Bundesliga: Can expanded league help competition?

When Bayern Munich kick off against Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening, it will be more than just its season opener.

As the Bundesliga expands by two teams to 14-club competition for the first time, the fixture has seen over 50,000 tickets sold already, smashing the league's single-match attendance record.

"I think it's an amazing opportunity," Bayern midfielder Georgia Stanway said ahead of the match. "To have sold 50,000 tickets is unbelievable. The fact that we are playing at the Allianz [the stadium usually used by the men's side] is something that should happen more often."

"But in order for us to do this, we have to play entertaining football. We need to be exciting to watch to get the fans in."

For a league often accused of struggling for visibility, it is set to be a landmark season. The opening match will be broadcast on Germany's main public broadcaster, ARD, alongside MagentaSport and DAZN — with more Bundesliga matches set to be broadcast on free-to-air television throughout the season than ever before.

However, despite the positivity surrounding the start of the new season questions remain over the growth of the league and its competitiveness compared to others like the Women's Super League (WSL) in the United Kingdom and the National Women's Super League (NWSL) in the United States.

Bundesliga expansion comes with risks

The expansion of the league was announced in June 2024 by the German Football Federation (DFB) and came on the back of a growing interest in women's football following Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup. This year's Euros pushed interest still further. 

This season will see 10 free-to-air matches being shown on public broadcasters ARD/ZDF alongside every Monday night fixture from the 26 matchdays available live on free-to-air Sport1. All 182 league matches will also be shown on paid online streaming platform DAZN.

However, although domestic TV rights saw a 16‑fold increase from its previous deal, the cycle for the 2023–24 to 2026–27 cycle was priced at just €5.2 million ($6.1 million) per year, which remains modest.

Infrastructure is still a problem too and while Bayern and Wolfsburg can pack out the Allianz or Volkswagen Arena for special occasions, they are far from regular occurrences.

Bayern's Campus has just a 2,500 capacity and Wolfsburg's AOK Stadion's capacity is 5,200, limiting the scope of the Bundesliga's attendance boom to marquee matches.

Competitiveness of the Bundesliga remains questionable

Since the 2013-14 season, only Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg have lifted the league trophy. Bayern are on a three-peat and completed their first-ever domestic double last season by dethroning Wolfsburg in the German Cup.

The chasing pack are making some inroads. Eintracht Frankfurt have finished in the Champions League spots three years running and recently invested millions in training facilities. They added Australian international Hayley Raso this summer to strengthen their attack alongside Nicole Anyomi.

Bayer Leverkusen recorded their best-ever finish in 2024/25 with 13 wins and extended coach Roberto Pätzold's contract to 2027. Hoffenheim continue to build through structured youth development and sponsorship deals, including a partnership with Audi.

These improvements make the mid-table battles more compelling, but at the summit, it remains a two-team contest.

WSL dominated by Chelsea

England's WSL has experienced rapid growth in recent years and its clubs have spent three of the five highest transfer fees of all time this year alone, with the other two held by American clubs. But they too face a similar issue in a lack of competitiveness with Chelsea having won six straight titles. 

Yet the league has managed to turn dominance into growth. Arsenal's Champions League win and decision to host all league games at the Emirates Stadium this season reflect rising demand, with attendances such as the record-breaking 60,160 against Manchester United in 2024 becoming commonplace.

Commercially, the WSL is pulling away. A €75 million TV deal (nearly 15x higher than domestic rights for the Bundesliga) with Sky Sports and the BBC and the creation of Women's Professional Leagues Limited in 2024, which now operates the top two divisions, have accelerated professionalization. Indeed, the second tier in England has turned professional this season.

NWSL better built for competitive parity

By contrast, the US-based NWSL is structured to avoid dominance. With a single-table format and an eight-team playoff, more clubs can realistically chase silverware.

Financially, the league is thriving with a $240m (€206m) broadcast deal across CBS, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps, and 2024 attendance passed 2 million fans. Most clubs play in stadiums over 15,000 capacities, giving them greater room to grow.

Compared to the WSL and the NWSL, the Bundesliga is still playing catch-up in revenue, visibility, and depth.

But German football has the infrastructure, player base, and fan passion to build. This weekend's record crowd shows the demand is there — the question remains whether the league can use its expansion to turn into a competitive, week-to-week product that keeps fans coming back.

Edited by: Matt Pearson