It is hard to separate the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup from Bayern München's own history in it. Bayern go into the competition with 11 titles, Robert Lewandowski as the record scorer on seven goals, and Manuel Neuer on 12 appearances and eight wins.
The scale of Bayern's latest domestic season helps explain why they still look so comfortable in this setting. They finished first in the Bundesliga with 89 points, won 28 of 34 league matches and scored 122 goals. Their recent run, four wins and a draw, adds another layer of form heading into a match they have treated as familiar territory for years.
Bayern's record men
Lewandowski's place in the competition is built on production as well as trophies. His seven goals remain the most by any player in Supercup history, and his hat-trick in the 2018 edition sits inside that record. Bayern's biggest win in the competition came in the same period, a 5-0 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in August 2018.
Neuer's numbers are just as central to the story. Twelve Supercup appearances is the most of any player, and eight wins is the best haul on that list too. Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen have both had their turns in the competition, but Bayern's figures remain the dominant ones.
Why the Supercup still feels like Bayern's stage
The competition has changed name and format over time, but the footprint around Bayern has stayed the same. It existed between 1987 and 1996 before being replaced by the Ligapokal, then returned in 2010 when the DFL brought it back.
Ahead of the 2025 edition, it was renamed the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup in memory of Franz Beckenbauer, who died in January 2024 aged 78. The 2025 match was held at Stuttgart's MHP Arena, and the last four editions, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, were all sold out.
Otto Rehhagel's old line about German football pride would fit the mood around Bayern here, but the cleaner case is on the pitch and in the record book. Bayern have the titles, the scorer and the appearance leader, and Stuttgart are the side standing in the way of title number 12.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
