© Imago
Opener at the Alte Försterei
Thu, 20/08/2026, 18:06
The capital beckons: FCB Women kick off the Bundesliga season at Union Berlin
FC Bayern Women are off to the Stadion an der Alten Försterei! Having already secured their first trophy of the season in last weekend’s Supercup clash against VfL Wolfsburg, the double winners kick off the new league campaign at Union Berlin on Friday evening (18:30 CEST).
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She scored the crucial opener against VfL Wolfsburg, paving the way for the Munich women's road to victory – Jovana Damnjanović. | © FC Bayern
In Ingolstadt, the Google Pixel Supercup final started off as a closely contested affair. Bayern took a few minutes to find their rhythm against the Wolves. Jovana Damnjanović put the Munich side ahead in the 32nd minute, before Klara Bühl scored just before and straight after the break to seal a 3–0 win. It saw FC Bayern celebrate their third consecutive Supercup victory. Their first opponents in the league now are Union.
The fans and the team led by captain Glódís Viggósdóttir will have fond memories of their last encounter with their upcoming opponents: on that occasion, Giulia Gwinn’s volley secured a 3–2 win for the Munich side at the Alte Försterei to clinch the league title. But even in their most recent encounter in April, the victory was a hard-fought one, and a lot has happened in Köpenick since then.
Following a series of intensive training sessions and their first Supercup triumph, Bayern, featuring Linda Dallmann, are at last back in action in the Bundesliga. | © Imago
The opposition: Union Berlin
As Bundesliga newcomers, 1. FC Union Berlin finished last season in ninth place with 30 points. During the summer, the Köpenick-based side strengthened their squad with the additions of Leela Egli, Nelly Smolarczyk and Germany internationals Jella Veit and Lisanne Gräwe, amongst others. In addition, Marie-Louise Eta, who coached the Union men on an interim basis in the Bundesliga last season, is the new head coach.
As well as a 6–2 win against Turbine Potsdam, the Irons recorded three draws against Sparta Prague (0–0), Carl Zeiss Jena (0–0) and Hamburger SV (2–2) during pre-season. The Berlin women ended their run of friendlies with a narrow 1–0 defeat to Inter Milan and a 3–1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
📊 Read the key facts on the clash here:
Team news
Anna Klink (metacarpal fracture), Franziska Kett (ankle injury), Giulia Gwinn (rehab following shoulder surgery) as well as Lena Oberdorf and Sarah Zadrazil (both with ACL tears) will not be available for the opener in Berlin.
Edna Imade, however, is back in the squad following her ankle injury, and Vanessa Gilles might also be an option again.
Head coach José Barcala is embarking on his second season as head coach of FC Bayern Women. | © FC Bayern
Pre-match quotes
José Barcala: "Union have a lot of interesting players who bring a great deal of quality to the team, so we’ve formed a very good impression of them. The side are very well organised and have clear processes in place. They also look very tight and have clear solutions when they come under pressure, so we expect them to be very tough opponents as we kick off the new season.“
Jovana Damnjanović: "I’m expecting a tough match against Union. We’re certainly in for a terrific atmosphere at the Alte Förstei. Union have a clear game plan, a strong identity and have bolstered their squad very well again over the summer. Nevertheless, we want to pick up the points and win our opening match. That’s our clear objective and we’ll give it our all to achieve it."
All you need to know on the draw for the first round of the DFB Cup:
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