Last year’s Bundesliga race was the best in at least a decade, if not ever. Bayern lifted the trophy once again, but did so on goal differential, only after an 89th-minute winner against Köln, and a late Dortmund comeback bid against Mainz came up just short.
With the “Medford Messi” Brenden Aaronson heading from Leeds United to Bundesliga side Union Berlin, who will also be playing Champions League football, American fans might be particularly interested in following the German league this season.
With Bayern and Werder Bremen kicking things off on August 18, this campaign is just on the horizon, so let’s look at some early odds.
Bundesliga League Winner Odds
Soccer lines used for Bundesliga league betting were found at FanDuel Sportsbook and are current as of Monday, July 31, at 10:30 a.m. CDT.
- Bayern Munich (-320)
- Dortmund (+500)
- RB Leipzig (+750)
- Leverkusen (+2900)
- Union Berlin (+6500)
- Eintracht Frankfurt (+10000)
- Mönchengladbach (+16000)
- Wolfsburg (+16000)
- Stuttgart (+16000)
- Freiburg (+16000)
- Mainz (+19000)
- Köln (+19000)
- Hoffenheim (+23000)
- Werder Bremen (+42000)
- Heidenheim (+100000)
- Augsburg (+100000)
- Bochum (+100000)
- Darmstadt (+100000)
Despite the razor-thin finish a year ago, Bayern are still viewed as prohibitive favorites with (-320 odds. Dortmund are unsurprisingly up next with (+500) odds, and Leipzig follow right behind at (+750), creating a definitive upper class before odds drop off to (+2900) for Leverkusen and another big gap down to Union Berlin at (+6500).
As close as the race was a year ago, these odds do make sense. Bayern has absolutely owned this league for a decade, and Dortmund also experienced a devastating on-field loss this offseason with Jude Bellingham making the mega-move to Madrid.
They also lost major contributor Raphaёl Guerreiro, who left on a free transfer to none other than Bayern, all of this happening without too many major incoming talents.
Dortmund did bring in Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern, though the Austrian hardly had an impact in Munich and was most recently on loan at Manchester United.
Bundesliga Winner Best Bet
Borussia Dortmund (+500)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
I can’t in good conscience project a team that isn’t Bayern to win this league, but considering the odds, it’s also not worth betting on such a heavy favorite.
Dortmund have a mountain to climb, but this price tag carries excellent value for a team that showed they can stay in the thick of things until the very last second.
Edin Terzić did an outstanding job last year in his first full campaign as manager, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he handles the team this season.
Gio Reyna will also likely be back for Dortmund. The controversial USMNT star was incredibly efficient with over a goal per 90 minutes in the league, so we’ll see what he can do this time around as my best Bundesliga bet.
Bundesliga Winner Betting Favorites
Bayern Munich (-320)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 2 Units
This isn’t the best investment, as you’re going to have to bet a whole lot of money to see a return, but it’s a fairly safe way to make a little bit of cash.
Bayern came close to dropping the league last year after a bizarre run of results in the wake of a managerial switch from Julian Nagelsmann to Thomas Tuchel. Still, things should be a lot more stable this season as Tuchel has had a full offseason to acclimate and prepare.
Bundesliga Winner Sleeper Bets
RB Leipzig (+750)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.5 Units
Last year, Leipzig showed that while they are a notch below Bayern and Dortmund, they are a clear class above the rest of the Bundesliga. Their goal differential of +23 was well above fourth-place Union Berlin’s +23, and along with Bayern, featured a top-three attack and defense.
They sold Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool and Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea, but have already reinvested much of the proceeds to bring in fascinating rising talents such as Loïs Openda, Christoph Baumgartner, and Benjamin Šeško.
They’re sticking to their identity as a young, attacking-first squad, and the sky is still the limit for Leipzig under manager Marco Rose.
Union Berlin (+6500)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.25 Units
If you want to bet on a genuine footballing miracle and back a true long shot, Berlin is your club. The club was promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever in 2019 and secured a UCL spot last year in just their fourth campaign in the league.
This is truly a fans’ team — they helped to build the stadium with their own hands when the club was short on money. They’re a Cinderella story, and they’re doing everything right on the pitch as well, and the results keep improving year after year.
They haven’t had too much roster turnover, and that continuity should serve them well as they look to improve once again this campaign.
