Hans-Joachim Watzke admits Borussia Dortmund cannot compete with 'overwhelming favourites' Bayern Munich

Dortmund president Watzke expects the 2026-27 Bundesliga race to follow a familiar pattern after Bayern claimed their 13th title in 14 seasons. The Bavarian giants encountered little resistance en route to the crown last term, setting a competition record with 122 goals. Kompany also etched his name into the history books by becoming only the fourth manager to win the league in each of his first two seasons, joining Ernst Happel, Hansi Flick, and Pep Guardiola.

Watzke openly acknowledged the gap separating Dortmund from their fiercest rivals, conceding that Bayern's immense financial power makes competing for the league title increasingly unbalanced.

Reflecting on the title race when speaking to Sky Germany, Watzke said: "Well, you have to be honest, we had a good Bundesliga season last year and picked up 73 points. In the past, that would have been enough to win the title. Today, that's no longer the case because FC Bayern dominate everything.

"At Dortmund, there's only so much we can do to change that, because the gap between Germany's top two clubs has become so vast economically. So we shouldn't kid ourselves – Bayern Munich are overwhelming favourites."

The disparity between both sides was underscored by their contrasting recruitment strategies throughout the summer transfer window. Bayern bolstered their title-winning squad with the arrivals of Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown while keeping talismanic striker Harry Kane at the Allianz Arena. In contrast, Niko Kovac's side opted to invest in emerging talent by signing Giannis Konstantelias, Konstantinos Karetsas, and Joane Gadou, having already suffered an early blow with a 2-1 defeat to Bayern in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup.

Dortmund kick off their 2026-27 Bundesliga campaign on Saturday when they host Hamburg at Signal Iduna Park. Niko Kovac faces an immediate challenge to integrate his youthful summer recruits before the domestic and European fixture lists intensify. A convincing start will be essential to establish early momentum and keep Die Schwarzgelben competitive near the top of the table.