Got the Bundesliga buzz and want to take in a game at Europe's biggest stadium? Allow bundesliga.com to guide your visit to Dortmund.

Brief history

Lauded for their world-famous atmosphere and the unique footballing experience they provide, Dortmund are the favourite of millions of supporters across the globe. A founding member of the Bundesliga – it was Dortmund’s Timo Konietzka that scored the league’s first ever goal – Borussia’s somewhat barren years and only relegation from the top flight in 1972 have been well compensated for by near constant success since the mid-1990s.

Bundesliga champions in 1995, 1997 and 2002, the club also lifted the UEFA Champions League in 1997 and reached the competition’s final in 2013 under Jürgen Klopp. The affable coach also presided over a league triumph in 2011 as well as the only domestic double in the club’s history a year later, and has left a legacy of exciting, entertaining football that has played a huge part in boosting the club’s image internationally in recent years.

Coach

After a transitional 2017/18 that began with Peter Bosz as coach and ended with Peter Stöger in the hot seat, a new era will begin in summer 2018 when BVB appointed Lucien Favre as boss. The Swiss tactician had enjoyed previously successful spells as a Bundesliga coach with Hertha Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach, both of whom he guided to fourth place finishes while playing some exciting attacking football.

Having enjoyed two productive years at Nice since leaving Gladbach in 2015, the re-energised Favre, who Marco Reus described as the “best coach I’ve ever had”, jumped at the chance to coach a Bundesliga powerhouse once more. Big things are expected of one of the game’s foremost tactical minds.

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Last season

It all started so well for Dortmund under Bosz, the man recruited from Ajax to replace Thomas Tuchel. Borussia were five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after seven games, before a home defeat to Leipzig began a run of just one win – against third-tier Magdeburg in the DFB Cup – in 12 matches. A home defeat to Werder Bremen in early December left them in eighth and 13 points off the pace, spelling the end for Bosz, with Stöger coming in as his replacement.

The Austrian stabilised things and Borussia gradually climbed back up the table. Final-day qualification for the Champions League ensured a respectable end to the campaign, though most supporters would have been glad to see the back of a difficult season that included more than a few lows, such as a 4-4 derby draw with Schalke in which BVB let a four-goal lead slip, and a 6-0 thrashing by Bayern Munich.

Stadium

One of the wonders of the modern world, BVB’s Signal Iduna Park is a cathedral to football, and a place all football fans should journey to at least once in their life. Packed to its 81,360 capacity every game, it is Germany’s largest stadium and has the largest single terrace for standing supporters in Europe, with 24,454 filling its world-famous Südtribüne (south stand) to create the awe-inspiring ‘Yellow Wall’. Deafeningly loud and utterly awe-inspiring, the stadium is a Mecca for thousands of football fans visiting Germany, and also happens to be affordable. The club’s most expensive season ticket in 2017/18, which included three Champions League group games, was priced at just €891.

Opened for the World Cup in 1974, the stadium, originally known as the Westfalenstadion, has been Dortmund’s home ever since the club outgrew their previous home. The arena hosted the 2001 UEFA Cup final and a further six matches at the 2006 World Cup. The ground is an unmissable landmark of the Dortmund skyline and the distinctive 62-metre-high yellow pylons atop the stadium can be seen for miles around.

Watch: Inside the Signal Iduna Park

The city

The largest city in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia with a population of more than half a million people, Dortmund has been shaped by its production-centred past, focused primarily on steel, coal and beer. Football is now a firm element of that mix as the coal and steel industries declined. As well as Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park and accompanying Borusseum, the city is also home to newly opened German Football Museum, funded by profits from the 2006 World Cup to present the history of German football.

Largely decimated during World War II, modern Dortmund is an open and green city with spacious parks and numerous waterways crossing the city. You can catch a beautiful view over the city rooftops from St. Reinoldi’s tower, whilst you can also visit the famous Dortmunder U – the former site of the Union brewery and now home to several museums.

Food plays a big role in the culture of the city with Bratwurst (fried sausage) and Currywurst (spicy sausage) both staples of a matchday diet in and around the Signal Iduna Park or at a local beer garden either heading to or from the ground. There are two further delicacies that no visitor to Dortmund should go without: Pfefferpotthast (similar to goulash) and Himmel und Äd (black pudding with stewed apples and mashed potatoes) are both proud symbols of Dortmund cuisine.

Getting in (nearest airport)

Dortmund airport is served by low-cost airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair with services to the UK and continental Europe. However, for a greater range of airlines and destinations, Dusseldorf and Cologne-Bonn airport are the two major air hubs in the region with daily flights across Europe and to North America, and are within an hour of Dortmund by regional train, or even less with the high-speed ICE, with Dortmund Hauptbahnhof serving as a major rail hub in the German rail network.

For a greater variety of flights from North America, Frankfurt airport is Germany’s busiest and only two hours away from Dortmund thanks to frequent, direct high-speed train services.

Getting to the Signal Iduna Park

Situated just south of the city centre, the Signal Iduna Park is served by numerous local rail lines. The U42 (Theodor-Fliedner-Heim station), U45 (Stadion) and U46 (Westfallenhallen and Stadion) all travel to the stadium with the Stadion station only open on matchdays. Deutsche Bahn services on mainline tracks also serve the Dortmund Signal-Iduna-Park station with scheduled and special matchday trains serving Dortmund Hauptbahnhof and the greater Ruhr area.

Buying tickets

Dortmund matches are almost always sold out, but tickets can still be bought via the official club website HERE.

Watch on TV

If you can’t make it to the stadium, Bundesliga matches are broadcast around the world. FOX Sports and Univision provide coverage in the United States, while BT Sports are the exclusive broadcaster in the United Kingdom. In Germany, Sky Sports show the majority of matches, with Eurosport hosting one match per week.

Buying the kit

You can get your own Dortmund jersey from the official club shop.

Borussia fan clubs in the USA

As one of Germany’s best supported clubs it is no surprise that love for BVB has spread across the Atlantic. Official fan clubs can be found from Washington DC on the East Coast all the way to Los Angeles and San Diego on the West via Indianapolis, Kansas City and more. Head here to find your nearest Dortmund fan club.