It’s World Cup audition time in the Bundesliga as Bayern nears the title

Munich — While Bayern Munich stand on the brink of a 34th Bundesliga crown, the league’s weekend slate doubles as a final dress rehearsal for players hoping to book tickets to the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

Bayern re-start league play Saturday at Freiburg holding an 11-point cushion over Borussia Dortmund. Two Bayern victories, coupled with two Dortmund defeats, would clinch the title as early as April 11. Coach Vincent Kompany’s immediate priorities are straightforward: secure three points and avoid fresh injuries before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid.

The club’s goalkeeping picture remains unsettled. Manuel Neuer has not played since 6 March while regaining fitness, and stand-in Jonas Urbig withdrew from Germany duty this week with a knee complaint. Up front, Harry Kane’s “minor issue” that kept him out of England’s friendly loss to Japan will be monitored, though he is not yet ruled out.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl seized the moment in Neuer’s and Kane’s absence. The teenager linked effectively with Florian Wirtz on debut in Germany’s 4-3 win over Switzerland and is now pressing to keep a senior national-team place. Serge Gnabry’s resurgence for club and country adds another layer to Bayern’s German contingent.

National-team hopefuls elsewhere are under equal pressure. Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav has seven goals in his last six Bundesliga outings and struck the winner against Ghana on Monday, yet coach Julian Nagelsmann still views the league’s second-top scorer as a bench option. Undav’s club-mates Angelo Stiller, Jamie Leweling and Chris Fürich are also jockeying for consideration, while Stuttgart chase a top-three finish and Champions League football.

Dortmund, now led by new sporting director Ole Book, travel to Stuttgart needing points to keep the title race mathematically alive. Carney Chukwuemeka, freshly capped by Austria, is among those hoping to use the high-profile clash as an audition.

Bayer Leverkusen left-back Alejandro Grimaldo played the full 90 in Spain’s 0-0 draw with Egypt and returns to domestic action Saturday against relegation-threatened Wolfsburg. A win would keep Xabi Alonso’s side on course for a Champions League berth and strengthen Grimaldo’s claim to a spot in La Roja’s final 23.

Even clubs with little left to play for are brimming with World Cup subplots. Seventh-placed Eintracht Frankfurt host Cologne on Sunday, giving Japan winger Ritsu Doan, German defender Nathaniel Brown and Belgian centre-back Arthur Theate a platform to impress.

The Bundesliga’s traditional Friday curtain-raiser is shelved for the Easter holidays, yielding a packed Saturday card of seven fixtures and a Sunday double-header. With places in Qatar’s successor tournament still up for grabs, every touch, tackle and goal carries weight far beyond the table.

Bayern can seal the championship before mid-month, but for dozens of players across Germany’s top flight, the real prize on offer this weekend is a seat on the plane to North America in June.