Wednesday, January 14, 2026
The Bundesliga game between Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen in the Volksparkstadion was canceled at short notice on Tuesday evening due to the consequences of the winter. “Weather-related static risks in the area of the stadium roof” meant that the game could not take place, the German Football League (DFL) announced.
And what happens next? The next HSV home game will take place on Saturday afternoon in the Hanseatic city against Borussia Mönchengladbach – at least according to the plan. Is this game also at risk of cancellation? Daniel Nolte, stadium director and authorized representative, describes the state of affairs in an interview published on the Hanseatic League website.
He explains that structural engineers and other experts are currently analyzing and evaluating the situation on the roof of the stadium together with those responsible for the club. Nolte continued: “We will work hard, as we did before this matchday, so that we can open a Volksparkstadion that is fit for play and safe for the home game against Mönchengladbach on Saturday.”
The decisive factor for the cancellation was a “dent formation in the roof membrane,” he says. In some places “a lot of condensation water has collected under the snow that is still on the ground”. The supply route suspended under the roof was also askew in places. A cancellation was unavoidable due to the associated security risk. One thing is clear: the thaw continues. Temperatures of up to 7 degrees are expected in Hamburg over the course of the week. The coming days will show whether the problems on the stadium roof can be solved.
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
HSV coach Merlin Polzin apparently has to do without two top performers on Tuesday evening. Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga could be out with a thigh problem, the “Hamburger Abendblatt” reported. Jean-Luc Dompé’s deployment is apparently not yet certain. The winger was substituted in the 2-1 defeat in Freiburg with problems with his Achilles tendon.