Five key games in Bayern Munich’s title-winning campaign
There may only be three points at stake in each game, but some matches are undoubtedly more significant than others. And Bayern Munich’s title charge in 2025/26 was no different...
We explore five games that were crucial on the way to Vincent Kompany’s side lifting the Meisterschale.
Matchday 1: Bayern 6-0 RB Leipzig
As statement victories go, they don’t get much clearer than this. Leipzig had experienced a summer of upheaval, with several key players departing and Ole Werner taking over as head coach, but they were still considered among the toughest of opponents and potential title contenders in the season curtain-raiser.
The homes side had other ideas though. Luis Díaz was on target in his maiden Bundesliga outing, with Michael Olise scoring twice and Harry Kane hitting a hat-trick in a game that set the tone for Bayern’s campaign.
Watch: Match highlights
Matchday 11: Bayern 6-2 Freiburg
A first defeat of 2025/26 appeared to be on the cards in mid-November when Kompany’s men went 2-0 down inside 17 minutes at the Allianz Arena. Freiburg are a quality side – as underlined by their progression to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals this season – but even their robust, compact defence was crumpled by the potency of Bayern’s attack.
Not only that, it was a demonstration of the team’s mental strength to fight back in such a way. “We didn’t do well in the first 20 minutes but then we showed character,” said Kane afterwards. “We came out with a lot more energy in the second half. We did a really good job both on and off the ball and showed Bayern’s true colours.”
Watch: Match highlights
Matchday 18: Leipzig 1-5 Bayern
Bayern’s first game of the second half of the season could have panned out very differently. Leipzig were rampant in the first half and forced their visitors onto the back foot as they poured forward time and again.
However, Kompany’s charges weathered the storm for the most part and after going into the break 1-0 down, they were unstoppable in the second half as they scored five without reply.
“They caused us real problems in the first half, they were clearly better,” said Kompany afterwards. “It felt like they were twice as good as us [...] but the second half, my word – what the guys produced there. I believe we ran six kilometres more than the opponents in the second half. It still wasn’t perfect but it was pure old school: mentality, running, battling, tackles, getting forward.”
Watch: Match highlights
Matchday 21: Bayern 5-1 Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim, rather than Bayern, were the form team going into this game, with Christian Ilzer’s side the only club to win all five of their league assignments at the start of 2026. They had scored 14 times and conceded just three across that period.
Bayern, by contrast, had picked up just one point from the two matches immediately preceding this one, having lost 2-1 at home against Augsburg and drawn 2-2 at Hamburg.
Would Bayern’s wobble continue and push the door further ajar for their rivals to gain ground? Or would they get back on track? The answer, emphatically, was the latter. Kane struck twice from Díaz assists, and the Colombian also netted a hat-trick as the record champions left no glimmer of hope for their competitors.
Watch: Match highlights
Matchday 24: Dortmund 2-3 Bayern
The knockout blow. As mentioned above, Bayern had dropped points in late January, allowing Borussia Dortmund to close the gap at the summit to six points at one stage.
Had BVB won at Signal Iduna Park on this occasion, there would only have been a five-point difference with 10 games still to play. As such, the stakes could scarcely have been higher. Dortmund even took the lead through a first-half Nico Schlotterbeck header, but Bayern rallied after the break and won it 3-2 thanks to a late Joshua Kimmich volley.
Watch: Match highlights
The significance of his goal and the victory was not lost on the 31-year-old at the final whistle: “It’s in our hands and we’re not going to give it away now. If we’re being honest, with an 11-point lead now, we’re not going to surrender this. No one has ever squandered that and it will stay that way.”
He was proved right, as six matches later Bayern sealed the crown at home to VfB Stuttgart.
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