Der Klassiker

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Lore & Background

The first match between the two clubs was a 2–0 win for Dortmund in Munich on 16 October 1965. On 5 May 1966, Dortmund won the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup final against Liverpool in extra time, becoming the first German club to win a European title. Bayern Munich won the same competition the following season. In 1971, Bayern defeated Dortmund 11–1; this remains Bayern's biggest Bundesliga victory and Dortmund's second worst defeat, after Dortmund's worst defeat of 12–0 v Borussia Mönchengladbach on 29 April 1978. The highest scoring draw in a Bundesliga match between the two teams occurred on 21 May 1983, when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge scored a late equaliser to save Bayern from a defeat against hosts Dortmund, with a final scoreline of 4–4. The rivalry between the clubs grew during the 1990s, as Dortmund's stature increased to challenge perennial title favourites Bayern, winning two Bundesliga titles in 1994–95 and 1995–96. In 1996, Bayern captain Lothar Matthäus accused Germany teammate Andreas Möller of being a 'crybaby', wiping imaginary tears from his face; Möller reacted by slapping Matthäus. At the end of that season, Dortmund won the 1997 UEFA Champions League final which happened to be played at the Olympiastadion, Bayern's home ground. The teams met in the quarter-finals of the next edition of the Champions League, and Dortmund prevailed over two legs thanks to a single goal from Stéphane Chapuisat. That summer, Bayern hired Dortmund's successful coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to work for them. Tempers flared twice during Bayern and Dortmund's second meeting in the 1998–99 Bundesliga, as Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn first attempted a flying kung-fu kick at Chapuisat, and later appeared to bite Heiko Herrlich's ear. In the early 2000s both clubs remained successful, as Bayern lost one Champions League final (1999) then won another (2001) in addition to more domestic success, while Dortmund won the 2001–02 Bundesliga and reached the UEFA Cup final the same year. An angry 2001 league meeting between the pair was notable for ten yellow cards and three red being shown (a Bundesliga record for indiscipline). However, Dortmund soon fell heavily into debt, and a €2m loan from Bayern in 2004 played a small role in saving them from bankruptcy. On 19 April 2008, the two sides clashed in the 2008 DFB-Pokal final for the first time that took place in Berlin. Luca Toni o

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Der Klassiker shifted dramatically between 2010 and 2013. Dortmund assembled a squad featuring Mats Hummels, Mario Götze, Shinji Kagawa, and Robert Lewandowski to win the 2011 and 2012 Bundesliga titles, marking the first time any club other than Bayern won back-to-back championships since the mid-1990s. During the 2011–12 title-clinching home match, bananas were tossed at Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Dortmund then secured their first-ever double by defeating Bayern 5–2 in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final with a Lewandowski hat-trick. However, Bayern rebounded to break Dortmund's points record and met them again in the 2013 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium. Although Mario Götze had agreed to join Bayern, he missed the match due to injury, which Arjen Robben won for Bayern with an 89th-minute goal.

Reader's Guide

The first match between the two clubs was a 2–0 win for Dortmund in Munich on 16 October 1965. The teams have met in the UEFA Champions League on two occasions: the 1997 quarter-finals (Dortmund won) and the 2013 final (Bayern won). The most important recent result is a 2–1 Bayern victory in the 2026 Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.

Did You Know?

• The highest scoring draw in a Bundesliga match between the two teams was 4–4 on 21 May 1983.
• Bayern's 11–1 win in 1971 remains their biggest Bundesliga victory and Dortmund's second worst defeat.
• The 2001 league meeting between the pair set a Bundesliga record for indiscipline with ten yellow cards and three red cards.
• Dortmund's 5–2 win in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final was their first double in history.
• The term 'German Clasico' was first used after both clubs eliminated Real Madrid and Barcelona to reach the 2013 Champions League final.