Borussia Dortmund haven’t won the Bundesliga since 2012, and it seems that the Yellow Wall are far from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Since then, BVB have had eight runner-up finishes, and at one point, even Bayer Leverkusen won one Meisterschale during Bayern Munich’s ruthless reign.
Bayern Munich come into the 2026-27 campaign as the reigning champions after winning their second consecutive Meisterschale this past season. And just like before, Borussia Dortmund had to settle for second place due to a 16-point gap between the two Der Klassiker sides.
BVB supporters must be sick and tired of the team being stuck in its current position, so drastic changes are needed to turn their fortunes around. The pre-season Bundesliga 2026 odds here at SBOTOP don’t expect the Yellow Wall to usurp the Bavarian giants. However, the best they can do is to stay ready for a potential takeover if the reigning champions slip up.
Current players have to step up for BVB
Borussia Dortmund had to settle for second place last season, highlighting the gap between them and Bayern Munich. However, it wasn’t for a lack of trying, as the Bavarian giants are just too good in the German top-flight.
Niko Kovac’s side had the league’s best defence, having conceded only 34 goals, and the league’s third-best attack at 70 goals. The Yellow Wall have had their share of key contributors, expected since they also played in the DFB-Pokal and Champions League, reaching the play-off round.
Serhou Guirassy led BVB in scoring with 17 league goals and one assist, and he’s expected to continue doing so this upcoming season. This summer, the Guinean striker garnered suitors due to his release clause, but Borussia Dortmund can exhale since no rival triggered the option to get him.
Guirassy will team up with Maximilian Beier, their second-leading scorer with nine goals and six assists, in the final third. Moreover, the club expects more from Julian Ryerson, as the Norwegian full-back was Borussia Dortmund’s best playmaker with 15 assists.
BVB are among the well-represented teams in the recently concluded World Cup, with 11 call-ups – which means that the talent gap between them and Bayern Munich isn’t exactly bigger than most assumed.
Besides the aforementioned players, Carney Chukwuemeka and Marcel Sabitzer repped Austria. Ramy Bensebaini represented Algeria. Waldemar Anton, Felix Nmecha, and Nico Schlotterbeck suited up for Germany. Gregor Kobel played for Switzerland, and Daniel Svensson repped Sweden.
Borussia Dortmund must hold on to their talent
Borussia Dortmund have seen some considerable roster turnover this offseason. After releasing Niklas Süle, Salih Özcan, and Julian Brandt, and selling Karim Adeyemi to Barcelona, BVB brought in youngsters Justin Lerma, Joane Gadou, Samuele Inacio, and Mussa Kaba. It helps that the Yellow Wall have a sterling reputation for developing young talents.
And it seems that BVB are not yet done strengthening their roster, as they’ve been linked to a couple more bright youngsters, namely Takato Yamamoto, Oskar Pietuszewski, Konstantinos Karetsas, Raphael Onyedika, and Nathan De Cat. Furthermore, a potential reunion with prodigal son Jadon Sancho is also in the cards.
Some of them will succeed, and some of them won’t, but that’s life in football. But while BVB’s front office deserves praise for finding young talent, they’ve also drawn backlash for cashing in on them rather than keeping them longer, sometimes to their league rivals.
Head coach Niko Kovac must identify who fits well into his system, so the club can determine who to offload (eventually). Injuries will also play a huge role in their fortunes, and they haven’t had as much luck in that regard as they’ve wanted to in the past few months.
A little more luck won’t hurt Borussia Dortmund
Besides picking up as many positive Bundesliga 2026 results as they can, Borussia Dortmund will need a whole lot of luck for them to depose Bayern Munich once and for all. That’s what Bayer Leverkusen experienced in 2023-24, as they became the first team to complete an entire Bundesliga campaign without defeat en route to achieving a domestic double and finishing as Europa League runners-up.
Bayern Munich experienced internal turmoil under then-head coach Thomas Tuchel, and then-Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso held their ground just enough. Die Werkself also saw the likes of Alejandro Grimaldo, Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Piero Hincapie, Florian Wirtz, Patrik Schick, and Victor Boniface step up and have only a few injuries. After several topsy-turvy campaigns, BVB desperately need a season of consistency. Another Top 3 finish should be the bare minimum for them in 2026-27.
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