Bayern Munich made a strong start to their Bundesliga title defence with a convincing 5-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season.
The champions produced a dominant display at the Allianz Arena on Friday night to set the early pace, while newly promoted SV Elversberg provided the biggest surprise of the opening round by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-2.
Bayern took the lead through Dayot Upamecano in the first half before Michael Olise doubled their advantage shortly after the restart.
Stuttgart pulled one back through an own goal by Vagnoman, but Bayern quickly regained control, with Aleksandar Pavlović extending the lead before Luis Díaz completed the emphatic victory in stoppage time.
Saturday’s action produced several entertaining encounters.
RB Leipzig defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0, with goals from Baku, Antonio Nusa and Reitz securing a comfortable home victory.
Promoted SC Paderborn earned a valuable point away from home after holding Mainz 05 to a goalless draw.
FC Köln also began the campaign with three points after beating Hoffenheim 3-2 in an entertaining encounter. El Mala and Dallinga scored for Köln, while Daghim and Kabak were on target for Hoffenheim.
Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt shared six goals in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Union’s goals came from Latte Lath, Querfeld and Skarke, while Ebnoutalib produced an impressive hat-trick for Frankfurt.
The biggest upset, however, came at SV Elversberg, where the newly promoted side stunned Bayer Leverkusen 3-2.
Elversberg raced into a two-goal lead through Petkov and Campbell before Mokwa added a third just before half-time.
Leverkusen attempted a comeback in the second half, with Patrik Schick reducing the deficit before Kofane scored late, but Elversberg held on to secure a memorable victory on their Bundesliga debut.
Following Saturday’s completed fixtures, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Köln and Elversberg have all collected three points.
The opening matchday will conclude on Sunday, with Freiburg hosting Werder Bremen and Augsburg welcoming promoted Schalke.
Bayern’s emphatic victory, Elversberg’s giant-killing act against Leverkusen and the six-goal thriller between Union Berlin and Frankfurt have emerged as the major talking points of the opening weekend.
