VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart, based at the MHPArena in Stuttgart with a capacity of 60,449, finished second in the Bundesliga in 2023-24 with 73 points, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in fifteen years.

The 2023-24 season was the most unexpected development in German football outside of Leverkusen’s title run. Stuttgart had been promoted from the Bundesliga in 2021-22 and returned to play Europa League football in 2023-24 before finishing second and entering the Champions League. The squad was built without the financial resources of the traditional top four German clubs and managed under Sebastian Hoeness, in his first major management role, with a attacking style built around pace and vertical runs behind defensive lines.

Serhou Guirassy scored 28 Bundesliga goals in the 2023-24 season from 24 appearances before a knee injury ended his campaign early, goals-per-game numbers that place him among the most prolific strikers in Bundesliga history for a single season. His departure to Borussia Dortmund in the summer created the central rebuild question: who scores the goals that got Stuttgart into the Champions League when the man who scored most of them has gone?

The MHPArena, previously named the Mercedes-Benz Arena, sits in the Bad Cannstatt district of Stuttgart, adjacent to the Cannstatter Wasen fairground where the Stuttgarter Volksfest takes place. The stadium is in a valley, surrounded by hills on three sides, which creates an unusual acoustic environment that amplifies crowd noise.

When does Stuttgart play? Bundesliga kickoffs at MHPArena are typically 15:30 or 18:30 CET (UTC+1). Stuttgart is in Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany. A 15:30 CET Saturday match means 14:30 GMT in London, 09:30 ET in New York, and 23:30 JST in Tokyo. Check Stuttgart time for conversions. Full Bundesliga schedule.