2026/27 Bundesliga predictions: The champion, the teams relegated & the best goalscorer

By Klimentijs Konevs | Published: 26 August, 2026, 09:30

The Bundesliga is back on August 28. This will be the 64th edition and yet another season where Bayern Munich are the obvious favourites. Last season was the 35th title win for the Bavarians.

This season brings new faces to the German top tier, as SV Elversberg have been promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history. Alongside them are the more familiar SC Paderborn and Schalke 04. These three teams swapped places with VfL Wolfsburg, 1. FC Heidenheim and FC St. Pauli, who were relegated at the end of last season.

Now, let's take a closer look at what squad changes have been made and predict how the season will unfold.

Bayern Munich

Since Vincent Kompany became the manager of Bayern Munich in 2024, the Bavarians have gotten back to their winning ways. Harry Kane continues to be the main engine and scoring machine of the team. Last season saw the Englishman add 36 goals to his remarkable career.

The club reinforced its back line over the summer, with Nathaniel Brown joining from Eintracht Frankfurt, while Ismael Saibari added more quality to the midfield. The biggest question for the team remains the goalkeeper position. This will be Manuel Neuer's last season, and he is already 40 years old. Sven Ulreich is also pushing 38. Finding a good replacement in goal should be one of Bayern's main priorities from now on.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund finished second last season, but the gap to first place was huge. This summer, the club sold Karim Adeyemi to Barcelona. His departure could be a problem, as he was arguably the club's best attacking player since Jude Bellingham. The Prussians brought in Konstantinos Karetsas as his replacement, so we'll have to wait and see if he can keep the same level.

The club did improve last season, but manager Niko Kovac still raises some concerns with his tactics, and his contract is yet to be renewed. Dortmund have a lot of young players who might lack experience, and they will need to put in the work to secure silverware again this season.

RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig appointed a new manager in June, Martin Demichelis, despite him already signing a contract with Mallorca until 2028. This summer, the club have also parted ways with their best winger Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid for a staggering €125 million. Striker Lois Openda has also left for Juventus. It will be hard to replace those two.

However, the rest of the squad remained intact. The club signed a new midfield option in Rocco Reitz and brought in Maxime Esteve from Burnley, although he is starting the season with a thigh injury. The Champions League is ahead of them, and their big sales this summer allow them to add reinforcements in January if needed.

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen finished sixth last season and qualified for the UEFA Europa League. The club appointed a new manager, Carles Martinez Novell, who shaped Toulouse into a competitive side in Ligue 1 and brought their first-ever major trophy in 2023. The core of the team remains intact, although they did lose some players. Piero Hincapie left for Arsenal, while Alejandro Grimaldo joined Atletico Madrid.

The club brought in Facundo Medina to strengthen the defence and replace some of the quality they lost. With a new coach in charge, Bayer could become a much more competitive side this season.

Elversberg are the first team from Saarland since 1993 to play in the German top tier. Vincent Wagner did an incredible job to secure promotion with a second-place finish last season. However, the squad is too young and will constantly be fighting to stay out of the relegation zone, which could become too tiring at some point this season.

Paderborn secured promotion and did a good job of keeping their best players from last season. However, their tactics are not suitable for the Bundesliga level. The same goes for Schalke. The club is still struggling to build a stronger squad, with a total squad value of under €70 million. It is one of the lowest in the league.

Harry Kane has been the Bundesliga top goalscorer for the past three years. Last season, he finished with 36 goals, while the closest to him was Deniz Undav from Stuttgart with 19. That is still a 17-goal difference, which is insane.

Also, just look at the odds. Six of the top 10 candidates to become the Bundesliga top goalscorer are all from the same club, Bayern Munich. That's all you need to know about their attacking quality. Kane is now going for Robert Lewandowski's record of five top-scorer awards in a row.

Who'll be the German champions?

Bayern Munich are set to win yet another Bundesliga trophy, but the bookies give us an option to predict the winner without the Bavarians. Borussia Dortmund are the favourites in this market at 2.50, but we'll go with Bayer Leverkusen. The club have acquired some decent players this summer, and with a new experienced manager in charge, the squad is capable of big things. 

Who'll be relegated from the 1. Bundesliga?

We predict that all three teams that were promoted last season will go straight back down. Elversberg made history by reaching the Bundesliga for the first time, but they are simply not ready for the big league yet.

Paderborn and Schalke also lack squad experience, despite both clubs already having tasted German top-tier football before. It is a combination of financial struggles and the age of their players that could make it very difficult for them to compete throughout the entire season.

Who'll be the best Bundesliga goalscorer in 2026/27?

Once again, our prediction for the Bundesliga top goalscorer is Harry Kane. Odds of 1.40 do not offer much value for a bet, so it might be better to simply enjoy his performances. 

If the Englishman remains healthy throughout the season, he should go out there and produce another 30+ goal campaign for himself. Kane has dominated the Bundesliga scoring charts since arriving in Germany, and there is little reason to expect anything different this season.

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