Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen - Bayern Munich live - Football

On 5 September 2026, Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen hosts one of Matchday 2's most anticipated Bundesliga fixtures as Schalke 04 take on Bayern München. The Royal Blues are back in the top flight after a three-year absence, though their return has started painfully - a 3-0 loss at Augsburg - while Bayern, the reigning champions, set their stall out early with a dominant 5-1 win over Stuttgart. In the last five head-to-head meetings between these sides, Bayern won every single one without conceding a goal, netting 21 times in the process.

Match Info: Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen vs Bayern München

The match between Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen and Bayern München kicks off on Saturday, 5 September 2026 at 17:30 BST at the Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, as part of Matchday 2 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season.

Where to Watch Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen vs Bayern München?

Viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland can catch the action on Sky Sports Football via satellite, while online streaming is available through NOW TV UK, SKY GO Extra, and Sky Go UK. Coverage is therefore accessible on both traditional television and mobile or desktop devices across the British Isles.

In the United States, the clash between Schalke and Bayern is available on USA Network and Telemundo on cable television, with Fubo TV and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo offering online alternatives. Canadian fans can follow the meeting of the two sides on DAZN, fuboTV Canada, or OneSoccer.

Across the rest of the world, beIN Sports 2 Australia and beIN Sports Connect Australia cover the fixture in Australia, DAZN serves viewers in Japan, and Disney+ carries the broadcast in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Fans in Africa - including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, and the DRC - can follow on the StarTimes App.

Match between Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen and Bayern München - Preview

Schalke 04 face Bayern München in what is perhaps the starkest test a promoted club can encounter in its opening Bundesliga weeks - a home fixture against the defending champions, whose recent record in this particular rivalry borders on ruthless.

The Royal Blues secured promotion as 2. Bundesliga table-toppers in the 2025/26 season, returning to the top flight for the first time in three years. Their Bundesliga comeback, however, started in difficult circumstances: a 3-0 defeat away at Augsburg on Matchday 1 raised immediate questions about the side's readiness for the demands of elite football. The DFB-Pokal first-round win - a commanding 5-2 away at Hallescher FC - offered some encouragement, but the scale of pre-season defeats to Real Madrid (0-3) and Atalanta (0-3) in friendlies reinforced the sense of a squad still finding its level.

Bayern, by contrast, look in ominous shape. The defending champions began their title defence with a 5-1 demolition of VfB Stuttgart and, before that, won the German Super Cup 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund. Five wins from five matches across all competitions, with 17 goals scored, underline why they enter this fixture as heavy favourites. The encounter at Veltins-Arena is likely to test whether Schalke can absorb the champions' pressure and find a way to compete.

Head-to-Head: Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen vs Bayern München

Few head-to-head records in the Bundesliga tell as one-sided a story as this one - across 35 all-time meetings, Bayern have claimed 26 victories to Schalke's 3, with 6 draws, scoring 82 goals against Schalke's 18. The most recent five encounters have been particularly brutal for the Royal Blues: Bayern won all five without conceding once, and Schalke failed to score a single goal across those matches, with aggregate scores of 21-0.

Here is a summary of the last five meetings between the two clubs:

• 13 May 2023 - Bundesliga - Bayern München 6:0 FC Schalke 04
• 12 November 2022 - Bundesliga - FC Schalke 04 0:2 Bayern München
• 24 January 2021 - Bundesliga - FC Schalke 04 0:4 Bayern München
• 18 September 2020 - Bundesliga - Bayern München 8:0 FC Schalke 04
• 3 March 2020 - DFB Pokal - FC Schalke 04 0:1 Bayern München

Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen - Recent Form

Schalke 04's early-season form ahead of this fixture is a tale of two competitions - encouraging cup form shadowed by a difficult start to their Bundesliga return.

The Royal Blues' sole league outing ended in a bruising 3-0 away defeat at Augsburg, a result that highlighted the challenge awaiting them in Germany's top flight. In the DFB-Pokal, however, they were much more convincing, thrashing Hallescher FC 5-2 away from home in the first round - a performance that demonstrated their attacking capability when confidence is flowing.

Pre-season raised both hopes and questions. The 5-0 friendly win over amateur side Hessen Kassel built momentum, but heavy losses of 0-3 against Real Madrid and 0-3 against Atalanta revealed the gap that still exists between Schalke and Europe's elite. The arrival at Veltins-Arena on Matchday 2 of Bayern München - a club whose recent European pedigree is among the finest in the game - is as difficult a test as any promoted side could face.

Bayern München - Recent Form

Bayern München enter this match in formidable shape, having won all five of their fixtures since pre-season began, scoring 17 goals across those outings.

The champions opened the 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign with a resounding 5-1 home victory over VfB Stuttgart - a statement of intent from a squad that has lost none of its cutting edge since winning the title. Before that, they claimed the German Super Cup with a 2-1 win away at Borussia Dortmund, showing they can perform under derby intensity as well. In their three pre-season friendlies, Bayern beat 1. FC Heidenheim 4-2, RB Leipzig 3-1, and Aston Villa 2-1, easing into the season without a single defeat.

The consistency across those results - five wins, one competition after another - is the hallmark of a squad that knows exactly what it is doing. Bayern arrive in Gelsenkirchen as clear favourites and as the team whose record against Schalke speaks loudly enough on its own.

Facts and Statistics

The rivalry between Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen and Bayern München stretches back decades and is one of the most lopsided fixtures in Bundesliga history, with Bayern establishing a near-total stranglehold over results in the modern era. Schalke's return to the top flight after a three-year absence only adds to the storyline surrounding this latest chapter.

• Across 35 all-time meetings, Bayern München have won 26, Schalke 04 only 3, with 6 draws recorded.
• Bayern scored 82 goals against Schalke across those 35 matches - an average of 2.3 goals per game - while Schalke replied with just 18.
• In the last five head-to-head fixtures, Bayern won all 5 without conceding a single goal, scoring 21 in the process.
• Bayern's heaviest win over Schalke came on 18 September 2020, when they won 8-0 at the Allianz Arena.
• Schalke are back in the Bundesliga for the first time since the 2022/23 season, having been promoted as 2. Bundesliga champions in 2025/26; Bayern, meanwhile, are defending their 35th top-flight title in the club's history.