How to watch the Bundesliga in 2022

How to watch Bundesliga - Bundesliga team Bayern Munich celebrate their German Supercup 2021 win
(Image credit: Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty)

Bundesliga, roughly translated, means "national league." It's the top level in which you can play in Germany. It's like the Premier League in England. Or Serie A in Italy. Or La Liga in Spain.

As the Bundesliga has continued, Bayern Munich has built up a decent lead at the top of the league. Currently, they have 72 points in the Bundesliga, putting them 9 points ahead of the second-place team, Borussia Dortmund (on 63 points). This puts them on track to secure the club's tenth consecutive title victory.

Here's how to watch Bundesliga soccer in 2022 so you can keep up with the top German league as the season continues.

How to watch the Bundesliga in the United States

ESPN Plus became the home of the Bundesliga in the US last year, and the network has committed to comprehensive coverage of the game for the second year running, with over 300 live Bundesliga matches set to air exclusively on ESPN Plus this season.

ESPN Plus has become the go-to service for anyone who loves live sports. There's just not enough room on traditional television for the sheer amount of games being played around the world on any given day or weekend, and that's where streaming comes in.

Without the shackles of "channels," ESPN Plus is able to bring you every Bundesliga game on the schedule. Five games playing at the same time? No problem. You can pick and choose what you want to watch, and flip back and forth without any effort whatsoever.

In addition to all the live events, ESPN Plus also has a smattering of original content and bits and pieces from the terrestrial side of the network, too.

And there's new original content as well, from some of the biggest names in the business, from auto racing to college football, UFC, basketball, baseball, and more.

Access starts from just $6.99 a month, but you can save over 15% with an ESPN Plus Annual Plan for $69.99 a year. 

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How to watch the Bundesliga in the UK

You might be expecting to head over to BT Sport to watch Bundesliga football in the UK, but you'd be wrong. BT's contract with the German league expired at the end of the previous season.

If you're a German football fan in the UK and Ireland, you'll now find Bundesliga football on Sky TV. Sky signed an exclusive, four-year contract earlier this year, making Sky Sports the new home of the top German football league. 

This agreement covers the regular top-flight league and coverage of the German Super Cup, which was won this season by Bayern Munich on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.

Sky Sports kicked off its coverage with the first game of the season and continues to show one premium fixture every weekend live on Saturdays at 5:30 pm on Sky Sports Football, with additional games being shown on other linear and digital Sky Sports channels including Sky Sports YouTube.

Which teams are in the Bundesliga this season?

Like other European football leagues, the teams in the Bundesliga change every year. 18 teams compete in the league each year, but the bottom two teams are automatically "relegated" and drop to the league below, the 2. Bundesliga, replaced by the top-two finishers from 2. Bundesliga.

The third-lowest team in the Bundesliga also plays the third-highest team from the 2. Bundesliga and the winner takes up the final place in the following Bundesliga season.

The teams competing this year are: 

  • Arminia Bielefeld
  • FC Augsburg
  • Bayer Leverkusen
  • Bayern Munich
  • VfL Bochum
  • Borussia Dortmund
  • Borussia Mönchengladbach
  • Eintracht Frankfurt
  • SC Freiburg
  • SpVgg Greuther Fürth
  • Hertha BSC
  • TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
  • FC Cologne
  • RB Leipzig
  • Mainz 05
  • VfB Stuttgart
  • Union Berlin
  • VfL Wolfsburg

Upcoming Bundesliga fixtures

Below is a list of upcoming fixtures from the current Bundesliga season. You'll find local kick-off times and info on how to watch each match. All fixtures are subject to change.

Please note: Not all games are televised in the UK. Missing scheduling information will be added as soon as possible once it is available.

Friday, April 22

VfL Wolfsburg vs Mainz - 2:30 pm EDT on ESPN Plus / 7:30 pm UK time

Saturday, April 23

Eintracht Frankfurt vs TSG Hoffenheim - 9:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 2:30 pm UK time

RB Leipzig vs FC Union Berlin - 9:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 2:30 pm UK time

Greuther Fürth vs Bayer Leverkusen - 9:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 2:30 pm UK time

SC Freiburg vs Borussia Mönchengladbach - 9:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 2:30 pm UK time

FC Cologne vs Arminia Bielefeld - 9:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 2:30 pm UK time

Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund - 12:30 pm EDT on ESPN Plus and ABC / 5:30 pm UK time on Sky Sports Football

Sunday, April 24

VfL Bochum vs FC Augsburg - 9:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 2:30 pm UK time on Sky Sports Mix

Hertha Berlin vs VfB Stuttgart - 11:30 am EDT on ESPN Plus / 4:30 pm UK time on Sky Sports Mix

Friday, April 29

FC Union Berlin vs Greuther Fürth - 2:30 pm EDT on ESPN Plus / 7:30 pm UK time

Phil Nickinson

Phil spent his 20s in the newsroom of the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, his 30s on the road for AndroidCentral.com and Mobile Nations and is the Dad part of Modern Dad.