Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač says his side are not ready to challenge Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title next season despite finishing second in 2025/26.

Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovač has downplayed his side’s chances of challenging Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title next season, insisting the Bavarians remain on a different level financially and competitively.

Despite guiding Dortmund to a second-place finish in the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign, Kovač admitted the 16-point gap between his side and Bayern highlighted the scale of the challenge ahead.

Speaking after Dortmund’s final game of the season, the Croatian coach stressed that while improvement remains the goal, realism is also necessary when comparing his squad to the reigning champions. “Of course we want to improve, of course we want to close the gap at the top,” Kovač explained while reflecting on the campaign.

However, he acknowledged Bayern’s superior resources and star power, adding that Dortmund are still some distance away from genuinely competing for the Bundesliga crown.

“Bayern have much more money and far more superstars than us,” Kovač said. “We are a good team, but I don’t see us challenging Bayern next year at this point.”

Even so, Dortmund’s season was far from disappointing. The club finished with 73 points, marking their fifth-best Bundesliga campaign in history and securing another strong finish under Kovač’s leadership.

After a demanding campaign, the Dortmund boss also admitted he is looking forward to taking a break before preparations begin for the new season, saying he is happy to “switch everything off for now” and enjoy time away from football.