Even as the 2026-27 Bundesliga season is almost two months away, Borussia Dortmund fans have one extra reason to look forward to it: arch-rivals Schalke are back in the league which means Revierderby fixtures are set to return.
The North-Rhine Westphalia clubs share a historic rivalry which dates back almost a century. But over the last three years, it had been on hold with the Royal Blues getting relegated to 2.Bundesliga in 2023.
But now with a top-flight promotion secured, Schalke are set to return to Bundesliga for the 2026-27 season and will come up against their Ruhr region rivals Borussia Dortmund, much to the excitement of fans on both sides of the isle.
When will Dortmund and Schalke face-off?
The question on everyone's mind now is, when exactly would Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke meet in the Bundesliga next season? Well, the exact dates aren't known yet but the sides are scheduled to clash for their first league duel on Matchday 12, which could likely fall between 4 to 6 December 2026.
Gelsenkirchen will be the venue for the first Revierderby of the season while the return fixture at Signal Iduna Park will be held on Matchday 29 which could be on 9-11 April 2027. The official fixture list for the 2026-27 Bundesliga season will be released on Thursday, 2 July.
When did the last Revierderby happen?
Widely considered as the greatest rivalry in German football, the last Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke took place on 11 March 2023 when the rivals played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Veltins-Arena.
Nico Schlotterbeck put the BVB in front after 38 minutes before Marius Bulter equalized for the hosts just five minutes into the restart. Raphael Guerreiro restored Dortmund's lead in the 60th minute but Kenan Karaman made it 2-2 for the Royal Blues with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining on the clock.
What is Dortmund's record in Revierderby?
There have been 160 clashes between the sides in history, with Borussia Dortmund winning 56 times over Schalke and losing on 60 occasions. A total of 44 games have ended in a draw. But the BVB remain five games unbeaten in the fixture, winning four in a row before the 2-2 stalemate in their last encounter before Schalke's relegation.
As Niko Kovac's side aim for another strong run in the race for the Bundesliga titles, Schalke's arrival makes the fixture list just a tad more challenging.
Add us as a preferred source on Google