La Clásica

Wolfsburg vs. Bayern is the biggest game in German women’s football. Here, players who have turned out for both clubs explain what makes this fixture so special – and how it has revolutionised women’s football as a whole. The league title is never settled on Matchday 10. But the next clash between FC Bayern Women and VfL Wolfsburg is set to be another cracker: Saturday evening under the floodlights (kick-off 17:55 CET). And perhaps a new attendance record for this fixture will be set at the Volkswagen Arena.

Two crests, one huge clash – and a whole league watching on

Welcome to the biggest game in German women’s football: ‘La Clásica’. Over the past 14 years, no other team has won the Bundesliga. FC Bayern and the Wolves are the only German teams in UEFA's top 10, and this season they're once again joint top. Kick-off!

Twenty years ago, Frankfurt vs. Potsdam was the mother of all games. “An incredible rivalry. But more of a niche event,” says midfielder Navina Omilade. She's now captain of FC Bayern’s over-35s women’s team, having won the Champions League as a professional with Potsdam and Wolfsburg – and takes us back to a time “when we still had to wash our own training kit”. Wolfsburg and FC Bayern were part of the chasing pack back then. “But you could tell that those two teams had a special energy about them and had the backing of their clubs,” says Omilade, who moved to Wolfsburg in 2007. “It was more a question of: who’ll get to the top first?”

One goal short – and suddenly anything was possible

In the 2008/09 season, the Munich side appeared to be getting serious – and on Matchday 5, they won 5–1 in front of 500 spectators at the Stadion am Elsterweg. At the end of the campaign, FCB were level on points with Potsdam at the top of the table – but had an inferior goal difference - by one goal. To this day, it remains the closest title decider in German women’s football.

Back then, Bayern played their home games in Aschheim. But the signs of progress were plain to see. “At some point, we started being given something to eat after the matches,” recalls Verena Schweers, who played as a centre-back for Wolfsburg from 2010 to 2016 and for Bayern from 2016 to 2020. “First it was fast food, then later we had a nutritionist.” In Wolfsburg, coach Ralf Kellermann built a strong side that finished as runners-up behind Potsdam in 2012. Bayern won the cup that season. “It was always something special to play against the girls in the red shirts,” says Omilade. “When you play against FCB, Beckenbauer’s glorious past always looms large on the pitch.” But the women began writing their own history.

It really clicked at Wolfsburg in particular. “We had a good mix of young talent and characters in the team,” recalls Schweers – Conny Pohlers, Martina Müller, Alexandra Popp. “And somehow we had that winner’s gene – and no fear of losing a game.” In 2013, VfL won the treble. The following summer, a young wolf made her debut on the opening day of the season against FC Bayern Women. Jovana Damnjanović came off the bench “and was extremely nervous”, as she recalls. “Shortly before full time, Lena Lotzen really should have scored,” she says, “we were lucky there.” The match finished 1–1. Damnjanović, too, was to play a decisive role in shaping the rivalry.

The favourites falter, the Munich women reach for the crown

It only becomes a real duel when Lady Luck changes sides. The Wolfsburg women went into the 2014/15 season as two-time Champions League winners. “We in Wolfsburg always expected Bayern to catch up,” recalls Schweers. And then Bayern did catch up. In the two head-to-head clashes, the favourites were held to goalless draws against FC Bayern – in the reverse fixture, FCB goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela tipped a shot from Martina Müller onto the crossbar at the last minute. The title was decided on the final matchday – FCB beat Essen 2–0 in front of what was then a record crowd of 5,230 spectators at Grünwalder Stadion. And even after the final whistle, they had to wait with bated breath until it was confirmed that Wolfsburg had only managed a 1–1 draw in Frankfurt. The Bayern women celebrated their first title in almost 40 years and, for the first time, joined the men to celebrate on the town hall balcony.

