Bundesliga: Why the 33rd matchday is now fragmented

Until at least 2024/25

See what your opponent is doing on mobile phones and stadium screens? That hasn’t made any sense for FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in the fight for the championship for weeks. Because in the final spurt, champions and challengers only play once at the same time: on the 34th matchday, when Bayern visit 1. FC Köln and BVB Mainz 05 host at the same time. All other game days are equalized in the title fight. Including the 33rd match day, which for many years was played entirely on Saturday afternoon.


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The reason for this is TV marketing: More broadcast dates through different schedules bring in more money. As in most other rounds, the rights partner “DAZN” also offers games on Friday and Sunday on the 33rd matchday. The German Football League had already announced the regulation in the 2020 tender.

33 to 90 million euros: Bundesliga clubs sorted by TV revenue 2022/23

18 VfL Bochum – Revenue: €33.3m

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national: €30.3 million, international: €3 million
(Information according to “Kicker”, as of October)

17 Werder Bremen – Revenue: €36.8m

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national: €33.8 million, international: €3 million

16 VfB Suttgart – Revenue: €41.7m

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national: €38.3 million, international: €3.4 million

14 FC Augsburg – Revenue: €44.2m

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national: €40.8 million, international: €3.4 million

14 Schalke 04 – Revenue: €44.2m

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national: €37.2 million, international: €7 million

13 Hertha BSC – Revenue: €47.6m

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national: €44.3 million, international: €4.3 million

12 1. FC Koln – Revenue: €50.9m

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national: €46.6 million, international: €4.3 million

11 Mainz 05 – Revenue: €52.2m

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national: €48.8 million, international: €3.4 million

10 Union Berlin – Income: €54.9 million

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national: €50.4 million, international: €4.5 million

9 SC Freiburg – Revenue: €56.3m

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national: €52.9 million, international: €3.4 million

8 TSG Hoffenheim – Revenue: €63m

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national: €54.5 million, international: €8.5 million

7 VfL Wolfsburg – Revenue: €64.3m

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national: €56.1 million, international: €8.2 million

6 Borussia Mönchengladbach – Revenue: €66.7M

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national: €58.7 million, international: €8 million

5 Eintracht Frankfurt – Revenue: €73.5m

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national: €57.3 million, international: €16.2 million

4 Bayer 04 – Revenue: €75.5m

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national: €59.6 million, international: €15.9 million

3 RB Leipzig – Revenue: €78.3m

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national: €61.5 million, international: €16.8 million

2 Borussia Dortmund – Revenue: €80.1m

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national: €63.6 million, international: €16.5 million

1 FC Bayern – Revenue: €90.2m

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national: €64.3 million, international: €25.9 million

Since last season and until at least 2024/25: The 33rd matchday works like all the others, the games are divided between the seasons from Friday to Sunday. Only on the 34th match day will nine games be played at the same time on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in order to minimize the risk of manipulation. In other European leagues, the penultimate matchday had been fragmented for much longer. Nevertheless, there is always criticism of the decision.

Dismemberment of the 33rd Bundesliga match day causes trouble

BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl recently said: “We can’t change it, nobody asked us. If you ask me honestly, I see it as a certain disadvantage if you follow suit three times in the next three weeks.” On Matchday 33, Dortmund will not play in Augsburg until Sunday (5:30 p.m.), Bayern is already on Saturday (18 :30 a.m.) against Leipzig. On the 31st and 32nd match day, Munich and then BVB played first.

Last year, the then Hertha coach Felix Magath was annoyed about the new dismemberment. “It irritates me. Now we’re in a situation like that and we’re in the middle of it, some are playing today, others on Sunday and we’re on Saturday, so we can speculate again,” said Magath before the 33rd match day. “I was surprised by that too. The only thing I knew was that the last two matchdays were played in parallel. It’s a mystery to me.”

The 69-year-old recalled the so-called “disgrace of Gijón” when the national teams of Germany – with Magath as a player – and Austria brought a 1-0 lead for the DFB-Elf in the 1982 World Cup preliminary round with a maximum passive style of play . Both teams progressed one round. “I just have the experience, I took part in a game, that there were big discussions afterwards,” says Magath.

In the TM podcast, Felix Magath talks about how FC Bayern works: Listen now Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

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