The `What`s the Match?` fixture quiz generated significant buzz, and we appreciate everyone`s participation! Many correctly identified the latest match revealed for the Bundesliga 2 schedule as the encounter between Hannover and Kaiserslautern.
Recap of the Clues
Let`s revisit the clues provided in the game:
- Clue 1: Last season, Kaiserslautern covered a total of 3,839.5 kilometers, while Hannover covered 3,804 kilometers.
- Clue 2: Hannover`s name contains the number 96, and Kaiserslautern`s crest features the number 1.
- Clue 3: Both Hannover and Kaiserslautern hit the post or crossbar nine times in the 2024/25 season.
- Clue 4: They previously met in the Bundesliga on March 5, 1988, during heavy snowfall. That match ended 1-0 for Hannover thanks to a goal by Detlev Dammeier.
- Clue 5: The distance between Kaiserslautern`s Fritz-Walter-Stadion and Hannover`s Heinz von Heiden Arena is nearly 450 kilometers via the A5 and A7 motorways.
The 2025/26 fixture reveal continues…
Other Revealed Fixtures
Other matches already announced include:
- The Bundesliga 2 season opener between Schalke and Hertha Berlin (scheduled for August 1st at 8:30pm CEST).
- In the Bundesliga, reigning champions Bayern Munich will kick off the campaign at home against RB Leipzig (on Friday, August 22nd).
- Newly-promoted Hamburg will visit Bayern in Munich on Matchday 3.
- Cologne will travel to VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 22 during Carnival weekend in February.
- Eintracht Frankfurt will start their season against Werder Bremen.
Key Dates and Season Highlights
The full fixture lists for both the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are set to be released on Friday, June 27th. Be sure to mark your calendars!
The upcoming 2025/26 season promises plenty of excitement. There are new narratives emerging, teams like Dortmund showing improvement, significant players returning, and enhanced ways to follow the league. Get excited!
Bundesliga champions traditionally have the honor of opening the season. Bayern Munich are the current champions after winning back the Meisterschale from Bayer Leverkusen last season. They will now face RB Leipzig to kick things off.
Matchday 1 in the Bundesliga has produced some remarkable moments. Did you know the biggest opening game win was Bayern`s 8-0 thrashing of Schalke in 2020/21? Or that a defending champion once lost their first match 6-0? A peculiar statistic also shows that the team finishing Matchday 1 in second place has been relegated just as often as winning the league in that same season. The opening weekend truly can bring surprises.
Bayern`s Harry Kane has been the Bundesliga`s top scorer for two consecutive seasons. However, he`ll face stiff competition in 2025/26 from players like Serhou Guirassy and Patrik Schick in the race for the Golden Boot.
While the fixture list is coming, there are still almost two months until the season officially kicks off. Teams will be busy with pre-season tours and friendly matches worldwide in preparation for the new campaign.
Teams have also been gradually releasing their new kits ahead of the season, with some already debuting them.
