were on target, and all of the real damage on the scoreboard came through him.

That matters because finals do not always reflect the broader quality gap between the teams. This one did once Kane got in front. A 9.3 rating in a cup final is not just productive, it usually means the opposition never found a way to disrupt the game around him.

There were useful supporting performances too. Michael Olise was Bayern's next-best attacker by rating at 7.7, which gives a fair idea of the attacking help around Kane. Behind them, Jonas Urbig made 3 saves in the absence of Manuel Neuer, giving Bayern the kind of stable goalkeeping a final demands even if he was not the headline.

What the win says about Bayern under Kompany

The cup final completed a season that had already put Bayern München back on top domestically. They finished first in the Bundesliga with 89 points, then added the DFB-Pokal to make it a double.

That is the strongest argument for Kompany's first season in charge. Bayern did not just scrape through one big day. They had already done the league work and arrived with momentum, listed in the brief as unbeaten across their last five matches.

Kompany had framed the occasion in those terms before kick-off. He told bavarianfootballworks.com: "I've never taken part in a German cup final before, but I have in other finals. I won my first FA Cup when the team [Man City] hadn't won it for 40 years. Winning here is always a historic moment."

The comparison to Manchester City was his, but the more relevant point is what this Bayern side actually delivered. A club expected to win trophies had gone 6 years without a domestic double. That gap has now been closed.

Stuttgart's task was big, and Bayern made it look bigger

Stuttgart came in with obvious reasons to believe they could compete, but the brief also showed how difficult the matchup had been. Their recent record against Bayern was 0-1-4 across the last five meetings, and the final followed the same pattern.

Sebastian Hoeneß had not overstated the challenge beforehand. He told bavarianfootballworks.com: "We'll need an exceptional performance. That's what we're aiming for; we need what you always need against Bayern."

They did not get that exceptional performance. That should not be pinned on any one player, and the brief is clear on that. Still, some of the Bayern connections around Stuttgart added interest to the occasion. Alexander Nübel, on loan from Bayern, started in goal, while Angelo Stiller arrived after 34 Bundesliga matches this season and an average 7.25 rating.

None of it changed the basic balance of the final. Bayern had the better finisher, the better platform and, once Kane struck after halftime, the better grip on the game.

The result leaves Bayern München with the domestic double and leaves VfB Stuttgart to reflect on a final in which they were beaten by a side that had already shown over the season that it was Germany's strongest team.

FAQ

How did Bayern Munich complete the domestic double against VfB Stuttgart?

Bayern beat VfB Stuttgart 3-0 in the DFB-Pokal final on 23 May 2026 after already finishing first in the Bundesliga with 89 points. Harry Kane scored all three in the final, including the opener in the 55th minute and a penalty in 90+2, as Vincent Kompany's side secured Bayern's first domestic double in 6 years.

How good was Harry Kane in the DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart?

Kane was the standout player in the final. He scored a hat-trick in Bayern's 3-0 win, posted a 9.3 rating and put 3 of his 4 shots on target. The brief supports a simple reading of the match: Bayern were strong, but Kane was the decisive difference.

Did Bayern Munich dominate the 2025-26 season under Vincent Kompany?

The numbers point that way. Bayern finished first in the Bundesliga with 89 points and then added the DFB-Pokal by beating Stuttgart 3-0 in the final. They also carried strong wider form, including a 7-0-1 Champions League record listed in the brief.

What role did Jonas Urbig play in Bayern's cup final win?

Urbig was not the headline act, but he did his job cleanly. In Manuel Neuer's absence, he made 3 saves as Bayern kept a clean sheet against Stuttgart. That gave Kane's hat-trick the platform to settle the final without any late tension.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →