The 2026/27 Bundesliga season opens with Bayern Munich hosting VfB Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena on 28 August 2026. The defending champions finished last season with 89 points and backed that up by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup just days before the opener. Stuttgart finished fourth on 62 points to secure Champions League football and knocked Hansa Rostock out of the DFB Pokal 4-0 in August, with new signing Dženan Pejčinović bagging a hat trick on debut, though they arrive with a squad that is thinner than it looks on paper.
Vincent Kompany took over from Thomas Tuchel on 1 July 2024 and has handled Sebastian Hoeneß's Stuttgart well in every meeting since, with Hoeneß having been in the job from April 2023 yet consistently coming off second best in their head to head encounters.
Bayern's Supercup win over Dortmund was 2-1 and not entirely comfortable, though pre season curtain raisers rarely are. Stuttgart's 4-0 demolition of Hansa Rostock was eye catching, though Rostock were competing in the second division coming into the tie. Pejčinović's hat trick on debut is a fun story and the interesting question is how Hoeneß deploys him against this level of opposition.
Bayern are without Jamal Musiala, who is dealing with a neurological disorder and Serge Gnabry, who has an adductor injury. Losing Musiala hurts most: he is the player who pulls defensive lines out of shape between the lines and without him Bayern's attack is easier to read. Harry Kane and Michael Olise are both fit and likely to carry more responsibility as a result, with Manuel Neuer as ever in goal.
Stuttgart have their own considerable problems, with Chris Führich a doubt through a thigh issue, Nikolas Nartey questionable with a hamstring problem and Dan-Axel Zagadou out injured. That is a large chunk of attacking width and defensive cover gone, which puts more pressure on captain Deniz Undav and debutant Pejčinović to lead the line.
Kompany's Bayern tend to dominate possession and press aggressively and they are especially effective at home. Musiala's absence may actually push them toward a more direct approach through Kane, who has scored 14 goals in eight previous meetings with Stuttgart, a frankly remarkable return that suggests the match up suits him almost personally. Stuttgart like to counter attack quickly but without Führich's pace on the left they lose one of their main outlets. Hoeneß will probably ask Undav and Pejčinović to sit deep and break quickly, though Bayern's press should limit how often that becomes viable. Stuttgart's realistic best case scenario involves surviving the first half without conceding two or three, then hoping Bayern's intensity drops.
Bayern's set pieces become a problem of their own given Stuttgart's defensive absences, with Kane's aerial record and Olise's delivery from wide positions a specific concern for a backline already missing Zagadou.
Bayern have won the last six meetings, including a 3-0 victory in the May 2026 DFB Pokal final and a 5-0 win in December 2025 and with Stuttgart's squad depth already compromised before kick off, there is no obvious reason to expect that run to end here.
Bayern Munich 4-1 VfB Stuttgart: Kane will score, probably more than once, with Olise likely to find space behind Stuttgart's high line repeatedly. Undav could find the net late on given his movement in the penalty area tends to create chances against deep blocks and Bayern may give him more room if they are coasting through the final quarter.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
