Borussia Dortmund kicks off the new Bundesliga season on Saturday with a home match against Hamburger SV at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. Head coach Niko Kovac has demanded his team maintain the strong defensive level from last year.
The match will be broadcast live from 5:30 PM on Sky Sport Bundesliga and via the WOW stream, with Wolff Fuss on commentary. The referee appointed for the game is 45-year-old Felix Zwayer, assisted by Robert Kempter and Nikolai Kimmeyer on the lines. The fourth official is Felix Prigan, with Benjamin Brand serving as the VAR.
A new chapter begins for the traditional announcement of the attendance figure between the 60th and 70th minute. After many years where Stadtparfümerie Pieper handled this duty, local energy and water supplier DEW21 is now taking over. The company is launching a new format highlighting fans. For the season opener, more than 100 supporters have already been recorded for the new content, which will be shown in the stadium from Saturday onwards.
SIGNAL IDUNA PARK will be filled to its usual sold-out capacity of 81,365 spectators. Dortmund was the league's second-strongest home team last season with 41 points from 13 wins, two draws, and two defeats. The current injury list on our injuries page includes Nico Schlotterbeck, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Ramy Bensebaini.
The clash between Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV is a classic, with 117 meetings in all competitions. The record is tight: BVB leads with 47 wins to HSV's 41. The history is particularly marked by the 1957 German championship final, won 4-1 by Dortmund, and the 1963 DFB Cup final, won 3-0 by Hamburg.
In the Bundesliga, the teams have met 104 times. Dortmund's record is narrowly positive with 39 wins, 29 draws, and 36 losses. Notably, HSV is the opponent against whom BVB has conceded the most Bundesliga goals (182). Recently, Dortmund has dominated clearly, taking 19 points from the last seven available meetings. HSV scored only five goals across those seven matches.
Several individuals have past connections with the opposing club. BVB coach Niko Kovac played for HSV from 1999 to 2001, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists in 55 Bundesliga games. Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Alexander Meyer was born in Bad Oldesloe and spent seven years in HSV's academy from 2005 to 2012. Conversely, HSV goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes was part of BVB's U19 squad in the 2010/11 season.
Kovac is clear about the task. "We have to make sure that those who finished behind us last time don't gain momentum," the coach said. First, they need to keep them at a distance, then they'll see what's possible. HSV finished last season in 13th place with 38 points, only 14 of which came away from home. Only four teams earned fewer away points, although they managed a 2-1 win in Frankfurt and a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen late in the campaign.
The start against HSV is the first step in a demanding season where Dortmund aims to build on its second-place finish in the 2025 final table with 64 points from 29 games. The team scored 60 goals while conceding 29 last season. The next fixture on our fixtures page is an away match on September 5th against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, currently sixth in the table. The current league standings can be viewed on our standings page. The team will wear its yellow home shirt, black shorts, and yellow socks, while HSV will play in blue shirts, white shorts, and black socks.
