Introduction to German Women’s Football
It’s not often that Bayern Munich humbles itself, but after the 7-1 defeat to Barcelona on matchday one of the new Women’s Champions League group stage, the message was more coherent than the performance. German international Klara Bühl stated, “We have to think about it and learn the right lessons from it.” Bayern’s new coach Jose Barcala echoed this sentiment, saying, “We have to learn from the game, stick together and move on.” Such a heavy defeat is a shock for a team that has only lost two league games since 2023.
The State of German Women’s Football
A German newspaper noted that the result had the potential to "trigger waves of shock, not just in Munich but throughout German women’s football." Although the magnitude of the defeat for the Bundesliga champions is significant, many believe the shockwaves have been felt for some time. Germany has not had a Champions League winner since FFC Frankfurt in 2015. The national team has not won a major tournament since the 2013 European Championship. There is a growing feeling that Germany has fallen behind in the explosion in women’s football that began around the 2019 World Cup.
Comparison with Other European Teams
The opposite is Spain, the most recent world champions, and Barcelona, which has appeared in six of the last seven Champions League finals and won three of them. The country was barely on the map of elite women’s football a decade ago and is now well ahead of Germany, as national coach Christian Wück recently noted. Wück said, "Spanish women don’t think about these fundamentals anymore. They play like it’s second nature. We have to train intensively to get to this point."
Talent Drain in German Women’s Football
The training is all very good, but there is an increasing brain drain in the Bundesliga, especially among Germany’s best players. Players like Sydney Lohmann, Sjoeke Nüsken, and Jule Brand have left for more money, more spectators, and better chances of European success. Whether they’re playing abroad for clubs brimming with talent or trying to make it at home in Germany, the problem for the country’s best players is playing enough. Wück noted, "The development in this important area is too slow for my taste. The playing time is definitely not high. Some national players don’t play enough for their clubs, not only in the women’s Bundesliga, but also abroad."
Solutions for German Women’s Football
Wück called on coaches to trust the younger players in the Bundesliga more in order to help themselves and the national team. "We can only do this together. We have to find ways to give our players playing time. We need coaches who have the courage to sign young players and give them time," said Wück. He was broadly praiseworthy of the German top league, but it is clear that it is struggling financially to keep up with other leagues. Apart from German midfielder Lena Oberdorf’s significant transfer fee move from Wolfsburg to Bayern last year, no German club has paid one of the 50 highest transfer fees of all time for women.
The Role of the Bundesliga
After the defeat against Barcelona, the women’s team often asks itself if the Bundesliga is competitive and lucrative enough for even their biggest club in Europe to be successful. Bayern have won three Bundesliga titles in a row but have not progressed past the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 2021. What works at home doesn’t work in Europe. Jessica Stommel, head of women’s football at a sports marketing agency, suggested that focusing on new talents could be an opportunity for Germany to catch up with other leagues. She noted, "You don’t always have to pay millions in transfer fees to buy the best players, because that isn’t sustainable either."
