Planning to watch VfB Stuttgart face 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga at MHP Arena in Stuttgart? Prepare for the match on 4 September 2026 and plan your ticket purchase in advance, while checking transport options, stadium access and the latest match and team information before you travel
VfB Stuttgart and 1. FC Köln open their home Bundesliga story in Cannstatt
VfB Stuttgart will open the first home league chapter of the 2026/2027 season against 1. FC Köln at the MHP Arena. The date and time confirmed by the league schedule and both clubs is Friday, September 4, 2026 at 20:30 CEST. This is important for travel planning because earlier announcements may show a different kick-off time.
The match comes very early, in Matchday 2, so the actual table will only just begin to take shape. Before that, VfB visit Bayern München, while Köln host TSG Hoffenheim in Matchday 1. For that reason, it is impossible to speak in advance about the points situation after the opening weekend, but last season provides a clear framework: Stuttgart finished fourth with 62 points, while Köln were 14th with 32 points. The difference in their starting ambitions is therefore significant - the hosts want to confirm their status as a team from the upper part of the league, while Köln enter the new season with the clearly stated goal of stabilising themselves in the Bundesliga.
For VfB, this is also their first league appearance in front of their own supporters after the summer. In such a context, the result carries more weight than an ordinary early-season round: a victory would allow them to enter a demanding September schedule more calmly, while a good result for Köln in Stuttgart would be a strong signal that they can also take points away at teams that finished near the top in the previous season. Tickets for this match are in demand among supporters.
Stuttgart enter the season with a strong attacking base
Sebastian Hoeneß remains in charge of VfB, and the core of the attack offers several different solutions. Deniz Undav remains one of the central names. In the 2025/2026 season, he collected 25 goals and 14 assists in 46 competitive appearances for Stuttgart, after which he extended his contract. Ermedin Demirović also remains important because of his play in the penalty area, duels and finishing, and it was against Köln in February 2026 that he scored twice in a 3:1 victory.
The summer brought additional competition. VfB signed 20-year-old Leo Sauer from Feyenoord, a quick forward who enjoys one-on-one play, as well as 21-year-old Dzenan Pejcinovic from VfL Wolfsburg. Pejcinovic arrived in Stuttgart after scoring 12 goals in 39 competitive matches for Wolfsburg and then immediately made a strong first impression: he scored three goals in a 4:0 cup victory away to Hansa Rostock. Such a start does not guarantee him a place in the starting 11 against Köln, but it gives Hoeneß another option for changing the rhythm of the match.
Stuttgart also showed depth behind the forwards during pre-season. They beat Everton FC 3:1, with Nikolas Nartey, Ramon Hendriks and Badredine Bouanani scoring the goals. Angelo Stiller, Chris Führich, Bilal El Khannouss, Atakan Karazor, Jamie Leweling and Maximilian Mittelstädt are also in the squad, so the hosts can build attacks both through the centre and down the flanks.
One important question mark in defence
Dan-Axel Zagadou injured his hamstring in the pre-season match against Everton. On August 11, the club announced that he would be out for several weeks. This is not confirmation that he will miss the Köln match, but his status should be checked immediately before the game. With such an early date in the season, it makes no sense to conclude in advance that every player who was injured in mid-August will automatically be unavailable at the beginning of September.
The distribution of minutes is also important for Hoeneß. VfB open the league away to Bayern München on August 28, then play Köln six days later, followed by further demanding fixtures. It can therefore be expected that Stuttgart will try to take control through possession and good structure, but also that they will use the freshness from the bench earlier than in matches without such a schedule.
Köln change the face of the team but retain a clear identity
1. FC Köln are led into the new season by René Wagner. After the coaching change in the spring, the club entrusted him with the 2026/2027 preparations as well, and the message from the club before the start of the season was clear: the first objective is to remain in the Bundesliga and achieve longer-term stability.
Wagner's team received several interesting additions during the summer. Thijs Dallinga arrived on loan from Bologna FC as another option at the top of the attack, while midfielder Ellyes Skhiri, who knows the club well and brings experience in central midfield, returned on August 21. Ragnar Ache, Said El Mala, Jan Thielmann, Linton Maina, Isak Johannesson and Marius Bülter are also there. Said El Mala is particularly interesting when Köln find space for transitions: he is quick, can carry the ball towards the final third and was given an important role during pre-season.
Köln played Real Sociedad twice in August and recorded victories, while their final two tests against SC Paderborn ended in 2:3 and 3:4 defeats. After those matches, Wagner highlighted the same problem in both: his team played good first halves and then, in short periods, lost control and conceded several goals. This is particularly relevant for the trip to Stuttgart, where the hosts have enough quality to punish several consecutive mistakes when playing out of pressure or defending their own penalty area.
On the day this guide was prepared, Köln had not yet played their first competitive match of the season. The cup trip to Würzburger Kickers is scheduled for August 24, while the Bundesliga starts five days later. The final assessment of their form should therefore be left until the days after those matches.
Squad situation for the visitors
Ahead of the cup match, Wagner stated that Luca Waldschmidt was sidelined with muscular problems, while Timo Hübers and Sebastian Sebulonsen were working in a rehabilitation programme. As with Zagadou in Stuttgart, this reflects the situation from the second half of August rather than a confirmed list of absentees for September 4. For supporters who want the most accurate squad overview, the final training session and the press conference immediately before the trip will be more useful than earlier forecasts.
