Kompany Era Begins with Bayern's 2026/27 Pre-Season

Vincent Kompany’s first full pre-season in charge of FC Bayern began today, not with fireworks, but with wires, treadmills and test data. The new head coach has his squad back in Munich, or at least the part of it not still recovering from World Cup duty, as the German champions quietly start to shape the 2026/27 campaign.

On day one, there is no Harry Kane, no Jamal Musiala, no Alphonso Davies. Those names will come later. For now, the work starts with the core that is already on the pitch.

Early birds and rehab returns

Sven Ulreich, Tom Bischof, João Palhinha, Bryan Zaragoza, Sacha Boey and Arijon Ibrahimović reported for duty and are immediately available to Kompany. They form the first wave, the group that will set the tone in the opening sessions while the World Cup contingent trickles back.

Alongside them, four familiar faces are easing their way back into the fold. Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl, David Santos Daiber and Cassiano Kiala are being carefully reintegrated as part of their rehabilitation programmes. No shortcuts, no rush. Bayern know the value of having them fit when the season truly bites.

Data first, then the lake

The opening days are all about numbers. Performance diagnostics come before tactics, before patterns of play, before anything that looks like the Bayern most supporters recognise.

The majority of the World Cup participants, including the Germany internationals, are scheduled for their tests on 27 and 28 July. Once cleared and assessed, they will not head straight into the Allianz Arena glare, but south – to the calm of Tegernsee.

Individually, they will make their way to the training camp on the lake, where Kompany and his staff will finally have something close to a full group to work with.

Staggered arrivals and a split summer

The build-up has been carefully staggered. Luis Díaz, Konrad Laimer and Josip Stanišić are due to join the squad before Bayern embark on their Audi Summer Tour to Jeju and Hong Kong, with departure set for 1 August. That tour will offer the first glimpses of Kompany’s ideas in match situations, even if the squad is still incomplete.

The star names that drove last season’s storylines arrive later. Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano will link up with the team only after the Asian leg of pre-season. At the same time, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Ismael Saibari, Gnabry and Karl will not travel; they will continue their work in Munich, building fitness away from the demands of long-haul flights and commercial commitments.

It is a split strategy: one group carrying the club’s global profile, another quietly grinding at Säbener Straße.

Tegernsee opens its doors

Between 27 and 30 July, Tegernsee becomes Bayern’s temporary home. The camp will not be closed off behind fences and security lines. Every day at 15:30 CEST, the club will open training to the public, offering supporters a close look at Kompany’s methods and the early chemistry of his squad.

Those sessions, often more telling than any friendly, will set the rhythm of the week. Patterns will form. Hierarchies will start to emerge. Players on the fringes will sense an opportunity.

Then comes the now traditional curtain-raiser.

On 30 July, Bayern face FC Rottach-Egern in a friendly that has become part of the club’s pre-season fabric. The match will be shown via free live stream on Bayern’s official channels, a familiar fixture in an otherwise new chapter.

The schedule is set. The plan is clear. What Kompany and this reshaped Bayern make of it over the next few weeks will say plenty about where the club is heading in 2026/27.