Bundesliga

The 2026–27 season of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) is about to begin: The new season kicks off this coming Sunday when Borussia Dortmund hosts 1. FC Saarbrücken TT at 3:00 p.m. Record champion Borussia Düsseldorf kicks off its season on Tuesday at TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg. All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Borussia Dortmund – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

To kick off the season, the reigning Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) champions are making their mark—albeit with a changed lineup. 1. FC Saarbrücken TT capped off last season with the treble: After winning the cup and securing their fourth consecutive Champions League title, FCS defeated Düsseldorf 3-1 in the final of the Liebherr TTBL Final4. Shortly thereafter, however, the Saarland-based club lost its most prominent player. Fan Zhendong transferred to Düsseldorf—of all places, their Final4 opponent—and Darko Jorgic, Yuto Muramatsu, and Cedric Meissner also left the club. The response was fitting: Superstar Hugo Calderano is returning to the TTBL, and Alvaro Robles and Albert Vilardell are new additions. Borussia Dortmund enters the matchup as the underdog but has also bolstered its roster: Joao Geraldo is returning to the TTBL from France, and Wim Verdonschot is also a new addition. Alongside Anders Lind, Kristian Karlsson, Cedric Nuytinck, and Adam Szudi, the team aims to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish. “We want to compete for a spot in the Final4,” says BVB coach Evgeny Fadeev, explaining the team’s ambitions.

Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

Last season, Post SV Mühlhausen was the best team outside the Final4 field: With 20–24 points, the Thuringian club finished in fifth place. Mühlhausen has therefore opted against making major changes—along with Bremen, Post SV is one of only two TTBL teams that did not bring in any external reinforcements over the summer. Liao Cheng-Ting moved to Bad Königshofen, and Taiwanese player Yeh Yi-En has been called up from the third-division reserve team to replace him. Steffen Mengel, Kay Stumper, Marcos Freitas, and Ovidiu Ionescu continue to lead the team. TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, on the other hand, has undergone a major overhaul. After finishing in tenth place and battling relegation last season, the six-time German champion signed an old acquaintance in Liam Pitchford: The Englishman is returning to the TTBL after several years away. In addition, Liang Yanning is joining the team in the Westerwald, while Luka Mladenovic has moved to France. The team continues to be led by Feng Yi-Hsin, with Martin Allegro, Maciej Kubik, and Samuel Walker remaining on the roster. The new head coach is Chen Zhibin. “Mühlhausen is always a very tough opponent, especially on their home court,” says the TTC coach. “We have to stay focused from the start and can’t afford to make any careless mistakes. The first matchday is always special because no one knows exactly where the teams really stand yet. We want to play boldly and capitalize on our opportunities.”

SV Werder Bremen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

SV Werder Bremen has finished in the top four of the standings twice in the past three years. Now, the Hanseatic team faces a grueling start to the 2026/27 season: Following Monday’s match against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, Werder will face Grenzau, Düsseldorf, and Saarbrücken. “With these opponents, there’s a risk of slipping into the lower half of the standings early on, rather than establishing ourselves in the middle of the pack first. That’s why a win against Fulda would take a lot of pressure off us,” says Bremen’s coach Cristian Tamas. “That’s why a win against Fulda would take a lot of pressure off us.” The lineup remains unchanged: Kirill Gerassimenko, Mattias Karlsson, Irvin Bertrand, and Marcelo Aguirre will once again take the court together. Fulda finished last season in seventh place and has rejuvenated its roster in key areas: Andrei Istrate, the 2025 U21 double European champion, is joining the team in East Hesse; the core lineup featuring Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Jonathan Groth, Ruwen Filus, and Fanbo Meng remains intact. “We’ll really have to give it our all against this team to kick off our incredibly tough opening schedule with a win,” says Tamas.

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt can head into the season with confidence—and has no reason to fear the 2025 German champions: Finishing in third place, the team had an impressive season, and in the semifinals of the Liebherr TTBL Final4, they were only eliminated by Düsseldorf in the doubles match (2:3). In addition, the Schwalben boasted the league’s top singles player in Benedikt Duda (25:8). Over the summer, Bergneustadt bolstered its roster with Cedric Meissner, who joined from the champions in Saarbrücken, while Leo de Nodrest moved to France. Alongside Duda, Meissner, and Romain Ruiz, Adrien Rassenfosse and Phil Schweitzer round out coach Frederik Duda’s roster. There are also new faces at TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen: With Darius Movileanu and Daniel Berzosa, two more talented players have joined the team. Shunsuke Togami, Iulian Chirita, and Tiago Abiodun remain on the roster. TTF coach Bogdan Pugna is looking forward to the season opener: “We had a good preseason and expect to be able to field our full roster. Now we want to go into the match with lots of energy, put on a good show for our fans, and, of course, try to keep the two points here in Ochsenhausen.”

TTC OE Clarity Telephony Systems Bad Homburg – Borussia Düsseldorf

Borussia Düsseldorf has a special match coming up: On Tuesday evening, Fan Zhendong could take the court for the record-holding champions for the first time. The Olympic champion’s move is considered the transfer of the year and made headlines internationally. Fan’s home debut is scheduled for August 22 at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle, but he could make his first appearance as early as the match against TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg. Düsseldorf coach Danny Heister isn’t revealing yet who he’ll ultimately select for the lineup. “In the end, of course, it’s the result that counts, but I also hope that the team bonds quickly and that everyone shows what they can do at the table,” says Heister. Bad Homburg finished last season in ninth place, and with Jo Yokotani’s departure, the club lost its most successful player. New to the team is Australian Finn Luu; Japanese player Kazuki Hamada will also join for the second half of the season. There’s also a new coach: Slobodan Grujic has come over from Grenzau to replace Helmut Hampl.

TSV Bad Königshofen – ASC Grünwettersbach

This matchup between the two teams that finished last in the previous season offers both sides the chance to turn their season around. TSV Bad Königshofen finished the 2025–26 season in eleventh place with 14–30 points, while ASC Grünwettersbach finished twelfth with 12–32. Both clubs have responded accordingly. Bad Königshofen signed Liao Cheng-Ting from Mühlhausen and Volodymyr Nevizhyn, a promising young talent from Ukraine. Bastian Steger, Andre Bertelsmeier, Daniel Habesohn, and Filip Zeljko remain on the roster. Grünwettersbach released Hiroto Shinozuka and signed Chang Tao-Yu—though they are still awaiting clearance from the Chinese federation and are expected to have to start the season’s first few matches with a depleted roster.

Match day #1 at a glance

Sunday, August 16
3 pm: Borussia Dortmund – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
5 pm: Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

Monday, August 17
6:30 pm: SV Werder Bremen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
7 pm: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen vs. TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Tuesday, August 18
6:30 pm: TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg vs. Borussia Düsseldorf
7 pm: TSV Bad Königshofen vs. ASC Grünwettersbach

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Header photo: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT's Patrick Franziska (by BeLa Sportfoto)