VfB Stuttgart began the 2026/27 Bundesliga season with a heavy 5-1 defeat at reigning champions Bayern Munich. The match at a packed Allianz Arena turned into a one-sided affair for the hosts after a brave opening phase from the Swabian side.
Bayern took the lead in the 21st minute through Dayot Upamecano, who converted a corner from Joshua Kimmich. Stuttgart had earlier chances, with Tiago Tomás hitting the crossbar in the 12th minute. Michael Olise also struck the woodwork for Bayern. After the break, Josha Vagnoman shocked the arena with an equalizer in the 52nd minute. The shock was short-lived. Just three minutes later, Olise put Bayern back in front, and in the 58th minute, Vagnoman unfortunately scored an own goal. A further goal from Olise was disallowed by VAR for offside. Aleksandar Pavlović (82nd) and Luis Díaz (90+1) added late goals to seal the 5-1 scoreline, with Ismael Saibari providing assists for the final two.
Under coach Sebastian Hoeneß, VfB Stuttgart showed decent spells of play and started bravely on a wet pitch. However, Bayern's growing pressure and individual quality ultimately proved too much. The team was visibly affected after conceding two quick goals following their equalizer. Hoeneß was challenged to get his team to offer more resistance in the second half. Goalkeeper Alexander Bredlow made several saves, while Manuel Neuer denied Jeff Chabot at the other end.
Both managers made early changes to their personnel. Hoeneß introduced Ermedin Demirović and Jamie Leweling as early as the 62nd minute for Dženan Pejčinović and Tiago Tomás. Bilal El Khannouss and Leonidas Stergiou later replaced Deniz Undav and Jeff Chabot. Chema Andrés came on for Angelo Stiller late on. For Bayern, Ismael Saibari entered the fray in the 61st minute for Nathaniel Brown and became a provider with two assists. The match was fiercely contested, reflected in five yellow cards. Stuttgart's Jeff Chabot, Finn Jeltsch, and Grischa Prömel were booked, alongside Bayern's Min-jae Kim. Referee Sven Storks added five minutes of stoppage time in the second half.
The opening day defeat is a setback, but the season is long. VfB Stuttgart finished the previous season in fourth place in the Bundesliga with 62 points from 18 wins, 8 draws, and 8 losses. Their record of 71 goals scored and 49 conceded highlights the team's attacking strength, though they ended the last title race 27 points behind Bayern. Focus now shifts entirely to the next fixture. On September 4, 2026, VfB hosts 1. FC Köln at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Köln finished the previous campaign in 14th place. All upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures page. For coach Hoeneß, the task is to learn from the Bayern loss and rally his squad for the next challenge, aiming to build on the strong foundations of last season.
