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The start of the new 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign is fast approaching and though champions Bayern Munich are hot favourites to dominate the German domestic scene again, there are numerous interesting plotlines to untangle elsewhere.
Last season, Bayern Munich wrestled the Bundesliga title back from Bayer Leverkusen to secure the Meisterschale for the 12th time in the last 13 years and Vincent Kompany’s side are expected to tighten their grip on top spot this term.
However, beyond Bayern Munich, there are top four places to sort and relegation battles to win and below, we’ve previewed the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign with a focus on Bayern’s likeliest challengers, the promoted teams’ prospects and key players to look out for in the top goalscorer market.
The 2025/26 Bundesliga title race: A foregone conclusion?
Bayern Munich lost just twice in 34 matches, collected 82 points and scored 99 goals during their procession to the Bundesliga title last season and they are as short as 3/10 on most football betting sites to retain their crown in 2025/26.
The €70m signing of Colombian star Luis Diaz from Liverpool should help to offset the loss of Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane on free transfers, so expect the Bavarians to be far too good for the rest again.
With little value on offer in the standard outright title markets, bettors are better served in the “without Bayern Munich” stakes, where a clutch of sides compete to finish as the best of the rest behind the champions.
To win the Bundesliga title (without Bayern Munich)
Bayer Leverkusen – 11/8
Bayer Leverkusen finished second last season, 13 points behind Bayern Munich, though Die Werkself might struggle to match that achievement this year.
Popular head coach and 2023/24 title-winning mastermind Xabi Alonso has gone to Real Madrid, while the exit of star performers like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Lukáš Hrádecký and Jonathan Tah has ripped the heart out of the Bayer team. Expect a season of transition under Erik ten Hag.
Borussia Dortmund – 7/4
Dortmund made some positive leaps in the second half of last season under the instruction of February appointment Nico Kovac, however, they still collected only 57 points in total and big improvements are needed.
If they can retain the dynamism they played with from March onwards last term, they could make further strides, though there is still an overreliance on Serhou Guirassy for goals.
RB Leipzig – 9/2
RB Leipzig are currently third-favourites to win the Bundesliga title without Bayern Munich, however, Die Roten Bullen could only manage a 7th place finish last season and with some of their bigger names likely to leave before September, they don’t appear very backable.
Xavi Simons is in line to join Chelsea while Benjamin Sesko has left for Manchester United, leaving Leipzig with a couple of significant holes to fill in attack.
Eintracht Frankfurt – 20/1
Eintracht Frankfurt are available at a mammoth price to finish second this year, though Die Adler – who placed third in 2024/25 – offer plenty of value in our opinion.
They cashed in on Hugo Etikite over the summer, though the French forward was far from prolific and his replacement, Jonathan Burkardt, hit 18 goals for Mainz last term, which is three more than the departing Etikite managed.
2025/26 Bundesliga: Promoted teams’ prospects
FC Koln
Koln are back in the big time following a year-long hiatus in the German second tier and Die Geißböcke return to the top flight as 2. Bundesliga champions.
Gerhard Struber, who guided Koln to title glory last season, is gone however, and has perched up with the Robins at Bristol City. His replacement, Lukas Kwasniok, spent four years with Paderborn with mixed fortunes and is untested at the highest level.
Koln have been busy over the summer and while signings like keeper Ron-Robert Zieler, winger Jakub Kaminski and midfielder Ísak Jóhannesson look decent, the big turnaround in playing staff could lead to disjointedness.
Hamburg
Hamburg ended their seven-year exile from the Bundesliga in fairy tale fashion when they were led to promotion by 34-year-old hometown hero, Merlin Polzin.
Polzin’s attacking philosophy is likely to ruffle some feathers in the Bundesliga, while some smart shopping, including the signings of Yussuf Poulsen from RB Leipzig, Daniel Peretz from Bayern Munich and Nicolas Capaldo from RB Salzburg, has left Hamburg in good shape.
We expect Hamburg to have a better shot at survival than fellow promoted outfit, FC Koln.
2025/26 Bundesliga top scorer betting tips
Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
England’s Harry Kane plundered 41 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season and 26 of those were delivered in the Bundesliga, earning the striker the coveted Golden Boot award.
Kane turned 32 over the summer but is still classy enough to maintain an output of nearly a goal per game for the champions and he will be odds-on favourite to top the goalscoring charts again.
Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)
Guinean star Serhou Guirassy was a major hit during his maiden campaign with Borussia Dortmund, chipping in with a sensational 38 goals in all competitions from his position at centre forward.
The powerful forward scored 21 times in 30 appearances in the Bundesliga despite Dortmund’s struggles in the first half of the season, so Guirassy’s tally could be even higher this time around if BVB continue to improve under Nico Kovac.
Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
Czech striker Patrik Schick matched Guirassy’s 21-goal output in the Bundesliga, but some of the centre forward’s more creative teammates at Bayer Leverkusen like Florian Wirtz (12 assists), Granit Xhaka (seven assists) and Jeremie Frimpong (seven assists) were sold over the summer, cutting supply lines in the process.
Nick Woltemade (Stuttgart)
Up and comer Nick Woltemade could be a candidate to consider at longer odds meanwhile, especially as an each-way option in the outright Bundesliga top scorer stakes.
The 23-year-old exploded onto the scene for Stuttgart last season and finished the campaign in fine style with eight goals in his final 14 appearances in league and cup.
The languid frontman carried his confidence into this summer’s European U21 Championships, scoring six times in five runouts for Germany.
Woltemade had been on the verge of joining Bayern Munich, though that move seems to have collapsed, leaving the youngster to spearhead the Stuttgart attack on a regular basis.
If Woltemade follows his current trajectory, a 20-goal Bundesliga haul during the 2025/26 season could be within his reach.
