Wiesn without Bayern? Eberl laments the end of a tradition | OneFootball

Football and Oktoberfest - in Munich, they have been inseparably linked for decades. However, this connection will be noticeably loosened in the future. The reason is the new international match calendar, which will be introduced after the 2026 World Cup.

As reported by tz, this provides that the previous three international match windows in the fall will be eliminated. Instead, there will only be two: one from the end of September to the beginning of October and another one in November. The first window will also be extended to 16 days and will include four matches in the future. This directly coincides with the Wiesn (Oktoberfest) - and ensures that FC Bayern will no longer be able to host home games during Oktoberfest from 2026 onwards.

Eberl: "A piece of tradition is lost"

Photo: FC Bayern

Bayern's Sporting Director Max Eberl expressed understanding for the reform, but at the same time regretted the loss of a Munich football tradition: "Oktoberfest home game days are always a celebration in Munich. I know this all too well because I grew up here, supported FC Bayern from an early age and have experienced one or two Wiesn games. From a sporting point of view, the reform has advantages, but of course a piece of Bavarian tradition is lost, which many FC Bayern fans rightly regret. We as a club also always look forward to these special festive days."

Eberl sees the advantages mainly in better planning: "The national coaches have longer periods for training sessions, while at the same time the league calendars are interrupted less frequently."

Reform valid until at least 2030

The new rhythm is initially valid until at least 2030. FIFA is thus responding to the increasing burden of additional club and national tournaments. However, Eberl notes that the opportunity for further adaptations was not fully exploited: "One could have taken the opportunity to look at the whole thing more comprehensively, for example to examine further deployment periods more closely and to make additional adjustments."

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