Bundesliga 2026/27 schedule tightens with World Cup and winter chaos
When Christmas Trees Had More Tinsel—and Bundesliga Pitches Had More Snow
Not so long ago, Bundesliga players regularly found themselves kicking the ball through snow—just as Christmas trees once glistened with more tinsel. The 1970s and 80s, in particular, brought quirky matches on white pitches that no referee would tolerate today. It wasn't until the 2007/08 season that all stadiums in the first and second divisions were required to install undersoil heating. Yet even this advancement proved insufficient in the 2025/26 season, as Storm Elli demonstrated.
A breathtaking winter landscape has blanketed northern Germany, forcing the postponement of FC St. Pauli's and Werder Bremen's home matches last Saturday. Schools in some states remained closed again on Monday, but from Tuesday to Thursday, fans will return to stadiums for the 17th matchday. While no games are currently at risk of cancellation before the winter break, many supporters are unhappy with the scheduling in such bleak conditions. Why must the league's only midweek round of fixtures be squeezed in so early?
The Fixture List: A Highly Complex Puzzle
Few realize that the Bundesliga's schedule is intricately linked to the 2. Bundesliga, which kicks off two weeks earlier in summer. Match dates are coordinated with security authorities to avoid, for example, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 hosting home games simultaneously. Ultimately, German professional football's fixture list is a highly complex construct, and there's no real alternative to the Bundesliga playing two consecutive matchdays alone—ensuring both divisions resume the second half of the season in sync.
The scheduling pressure has only intensified in recent years. UEFA has added two more midweek matchdays in January for the Champions League and Europa League group stages. Additionally, two years ago, the German Football Association (DFB) decided to spread the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals across four dates in February to maximize TV revenue. As a result, the DFL's fixture planners have even less flexibility, especially since the DFB-Pokal final and the Champions League final each occupy a weekend in May.
Top Clubs Adapt with Deeper Squads
Germany's elite clubs now face a grueling winter schedule. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and Eintracht Frankfurt—all Champions League participants—have seven competitive matches in January alone. Yet after the restart, neither BVB coach Niko Kovač nor Eintracht's Dino Toppmöller wanted to complain. "Personally, I'm fine with it," Kovač said. "The important thing is that players get to spend Christmas and New Year's at home. In France, with 20 teams, there's hardly any room to maneuver, but with 18 clubs, we're still well off in Germany." Toppmöller added that lengthy pre-season preparations are unpopular anyway: "We had a full training week before the first game, and now it's back-to-back. I don't see the calendar as a problem—international clubs have deeper squads to handle it."
Further postponements, however, are unwelcome. Fortunately, milder temperatures are forecast for the coming days, and cancellations have been rare in recent years. In January 2024, Mainz's home game was called off due to severe ice, while Bayern Munich had to postpone a match in December 2023 because of roof avalanche risks. But as climate change progresses, such hazards are diminishing—and with them, the traditional winter break in German football. By the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, only 14 matchdays will have been played by Christmas, as the league won't start until August 28 due to the expanded 2026 World Cup. The season will then resume on January 8, 2027—followed, once again, by a midweek round of fixtures.