The following year, FCB actually went on to win the league with a ten-point cushion. The start of a Bayern era? Germany international Verena Schweers also moved to Munich, “because I was drawn to the aura of this world-class club”. But the winner’s gene was a fleeting phenomenon in women’s football at that time. VfL won the next five encounters and celebrated four consecutive titles. “We were genuinely afraid of Wolfsburg back then,” recalls Schweers. In September 2018, the double winners from the ‘Autostadt’ thrashed the runners-up and cup finalists from Munich 6–0. “We thought we were further ahead,” recalls Magull, who moved from Wolfsburg to Munich at the start of the season. “But we could barely get past the halfway line. ” While trailing 4–0, Verena Schweers put the ball into her own net, “because I had a different idea to our goalkeeper”. Defeats like that can break teams. But Bayern continued to work hard at their newly opened training ground, “turning the humiliation into rage”, as Magull puts it – and didn’t lose another match that season. FCB even won the reverse fixture 4–2 – the pass for Gina Lewandowski’s goal to make it 2–0 came from Jovana Damnjanović, who has been playing for the Reds since 2017. “At half-time we were leading 2–0,” she says, “even though Wolfsburg were so strong. I’ll always remember that.”

Two points behind, no room to manouvre

During those years, the title race between FCB and VfL was often decided by just two or three points. In 2021, FC Bayern clinched the championship on the final matchday. “It was always my dream to win the league with FC Bayern,” says Magull, who was captain at the time. “It was an incredible relief, because the seasons had been so mentally draining.” You couldn’t afford to make any mistakes and could “hardly celebrate a 2–0 win”, according to Magull, “because you knew the Wolfsburg women had surely won too.” The two clubs kept pushing each other further and further – and in doing so reached a new level.

When exactly did the tide turn? Perhaps on 23 March 2024. FCB Women took to the pitch at the Volkswagen Arena. 24,437 fans had turned up – the record attendance for ‘La Clásica’ to date. And the Bavarian side weren’t intimidated by the noise. Four minutes in, Giulia Gwinn hit the crossbar. After the break, Pernille Harder finally found the back of the net. The second goal was a thing of beauty: Klara Bühl scored straight from a corner. Schüller and Stanway made it 4–0. It was Bayern’s first win at Wolfsburg in 15 years, since their 5–1 victory at Elsterweg in 2008 in front of 500 spectators.

On a par in the league, but Wolfsburg reign supreme in the cup

However, in the DFB Cup, the Wolves continued to dominate the Bavarians. Between 2018 and 2024, they beat FCB seven times – and, six weeks after their home defeat, won the final 2–0 against FCB once again, securing the trophy for the tenth consecutive time. It almost seemed as though VfL were invincible in the cup. The unwritten laws of ‘La Clásica’?

Over the past five years, women’s football has changed enormously. Average attendance has risen by 345 per cent, and players such as Klara Bühl have a seven-figure market value. This development is also thanks to the long-standing rivalry between Wolfsburg and Bayern. Not only because the clubs have been competing over tactical innovations, better infrastructure and top players – Pernille Harder and Lena Oberdorf moved to Munich, whilst Marina Hegering and Lineth Beerensteyn went the other way. “The rivalry has been good for the Bundesliga because, just like in a boxing match, public attention has been focused on two opponents,” says Omilade.

The last encounter took place in August, with the Munich side winning 3–0 in the Supercup. FC Bayern Women had secured the league title for the 2025/26 season with four matchdays to spare. But awaiting them in the DFB Cup final was their supposed bogey team. Yet FC Bayern Women almost effortlessly won 4–0 and secured their second consecutive double. FCB have now won four league titles in a row – and their last five competitive matches against VfL Wolfsburg as well. But the next game is always the best: “I’m looking forward to playing against Wolfsburg,” says Jovana Damnjanović, who was so nervous ahead of her debut in “La Clásica” and went on to decide the last league match with two goals for FCB.

A record beckons – but the head-to-head record serves as a warning

There are still a few goals to achieve: Bayern still have a negative head-to-head record against VfL. That needs to change. And if they win the title this season, FCB would also become the Bundesliga’s sole record champions in the women’s competition. “To be honest, I didn’t realise that at the start of the season,” says Damnjanović. But the idea is slowly taking shape. Were they to win the next “La Clásica”, it would be a big step in that direction. Jovana says: “Becoming record champions would be very, very, very exciting.” That winners' gene is finally back home.

🎟️ Get tickets for the home game against Barcelona on 16 December here!

The article appeared in the November issue of the FC Bayern members’ magazine ‘51’

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