The 09 key changes for the new Bundesliga season | OneFootball

Getting There

We recommend traveling to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK by public transport, fan buses, on foot, or by bicycle.

Match tickets include a public transport ticket for one outbound and one return journey, valid throughout the entire transport network in North Rhine-Westphalia. By the way: DSW21’s combined ticket offer has now been extended to all BVB teams.

If you cannot do without your own car, you should set off early and be sure to follow the guidance of the parking management system around the event area. Experience shows that delays may occur when arriving and leaving. From the 2026/27 season onward, parking permits will be provided exclusively online. It will no longer be possible to buy them on site at the parking lot entrances!

Ball

No longer Derbystar: Adidas is now providing the official match ball. The company from Herzogenaurach is making its comeback, having already had its logo on the ball from 2010/11 to 2017/18. The contract runs until 2034. Borussia Dortmund will, of course, continue to be outfitted by PUMA!

Midweek Matchdays

The Bundesliga fixture list includes two matchdays “during the week”: immediately after the winter break and at the beginning of March. Once again, these matches are spread over three days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), rather than two as in the past.

International Matches

Instead of three nine-day international breaks in the autumn, there will now be one 16-day break and one nine-day break. The two windows in September and October are being merged into one long break starting at the end of September. So the Bundesliga will pause not just for one weekend, but for two. The nine-day period in November remains unchanged, as do the international breaks in March and June.

League

Starting with the new season, the DFL will no longer exist under that name. Following a decision by the 36 clubs in the first and second divisions, the Deutsche Fußball-Liga will now simply be called the “Bundesliga.” The aim is to create more consistency and distinctiveness and also improve international recognition.

No-Show Rate

Season ticket holders must attend 14 of the 17 Bundesliga home matches. The reason behind this is the desire of BVB and its fans to play matches in Germany’s biggest stadium in front of a full house and to enable as many fans as possible to attend. Despite the previously existing “no-show rate,” the number of unused tickets was still too high. The privilege of using a season ticket must not be exploited at the expense of other fans. If the change to the “no-show rate” does not lead to improvement, further adjustments will be made to the existing rules for the 2027/2028 season. The “no-show rate” does not apply to Blocks 11 to 14 and 82. Use of the secondary marketplace counts as an “attended home match.”

Pitch

A hybrid pitch — a mix of artificial (16%) and natural fibers (84%) — has been in place since summer 2025 and has undergone a partial renewal: the natural fibers were milled off at the start of the summer break and then freshly reseeded, so the professionals will find perfect conditions.

VAR

The “Cologne basement” will enter its final season in 2026/27 before moving. A test operation in the new facilities at the DFB Campus in Frankfurt am Main will begin as early as the second half of the season. New: in future, VAR will also be allowed to correct second-yellow red cards and corner-kick decisions.

Time-Wasting

As at the World Cup, a few new rules will also apply in the Bundesliga. Above all, time-wasting is to be curbed further — through countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins, time limits for substitutions, and mandatory breaks of at least one minute for players receiving treatment. Goalkeepers may control the ball with their hand or arm for eight seconds.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.