Recent head-to-head record favours VfB
Stuttgart have recently been a very difficult opponent for Köln. In September 2025, they won 2:1 in Köln after the hosts had taken an early lead through Jakub Kamiński. Demirović equalised and Josha Vagnoman scored the winning goal late in the match.
In the return fixture in February 2026, VfB won 3:1 at the MHP Arena. Demirović scored twice, Ragnar Ache equalised for Köln in the 79th minute, and Undav sealed the victory in stoppage time. After that match, Köln's run without a Bundesliga victory over Stuttgart grew to six games - four defeats and two draws - while Köln's most recent league victory in this pairing remained the one from December 2021.
Tactical picture: VfB's control against Köln's transitions
In their most recent meeting at the MHP Arena, Hoeneß emphasised the need for structure, control of the ball and proactivity. That framework still makes sense. Stuttgart have midfielders who can keep possession under pressure and forwards who move well between the lines. If Stiller and Karazor, or another partner in midfield, manage to switch the direction of attacks quickly, Köln's wide players will have to do a lot of work without the ball.
VfB can threaten in several ways: through combinations between Undav and Demirović in central areas, runs inside from Führich and Leweling from wide positions, and late arrivals from midfielders. Pejcinovic additionally changes the attacking profile because he offers a more classic presence in the finishing area and arrives with great confidence after his hat-trick in Rostock.
Köln under Wagner want to be aggressive without the ball, but also capable of controlling possession when they win it. During pre-season against Real Sociedad, the coach particularly emphasised work without the ball, creating chances from possession and transitions. Transition could be the visitors' most important weapon in Stuttgart. If El Mala, Maina or Thielmann are given open space after VfB lose the ball, the hosts will have to close the space behind their wide players quickly.
For Köln, it will be crucial to survive the phases in which Stuttgart string together several attacks. Paderborn showed in two pre-season meetings how quickly the visiting defence can lose its balance when the team stops consistently following the agreed principles. Against VfB, such a drop in concentration lasting around ten minutes may be enough for the match to turn completely.
MHP Arena: first home league match of the season
The MHP Arena is located in NeckarPark, in Stuttgart's Bad Cannstatt district, at Mercedesstraße 87. For Bundesliga matches, its capacity is 60,058 spectators. The stadium has undergone a major modernisation of the main stand, and VfB's home matches regularly create strong pressure on visiting teams, especially when the hosts are playing towards the Cannstatter Kurve.
The summer season opening already demonstrated the level of public interest: 43,000 people watched the friendly against Everton, even though no points were at stake. The first Bundesliga home fixture, on a Friday evening and against a club with a large travelling support, should bring a considerably more intense atmosphere. Seats in the stands are disappearing quickly.
The MHP Arena is part of the larger NeckarPark complex in Bad Cannstatt. Visitors arriving from outside the city will find it practical to plan their journey using public transport and allow extra time because of congestion before the match.
How to get to the stadium
- S-Bahn S1 runs directly to NeckarPark station, while S2 and S3 stop at Bahnhof Bad Cannstatt.
- Stadtbahn U1 and U2 can be used to Mercedesstraße or Wilhelmsplatz, while U11 is a special line used for major events to NeckarPark (Stadion).
- Bus routes 45 and 56 run to the NeckarPark (Stadion) stop.
- For arrival by car, traffic guidance towards NeckarPark is used; around 12,000 public parking spaces are listed in the wider area, but matches can bring road closures and special traffic regulations.
- For away supporters, blocks 61-65 use entrance D5, while the other entrances are allocated according to the stadium sectors.
The exact opening time of the gates for the match against Köln had not yet been announced in the information available up to August 23. At previous VfB home matches, entry was possible approximately two hours before kick-off, but for this match the current information should be checked immediately before departure. The same applies to any temporary changes to public transport and closures of Mercedesstraße.
If arriving by car, it is useful to allow for a slower approach over the final few kilometres. If arriving in Stuttgart by train, continuing by urban public transport towards Bad Cannstatt usually reduces the need to look for parking in the busiest part of NeckarPark.
What to expect in the stands and around the match
This is not a match that needs to be built up with grand words: the concrete context is already good enough. Stuttgart open their home league season after finishing fourth, Köln arrive after a season in which they finished 14th, and both teams have enough new faces for the balance of power still to change from week to week.
The home crowd will expect initiative from the first minute. Köln's away section should also be loud, so the match will have a clear contrast between long phases of home pressure and the visitors' attempts to silence the stadium through quick transitions. It will be particularly interesting to see whether Stuttgart manage to impose possession early or whether Köln force the hosts into more direct play with aggressive pressing.
It is worth securing tickets in good time. For visitors, it is equally important to allow enough time for arrival, security checks and finding their sector, especially because this is VfB's first home Bundesliga fixture of the new season.
Sources:
Bundesliga.com - confirmation of the Matchday 2 date and time, final table for the 2025/2026 season, reports and statistical context from the latest head-to-head matches.
VfB Stuttgart - 2026/2027 schedule, squad and coach, information on Undav, the arrivals of Sauer and Pejcinovic, Zagadou's injury, the pre-season match against Everton and information about travel and entrances at the MHP Arena.
1. FC Köln - schedule, coach René Wagner, summer signings, the condition of injured players, pre-season matches against Real Sociedad and SC Paderborn and the club's objective for the new season.
MHP Arena Stuttgart - capacity, address and basic stadium information.
Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart - location context of the MHP Arena and NeckarPark.