Getting there
We recommend traveling to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK by public transport, fan buses, on foot, or by bike.
Match tickets include a public transport ticket for one outbound and one return journey, valid throughout the entire North Rhine-Westphalia transport network. By the way: The DSW21 combined ticket offer has now been extended to all BVB teams.
Anyone who cannot do without their own car should set off early and be sure to follow the parking guidance system around the event area. Experience shows that delays can occur when arriving and leaving. From the 2026/27 season onwards, parking permits will only be available online. It will no longer be possible to buy them on site at the car park entrances!
Ball
No longer Derbystar: Adidas now provides the official match ball. The company from Herzogenaurach is making its comeback, having already had its logo on the ball from 2010/11 to 2017/18. The contract runs until 2034. Borussia Dortmund will, of course, continue to be kitted out by PUMA!
Midweek fixtures
The Bundesliga schedule includes two rounds of matches “during the week”: immediately after the winter break and at the beginning of March. Once again, these matches are spread across three days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), rather than two as in the past.
International matches
Instead of three nine-day international breaks in autumn, there will now be one 16-day break and one nine-day break. The two windows in September and October are being merged into one long window starting at the end of September. So the Bundesliga will pause not just for one weekend, but for two. The nine-day period in November remains unchanged, as do the international breaks in March and June.
League
Starting next season, the DFL will no longer exist under that name. Following a resolution by the 36 first- and second-division clubs, the Deutsche Fußball Liga will now simply be called the “Bundesliga”. The aim is to create more consistency and clearer differentiation, while also improving international recognition.
No-show rate
Season ticket holders must attend 14 of the 17 Bundesliga home matches. The reason behind this is the wish of BVB and its fans to keep matches in Germany’s biggest stadium always sold out and to make it possible for as many fans as possible to attend. Despite the already existing “no-show rate”, the number of unused tickets was still too high. The privilege of using a season ticket should not be exploited at the expense of other fans. If the change to the “no-show rate” does not bring any improvement, further adjustments to the existing rules will be made for the 2027/2028 season. The “no-show rate” does not apply to blocks 11 to 14 and 82. Use of the official resale platform counts as an “attended home match”.
Pitch
A hybrid pitch — a mix of artificial (16%) and natural fibres (84%) — has been in place since summer 2025 and has undergone a partial renewal: the natural fibres were milled off at the start of the summer break and then reseeded, so the professionals can enjoy perfect conditions.
VAR
The VAR hub in Cologne is entering its final season in 2026/27 before the move. A test operation in the new setting at the DFB campus in Frankfurt am Main will begin as early as the second half of the season. New: in future, the VAR will also be allowed to correct second-yellow red cards and corner decisions.
Time-wasting
As at the World Cup, a few new rules will also apply in the Bundesliga. Above all, time-wasting is to be curbed even further — through countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins, time limits for substitutions, and mandatory breaks of at least one minute for treated players. Goalkeepers may control the ball with their hand or arm for eight seconds.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.