The last time the Allianz Arena staged a club game, it was – with absolutely no apologies whatsoever to the Club World Cup – the biggest of 2025. Bayern Munich were not in the Champions League final staged in their own backyard, just as, after being eliminated in another quarter-final, they were not in the Club World Cup final. If narrative dictated Bayern won the Champions League in Bavaria, actually Paris Saint-Germain did.
And yet, as the Bundesliga starts when RB Leipzig visit the Allianz Arena on Friday night, Bayern’s dominance in another respect is cemented again. Winners of 12 of the last 13 German titles, they were deposed by Bayer Leverkusen in 2024. Now Bayern can eye a landscape where rivals look diminished, whether by Real Madrid, Premier League money or the Bavarians themselves, while they are protected by their enduring power.
