When does the new Bundesliga season start?

The 2024-25 Bundesliga season starts on August 23, 2024 with defending champions Bayer Leverkusen away at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Bayern Munich's first game is away at Wolfsburg, while Borussia Dortmund host Frankfurt.

The Women's Bundesliga starts on August 30 and will see only one team relegated because the top flight will have 14 teams in the 2025-26 season.

As is custom in Germany, the domestic season truly begins for Bundesliga sides with the first round of the German Cup, which kicked off the week before on August 16. Both Leverkusen and Stuttgart will have to wait a bit longer to play their first round game because the two faced off in the German Super Cup (the game between the league and cup winners of the previous season), on August 17. Leverkusen needed a penalty shootout to lift their first silverware of the new campaign.

Bayern Munich play Leverkusen on September 28, while Dortmund host Bayern in the first 'Klassiker' of the new season on November 30. The winter break starts on December 23.

What is new this Bundesliga season?

There are two new teams in the Bundesliga, with Holstein Kiel and St. Pauli arriving from the second division (Cologne and Darmstadt were relegated). Kiel are making their Bundesliga debut, while St. Pauli return after a 13-year absence but have a new head coach (Alexader Blessin) after the highly-touted Fabian Hürzeler left following promotion to coach Premier League team Brighton.

Bayern Munich have a new head coach, with former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany taking over. The Belgian arrived from Burnley in the Premier League and is immediately under pressure to deliver after Bayern Munich ended last season without a trophy for the first time since 2012. Borussia Dortmund also have a new head coach, with club legend Nuri Sahin taking over from Edin Terzic, who left after a rollercoaster of a season that saw Dortmund struggle domestically but also reach the Champions League final.

Christian Streich not being on the sidelines will take getting used to. The Freiburg coach of 12 years departed at the end of last season, leaving the league without one of its most iconic figures. Former Freiburg captain Julian Schuster is the new man in charge. There are also new coaches at Bochum (Peter Zeidler) and Union Berlin (Bo Svensson).

There will also be no Marco Reus or Mats Hummels this season, after the two Bundesliga legends departed at the end of last season. Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting has also moved on, Sebastian Rode, Makoto Hasebe, Patrick Herrmann and Tony Jantschke all hung up their boots. The exciting Xavi Simons had looked to be set to return PSG but has agreed to remain at RB Leipzig for a second season on loan. 

Have there been any major Bundesliga transfers?

Bayern Munich splashed the cash this summer, signing a host of new players. Japanese defender Hiroki Ito arrived from Stuttgart, as did Crystal Palace's highly regarded winger Michael Olise and the long-coveted holding midfielder Joao Palhinha from Fulham.

Borussia Dortmund have also been busy, with Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy both arriving from Stuttgart. Guirassy bagged 28 goals in 28 games for Stuttgart last season, and the hope is the Guinea striker finds similar form for the team in yellow and black.

Elsewhere, defending champions Leverkusen have signed French winger Martin Terrier whereas last season's surprise package Heidenheim lost their two star performers in Jan-Niklas Beste (Benfica) and Tim Kleindienst (Gladbach).

Can Leverkusen defend their Bundesliga title?

With coaching mastermind Xabi Alonso and attacking superstar Florian Wirtz both staying, there is a sense that anything is possible for Leverkusen. While it will be a challenge to go from the hunters to the hunted, Alonso and his team have every reason to believe they can challenge for a second straight league title.

The majority of their squad is still there and with both Bayern and Dortmund under new coaches, Leverkusen could dare to lay down a mini dynasty by winning back-to-back titles. Perhaps the motivation of knowing that Alonso and Wirtz will likely depart at the end of the season will help, but the early signs suggest another exciting and unpredictable Bundesliga season lies ahead.

Who are the new, exciting players to watch?

The Bundesliga has long been a league where young players have developed their game before often moving onto bigger clubs, and this season a few, new young names have emerged.

Frankfurt recently signed 18-year-old attacker Can Uzun, who is already capped for Turkey, having chosen to represent the country of his roots rather than his birth (Germany). After bursting onto the scene for Nürnberg last season, the youngster looks destined to shine in the Bundesliga.

A lot has been written about Bayern Munich's Paul Wanner ever since he made his debut for the club aged just 16. Now, two years and a fruitful loan spell at second-division Elversberg later, Wanner is out on loan at Heidenheim as he gets the chance to play regular top-flight football as well as play a role in the club's Europa Conference League campaign.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold