Favorites, new stars, dates – here you’ll find everything you need to know about the start of the 2023/24 women’s football Bundesliga season.
When does the season start and end?
The first game kicks off on Friday (September 15th) at 6:15 p.m. The winter break is scheduled from December 18th to January 26th, 2024. The 22nd and final matchday for the players is scheduled for May 20, 2024, Whit Monday.
How many teams are there?
The league consists of twelve teams. This means that each of the 22 match days includes six games.
What does the first day of the match look like?
The opening game will be played by the champions Bayern Munich against the hosts from Freiburg in the Dreisamstadion (formerly the Black Forest Stadium). On Saturday (September 16th) the Duisburg team will play in Hoffenheim at 12 p.m. and two hours later the promoted team from Nuremberg will play against Bremen. On Sunday, Cologne and the second division champions RB Leipzig face each other. Wolfsburg plays against Leverkusen at 4 p.m. The last game of the first match day will be played by SGS Essen against the guests from Frankfurt am Main at 6:30 p.m.
When are International breaks?
On the Friday after the first matchday (September 22nd), the German national team will play against Denmark, and on the following Tuesday against Iceland. In October, the DFB women have to play against Wales on Friday, October 27th. The second leg against Iceland follows four days later. There will be another break in the league in December due to the second leg against Denmark on Friday, December 1st, and another match against Wales on Tuesday, December 5th.
Who are the promoted and relegated teams?
The women from Nuremberg and Leipzig are new to the league. The Leipzig team achieved promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time. Nuremberg, on the other hand, was already represented in the Bundesliga once in the 1999/2000 season. SV Meppen and Turbine Potsdam are no longer there.
Who are the favorites for the championship?
After winning the 2022/23 championship, the Munich women are again the number one candidate for the title. Especially because the Bayern women have significantly upgraded their personnel.
VfL Wolfsburg around captain Alexandra Popp is probably Bayern’s biggest opponent. The team from Frankfurt has outside chances with national team players like Laura Freigang, Sara Doorsoun, Sophia Kleinherne and Nicole Anyomi.
When is the first big top game coming up?
The top game between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern Munich is in the first half of the season on matchday 6. Kick-off is on Sunday, November 5th, at 3 p.m.
What were the top transfers?
FC Bayern Munich made the top transfer in the league. They brought soccer star Pernille Harder back from Chelsea to the Bundesliga. Before the 30-year-old played in England, she was already a striker at VfL Wolfsburg.
The Swede Magdalena Eriksson is also leaving Chelsea and coming to Bayern, who were able to gain a strong central defender with leadership qualities.
The Colombian national goalkeeper Catalina Pérez will be between the posts in Bremen in the future. She already became acquainted with some German players during Germany’s defeat against Colombia in the group phase of the 2023 World Cup.
The name Chantal Hagel has also been known to many fans since the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The 25-year-old midfielder is moving from Hoffenheim to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
Who are the stars of the league?
Despite new international additions, the German national players are of course the big stars: Alexandra Popp from VfL Wolfsburg, who was one of the few to impress at the last World Cup, or her teammates Jule Brand and Lena Oberdorf. One of the most famous German footballers, Giulia Gwinn, will be back on the ball for Bayern. She recently missed the World Cup due to a torn cruciate ligament – Linda Dallmann, also a Bayern international, is also back in the team after an injury.
The league’s biggest international stars of course include newcomer Pernille Harder (Munich) and the Englishwoman Georgia Stanway, who has been under contract in Munich since 2022.
Denmark’s top player will play for FC Bayern next season.
Where can you watch the games?
All 132 games can be watched for a fee on both the Telekom broadcaster Magenta Sport and the sports streaming service DAZN. You can watch the games on Monday for free on Sport1. ARD and ZDF have together acquired rights for ten live broadcasts. ZDF will show the season opener between Freiburg and Bayern on Friday from 6 p.m.