Bayern München begin the Bundesliga season at home to VfB Stuttgart on Friday, 28 August, and the numbers around the fixture are hard to miss. Bayern have won 14 of their 17 official openers and are unbeaten on Matchday 1 since 2011, while Stuttgart arrive after finishing fourth with 62 points and scoring 71 league goals last season. Harry Kane adds his own angle too, with 14 goals in 8 games against Stuttgart.
Bayern's opening-night record
This is not just a regular first-day fixture. Bayern and Stuttgart have met 114 times in the Bundesliga and drawn a combined crowd of over 6,345,000, which makes it the most attended fixture in the division's history. Bayern have also won 88 of 132 competitive meetings with Stuttgart, the most wins by any team over an opponent in Bundesliga history.
The scale of that record is why the opener feels more like a benchmark than a routine curtain-raiser. Bayern ended the completed Bundesliga season in first place with 89 points and scored 122 league goals, so the expectation is not subtle. Sebastian Hoeneß called Bayern "the gold standard", which is the cleanest summary of the challenge Stuttgart face.
Stuttgart's attacking edge and Kane's threat
Stuttgart are not turning up just to make up the numbers. They finished fourth with 62 points and 71 league goals, and Deniz Undav scored 19 Bundesliga goals in 2025/26. That gives them enough attacking quality to make this a proper opener rather than a procession.
There is also the Kane factor. He has scored 14 goals in 8 games against Stuttgart, and that kind of record is exactly why this matchup keeps its edge even when Bayern are the stronger side on paper. Vincent Kompany said: "It's a good game for the fans", and that feels right, because the fixture has enough history and enough attack on both sides to justify the billing.
Bayern's Matchday 1 habit remains the clearest reason they will start as favourites, but Stuttgart's numbers and Kane's record keep this from looking like a soft opening. The season begins with one of Germany's most watched fixtures, and it lands on Friday, 28 August.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →