Pre-Match Report
Will they secure their tenth consecutive home win to start the Bundesliga season?
From a slow start to a master of season openers
Borussia Dortmund has played a total of 59 opening matchdays in the Bundesliga so far. With 24 wins, 13 draws, and 22 losses, the record is slightly positive. The poor record from the early years stands out in particular: In its first nine Bundesliga seasons, BVB won only one opening match. In recent years, however, the Black and Yellows have become opening-day specialists: From 2015–16 through 2024–25, BVB won ten consecutive opening matches.
Only in 2017–18 did the Black and Yellows have to play on the road on the first matchday—a 3–0 win at VfL Wolfsburg. All nine of their other season-opening victories came at our stadium.
The ten consecutive opening-day wins
- 2015–16: 4–0 vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach
- 2016–17: 2–1 vs. 1. FSV Mainz 05
- 2017–18: 3–0 at VfL Wolfsburg
- 2018/19: 4–1 vs. Rasenballsport Leipzig
- 2019–20: 5–1 vs. FC Augsburg
- 2020–21: 3–0 vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach
- 2021/22: 5–2 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
- 2022/23: 1–0 against Bayer Leverkusen
- 2023/24: 1–0 against 1. FC Köln
- 2024/25: 2–0 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
It wasn’t until August 2025 that the extraordinary run came to an end. Against FC St. Pauli, the Borussians led 3–1 at one point but, after a turbulent final stretch, had to settle for a 3–3 draw. The winning streak was thus snapped, but the streak of never losing on the opening matchday remained intact: Since the 0–2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in August 2014, BVB has not lost on the first matchday of the Bundesliga season.
And because the match at Millerntor was an away game, Dortmund’s home winning streak remained intact.
Three opening-day matches against HSV
Borussia Dortmund has faced Hamburger SV three times on the first matchday of a Bundesliga season—with two wins and one loss.
On August 14, 1976, Borussia returned to the Bundesliga after a four-year absence and had to travel to Hamburg for their season opener. The newly promoted team got off to a dream start, leading 3-0 at halftime and ultimately prevailing 4-3 in a spectacular match. It marked the beginning of a season in which BVB finished in a surprisingly strong eighth place in the standings.
Eight years later, HSV came out on top: On August 25, 1984, BVB lost 1–2 in their season opener at Westfalenstadion.
In what was, to date, their most recent opening-day clash, BVB—as the reigning German champions—kicked off the 2011–12 season at home against HSV and were already in impressive form early on. Kevin Großkreutz scored twice, Mario Götze netted the goal that made it 2–0—and in the end, it was a well-deserved 3–1 victory. The match was the first step toward successfully defending the title and securing the first double in the club’s history.
Now the two teams are set to face off for the fourth time in a season opener, and BVB has a chance to secure its tenth consecutive home win to start the Bundesliga season.
Christina Reinke