Bayern Munich push Bundesliga dominance into historic territory

January 16, 2026 Oliver Obel

Bayern Munich have long made a habit of leading the Bundesliga, but their latest first-half performance suggests something more unusual than routine domestic control. After 17 matches, Vincent Kompany’s side are not only unbeaten they are operating at a statistical level rarely seen in Germany, or elsewhere.

The 3-1 midweek win away to Cologne confirmed Bayern’s position at the summit and sharpened the focus on how far this team may be able to go if their current trajectory holds.

A familiar points total, delivered differently

Bayern reach the halfway mark with 47 points, built from 15 wins and two draws. According to BBC Sport, that figure matches the Bundesliga record for this stage of a season, first achieved under Pep Guardiola in 2013-14.

Where Kompany’s side diverge from that benchmark is in the manner of their dominance. Bayern have already scored 66 league goals the most any German top-flight club has managed after 17 matches combining efficiency with an attacking tempo that has overwhelmed opponents well before the season’s midpoint.

Guardiola’s Bayern ultimately finished that campaign with 90 points and wrapped up the title with seven games to spare. Kompany’s team, now 11 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, are tracking toward the club’s all-time record of 91 points set during the Treble-winning 2012-13 season.

Scoring numbers that stretch beyond modern comparisons

BBC Sport notes that Bayern’s scoring rate places them in rare historical company. No team in Europe’s major leagues has reached this goal tally after 17 games since Athletic Bilbao scored 72 in the 1930-31 Spanish season.

That Bilbao side went on to win La Liga on goal difference, underlining how decisive such firepower can be over a short campaign. The most extreme early-season total remains Blackburn Rovers’ 73 goals in England’s top division in 1889-90 a record that has never been surpassed.

More recently, the closest Premier League comparison came in 2011-12, when Manchester City scored 53 goals at the same stage on their way to ending a 44-year title drought, with Kompany captaining that side.

Kane as the constant

At the centre of Bayern’s attack is Harry Kane, whose output continues to set the standard. The England captain has scored 31 goals in 27 appearances this season, including 20 in the league, and has failed to score in only eight matches.

His hat-trick against Stuttgart in December was his third of the campaign and the 11th since joining Bayern, underlining a scoring pattern built around bursts rather than isolated contributions.

After Kane became the fastest player to reach 100 Bundesliga goal contributions, Kompany said: “He'll keep having a lot of individual records because he's a special player.”

More than a one-man attack

While Kane provides the focal point, Bayern’s numbers reflect collective output rather than reliance on a single scorer. Fifteen different players have found the net in the league, and seven were on the scoresheet in the recent 8-1 win over Wolfsburg.

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Fifty of Bayern’s 66 goals have come from open play, with set-pieces and penalties accounting for the remainder a breakdown that highlights how much of their threat is generated through movement and sustained pressure rather than dead-ball situations.

If their current average holds, Bayern are positioned to challenge their own Bundesliga record of 101 goals in a season, and potentially push into territory occupied only by historic European outliers.

Sources: BBC Sport