© FC Bayern
2026 starts here! After around two weeks off over Christmas and New Year, FC Bayern Women are back at their home of the Campus. On Wednesday, the reigning double winners completed the obligatory performance tests as well as various medical checks. The first training session of the new year follows on Thursday. fcbayern.com gives an overview of the forthcoming period of preparation for head coach José Barcala and his team.
Performance checks to start
Like every year, FC Bayern Women began their mid-season training with performance tests at the FC Bayern Campus. In small groups, the players including Pernille Harder and Momoko Tanikawa completed a stamina test under the guidance of the coaching staff. Their agility and jumping power were then put to the test in various exercises. The Munich girls will finally have the ball and the grass under their feet again on Thursday.
Back from the winter break rested: Carolin Simon is looking forward to the upcoming training camp. | © FC Bayern
FCB full-back Carolin Simon was able to recuperate during the break and is looking forward to the weeks ahead. “We had a good winter break, which was important after an intensive period, especially the final weeks of the year,” she described. “Now I’m pleased to be back here and I feel that the battery is recharged. In the next three weeks we want to keep working as a team. I’m particularly looking forward to the training camp because we can work intensively on our goals there and also spend a lot of time together as a group off the pitch. It’s always a good mixture of focused work, fun and team spirit – and we want to take exactly that spirit into the second half of the season.”
Barcala: ‘Pleased to see the team again’
Head coach José Barcala is ready to get back to work. | © FC Bayern
Head coach Barcala enjoyed the time off with his family and is motivated for the coming weeks. “The rest was important,” stated the 44-year-old. “Now it’s about finding the right balance and getting fully going again. I was pleased to see the team again – the break’s done everyone good. Now we want to improve our fitness and set pieces step by step, strengthen our team identity and work on tactical adaptations. Our aim is to get better as a team and also individually, so that every player can reach her best level in the weeks ahead.”
Winter training camp in southern Spain
Like last year, FC Bayern Women will hold a training camp in Seville this winter. Between 9 and 16 January, the Bundesliga leaders will gear up for the second half of the campaign in ideal conditions in southern Spain.
FC Bayern Women return to competitive action in 2026 against RB Leipzig at the end of January. | © FC Bayern
A little over a week after their return from Spain, the Munich girls play their first competitive match of 2026, hosting RB Leipzig on 25 January (18:30 CET). That’s followed by three consecutive away games against Carl Zeiss Jena, Freiburg and Werder Bremen, before a crunch clash at home to Wolfsburg on 22 February.
An interview with goalkeeper Mala Grohs:
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