2024 has begun – and with it the prospect of lots of footballing highlights over the next 12 months. fcbayern.com has picked out a few events that could be significant for fans of the German record champions.
12/13 January 2024: Start of Asian and African championships
There are two major international tournaments right at the start of the year with the rescheduled 2023 Asian Cup (12 January - 10 February in Qatar) and the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (13 January - 11 February in Ivory Coast), where FC Bayern are also set to be represented by a number of players. At the last AFCON, one FCB player was even a winner with Bouna Sarr one of the key figures for champions Senegal, although this year he won't be involved due to a cruciate ligament tear.
Bouna Sarr won the Africa Cup of Nations two years ago with Senegal, but the full-back won't be able to help his country this year because of a cruciate ligament tear.
1 March 2024: FCB's 2,000th match in the Bundesliga
If all goes to plan, Bayern's away fixture at SC Freiburg on 1 March will be a very special one for the German record champions. The Munich men are set to become the first team in Bundesliga history to reach the mark of 2,000 Bundesliga matches. SV Werder Bremen, who are second in this ranking, will have played 1,992 games in the top flight by Matchday 24.
17 May 2024: 50 years since first European Cup
The 17th of May 1974 represents an outstanding date in the long and successful history of FC Bayern. The 4-0 victory over Atlético Madrid in the replay secured the golden generation of Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Uli Hoeneß and Gerd Müller the title in the European Cup for the first time and established the club among the European elite for good. This year will be the 50th anniversary of this event, which will also be celebrated in style by the German record champions.
On 17 May 1974, Gerd Müller and Co brought the European Cup trophy to Munich for the first time.
14 June 2024: EURO opening match at Allianz Arena
The 17th edition of football's European Championship takes place in Germany from 14 June to 14 July. Six matches in the tournament will be staged at Munich's Allianz Arena, including the opening fixture between the hosts and Scotland along with three group games, one last-16 tie and one semi-final. Bring on another summer fairytale...
17/18 September 2024: Start of new Champions League format
Should Thomas Tuchel's side qualify for the Champions League again in the summer, they can expect fundamental changes to Europe's most prestigious club competition. Instead of the 32 teams in different groups, from now on 36 sides will compete in one league. Over eight matchdays, the teams then play four home and four away games against eight different opponents, who have been drawn in advance. The eight best teams on points will then go straight through to the round of 16, while the other eight places in the knockout phase will be decided between the teams ranked 9th to 24th in two play-off rounds. The following round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will then be played in the usual two-legged format before the final is again played in a single match.
If that's too complicated, then just know this: only wins matter for Bayern in the first season of the new format anyway, as the final on 31 May 2025 will be played at the Allianz Arena, no less. And as Uli Hoeneß declared ahead of the 'Finale dahoam' in 2012: "We have to be there!"
Here are the best Bayern facts from the past year:
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