Season Opener of 2. Bundesliga Features Thrilling Clash Between Köln and Hamburg

Today, the 2. Bundesliga kicks off the 2024/25 season with a real thriller duel.

The 2. Football Bundesliga starts. Anyone wanting to watch all the matches will continue to rely on the pay-TV channel Sky. However, two games on the opening matchday will also be available on free TV.

The season in the 2. Football Bundesliga begins with a former top-league classic. On Friday (8:30 PM), Bundesliga relegated team 1. FC Köln will face Hamburger SV in front of 50,000 spectators at the sold-out RheinEnergieStadion. In addition to the pay-TV channel Sky, Sat.1 will also show the match on free TV and livestream it on ran.de.

The broadcasting of the second league opener is part of Sat.1’s rights package, which includes nine live matches. This also includes the opening match of the Bundesliga, one match each on the 17th and 18th Bundesliga matchdays, four relegation matches, and the Supercup.

On the pay channel Sky, all second league matches and the matchday conference can be viewed live. The free-to-air channel Sport1 is allowed to present 33 matches each season live on Saturdays at 8:30 PM. On the opening matchday, the channel will broadcast FC Schalke 04 against Eintracht Braunschweig.

Who will show the 2. Bundesliga from the 2025/2026 season onward has yet to be determined. Due to the legal dispute between the German Football League and the online sports channel DAZN, the auction for the TV rights for the 2025/26 to 2028/29 seasons has been suspended since last April.