Der Klassiker

Verified Timeline

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

By 2010, Dortmund had put together a strong squad, including Mats Hummels, Mario Götze, Shinji Kagawa and Robert Lewandowski, who led the club to the 2011 and 2012 Bundesliga titles; it was the first time any club other than Bayern won back-to-back championships since Dortmund in the mid-1990s. Dortmund clinched the 2011–12 league championship in a home match where bananas were tossed at Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Dortmund then claimed the first double of their history by beating Bayern 5–2 in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final with a Lewandowski hat-trick, which was also their fifth consecutive win over the opponents. After seeing two league championships heading to Dortmund and losing the 2012 UEFA Champions League final to Chelsea at their own Allianz Arena, Bayern recovered to clinch the 2012–13 Bundesliga in record time, breaking Dortmund's points record which had been set the year before. At the end of that season, the rivals met in the 2013 UEFA Champions League final. The German clubs had eliminated the two Spanish contenders, Real Madrid and Barcelona, leading to the term "German Clasico" term first being used at that time, based on the El Clásico between those two Spanish clubs. The game was also notable for the fact that Dortmund's Mario Götze had already agreed to join Bayern in the coming weeks, although he did not play in the final due to injury. In the final, Arjen Robben scored a dramatic 89th-minute winner at Wembley Stadium.

Reader's Guide

As of 22 August 2026, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have played numerous matches across Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFB-Ligapokal, DFL-Supercup, and UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich hold the record for the biggest win (11–1 on 27 November 1971), while Borussia Dortmund's biggest win is 4–0 on 6 March 1967. In head-to-head Bundesliga rankings from 1964 to 2026, Bayern Munich have finished higher 48 times, Borussia Dortmund 9 times (as of the end of the 2025–26 season).

Did You Know?

• The first match between the two clubs was a 2–0 win for Dortmund in Munich on 16 October 1965.
• Dortmund became the first German club to win a European title by winning the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup.
• Bayern's 11–1 win over Dortmund in 1971 remains Bayern's biggest Bundesliga victory.
• The highest scoring draw between the teams is 4–4, from 21 May 1983.
• The 2001 league meeting had ten yellow cards and three red cards, a Bundesliga record for indiscipline.