Bayern Munich v Dortmund: Where to watch Der Klassiker in US

Bayern Munich vs Dortmund is a marquee matchup that pits two of Germany’s most successful clubs of the late 20th and early 21st centuries against each other, and we’ve got the details on how to watch the clash.

What has come to be known as “Der Klassiker” (the German version of “El Clásico”) is a relatively new rivalry, as well as a somewhat lopsided affair by global soccer standards.

But lack of history or not, this is still a massive fixture.

Where to find Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund

You can find Bayern Munich vs Dortmund twice per season on ESPN+, ESPN’s streaming service that holds the rights to the Bundesliga. In addition, ESPN+ also shows Germany’s top domestic cup, the DFB-Pokal. Very rarely ESPN will also highlight a German match on one of it’s linear channels, as was the case with the April 1, 2023 Bayern-Dortmund game which aired on ABC in addition to ESPN+.

ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC are available of course with most cable and satellite providers, as well as streaming services such as Fubo or Sling.

For Champions League and other UEFA club competitions, Paramount+ hold the English language rights, while TelevisaUnivision (Univision, UniMás, and streaming service ViX+) is the spot for Spanish coverage.

Streaming offers

As of Fall 2023, ESPN+ will run you $10.99/month (or $109.99 on an annual plan). Paramount+ starts at $5.99/month, while ViX+ will set you back $6.99/month.

History of the Bayern Munich vs Dortmund rivalry

Despite both being founded in the early 1900s, the two sides only first met in 1965 (a 2-0 win for Dortmund in Munich). Historically, Bayern has been the more dominant side both in general and in matches vs Borussia Dortmund. In fact, Dortmund have only finished higher in the table than Bayern on nine occasions.

However, as Dortmund rose to greater prominence and success in the 1990s and began challenging for Bundesliga titles, the fixture has become one of the marquee matchups in European football. The biggest meeting to date was the 2013 UEFA Champions League final that saw Bayern defeat Dortmund 2-1 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Both sides regularly qualify for Champions League, but Bayern have won the competition six times to Dortmund’s one. And they frequently meet up in late round German cup matches.

There is a long list of legendary players to have participated in the rivalry, like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Franck Ribéry, Marco Reus, Michael Zorc and Alfred Preißler. Included as well are some big names who’ve played on both sides. Mats Hummels, Mario Götze, and Robert Lewandowski have all suited up for both clubs.

For more info on two of Germany’s finest, check out our Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund pages, complete with info and the latest TV and streaming schedules.