Bayern’s Crown to Lose: Rivals Stumble as Bundesliga Battle Begins
The newly renamed Franz Beckenbauer Supercup offers early excitement, but it’s rarely a reliable predictor of how the Bundesliga season will unfold. Unlike its European counterparts, Germany’s Supercup is played with notable intensity, often at one of the competing teams’ home grounds, giving it a fiery atmosphere from the outset. Yet the match’s outcomes don’t always reflect the balance of power over the long campaign.
Take last year’s clash: Bayer Leverkusen, fresh off a historic double, edged past Stuttgart with a late Patrik Schick equalizer and penalty shootout victory — all while down to 10 men for much of the match. The previous year, Bayern Munich’s marquee signing Harry Kane made a much-anticipated debut, only to see his side dismantled 3–0 by Dani Olmo’s hat-trick for Leipzig. Even Pep Guardiola, during his dominant stint in Munich, failed to lift the Supercup.
This season, Bayern may be without the drama of a straightforward title charge, but their main challengers face their own struggles. Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are in flux, both having lost key players over the summer. While there’s excitement around their next chapters, cohesion will take time.
That leaves Bayern — as inconsistent as they were last season — with a familiar opportunity. The path to the title may not be a procession, but unless their rivals can quickly adapt, the Bundesliga crown is still Munich’s to lose.
