FC Bayern will continue its tradition of visiting the Oktoberfest in 2026. For some national team players, however, the chosen date causes stress.
A visit to the Oktoberfest is a long-standing tradition at FC Bayern. This year, Vincent Kompany, his coaching staff, the team, support staff, and club executives will once again stop by the Wiesn together. As reported by BILD, the official visit is scheduled for Sunday, September 20, starting at noon at the Käfer-Schenke.
The date is, in principle, no surprise. The first Sunday of the Wiesn is traditionally reserved for the Bayern group visit. This year, however, the schedule means that some players will have to get back on the road quickly afterward.
As early as Friday evening (8:30 p.m.), FC Bayern will host Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena. Starting Monday, the clubs must officially release their nominated national team players for the upcoming international matches. This means that players facing long trips—such as Luis Diaz with Colombia or Minjae Kim with South Korea—will have hardly any time to catch their breath after the Oktoberfest event.
XXL international break leaves Bayern with little choice
Moving the match to Saturday would have been more convenient for the players, but it would have created other problems. Oktoberfest opens on September 19. The traditional tapping of the first keg is one of the busiest days at the Theresienwiese. According to BILD, having the entire Bayern squad appear there would be even more difficult to organize and manage from a security standpoint for the festival tent, the police, and the club.
There’s hardly any later alternative this time either. For the first time, FIFA has combined the previously separate international match windows in September and October into one long break in 2026. This break begins on September 21 and officially ends on October 6—two days after the Oktoberfest concludes.
This means that another Oktoberfest tradition will largely be off the table for many Bayern stars. In recent years, individual players or small groups would stop by the Oktoberfest privately after the team’s official visit. For most national team players, this opportunity is unlikely to arise in 2026 due to the unusual schedule.
