Nmecha "looking forward" to upcoming season, Supercup against Bayern

Borussia Dortmund star midfielder Felix Nmecha is getting ready for his 4th season with Die Borussen, which will kick off with a Supercup clash against rivals Bayern München. 

But before he takes to the field, here's a glimpse into how Nmecha feels coming into this season, as well as what we can expect from him and the team coming into the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, courtesy of the DFL. 

Excitement for the new season

Following an disappointingly early exit in the World Cup with Germany, Nmecha eased back into training before rejoining the Dortmund lineup in Japan for a pre-season matchup against FC Tokyo. 

“Till now we only had this easy training session yesterday and then some running today. Now, we've still got another training session today, but we've just been doing testing and stuff till now, which has been fine. So I'm enjoying it.”

Now, as Dortmund gets ready for the upcoming season, Nmecha reflects on his readiness for the new campaign. 

“I think I'm someone who, after a short period of time, already wants to start playing football again. So for me, it's fine to be back in, and I'm looking forward to the season."

“I have a lot of goals and things that I want to do this season. So I'm excited."

Notably, Nmecha is focusing on continuing to build upon his fitness and capabilities as a player. 

“I think generally it's to reach peak performance as much as possible and be at my best and use every game to become a better player. That's the general goal."

Shifting to team expectations, Nmecha spotlighted Dortmund’s defensive efforts last season as a key strength of the team. 

"Yeah, I think that's one area we really developed a lot in the team, just to not really concede many goals. And I think if we had just had the edge in some of the games that we drew, the season could have looked very different.” 

Nmecha is absolutely correct in his judgement: last season was Dortmund’s best in terms of goals conceded (34) since the 2015/16 season (also 34). It marks a massive improvement from the season before in 2024/25, where the team conceded 51 goals. 

The last time Dortmund conceded less than 34 goals in a season was the 2011/12 season (25), the season that they last won the Bundesliga.

However, Nmecha also emphasized the need for Dortmund to more effectively close out games. 

“I think that's one area we can definitely improve, to have more games where we just see the game out at the end and aren't fighting to the last minute to get the points.” 

“But it's something that we can definitely grow in, and I think hopefully this will be a season we do that."

In 2025/26, Dortmund drew/lost 6 games in which they were the first goalscorer (including a 3-2 loss against Bayern München), in total equating to 13 points dropped (5 draws, 1 loss). Assuming Dortmund won those matches, they would’ve actually finished with the same point total as Bayern (albeit, still light years behind in goal differential). 

Nmecha also shone a light on Jobe Bellingham, with whom he is excited to continue pairing with in the midfield. 

“Jobe made a lot of steps last season. We could see how he was developing game by game and getting more and more comfortable too.” 

“So it's definitely something I'm looking forward to in this coming season."

Overall, Nmecha is excited to get started and continue pushing for title contention. 

“I think that we're going to see a team that gives everything, and of course we have our clear goals. You don't enter a competition all season without the intention to win.”

“But I think the way we will do that is by just taking it game by game, and hopefully we will have a great season."

A future leader for Dortmund?

Since signing for Dortmund in 2023, Nmecha has cemented himself as a reliable and creative midfield option, believing last season to have been his best so far. 

“I felt really good. I think I had a good impact in our team, and it was definitely a season that I can build on and learn a lot from as well.”

In particular, Nmecha’s developing role as the leader of this iteration of Dortmund has been a focal point. 

“Of course, when you have a few good seasons and there are more eyes on you, then people recognise it more.” 

“I think I was definitely seeing myself as a leader and someone who's taking responsibility in the team last year. For me, this also helped a lot mentally.” 

In the 2025/26 campaign, Nmecha contributed 2 goals and 3 assists for Dortmund in 29 league games. Nmecha also led Dortmund in minutes played, having accumulated 3,118 minutes across all competitions. 

Additionally, Nmecha’s teammates have praised the midfielder for his contribution to the team, highlighting him as the player of the season, a sentiment he has expressed gratitude for. 

"I'm always very grateful to get recognition for doing well. I try not to focus on it too much because I think it can distract at times, but I'm definitely grateful and it's always nice to hear.” 

Nmecha’s impressive season saw him selected by the German national team to play at the World Cup this summer, where he has continued his form. In 4 appearances, he provided 1 goal and 1 assist for Die Mannschaft, including their first tournament goal against Curaçao. 

With Jürgen Klopp confirmed as Germany’s new manager, Nmecha expressed his excitement to play under the tenured coach. 

“Everyone's really looking forward to working with him. That would obviously be an amazing experience and something I'm looking forward to."

Franz Beckenbauer Supercup preview

Gearing up for this Saturday’s Franz Beckenbauer Supercup showdown against Bayern München, Nmecha recognises the importance of this early Der Klassiker meeting. 

“It's a big game. It's a game for a trophy, and it's a game that everyone wants to win. So I think we just need to give everything, and hopefully we can do that.”

Nmecha, playing in his first ever Supercup match, also notes the difficulty of the task at hand. 

“Yeah, they were good. They were very good.” 

“We know how much quality Bayern have.” 

Regardless, Nmecha still believes Dortmund has the quality and the will to overcome their eternal rivals, citing last season’s promising performances. 

“I think there were games where we learnt a lot and took confidence.”

“And when you make it tough for them like that, which I believe we can do against any team, it should give you confidence, even if there are obviously moments where you’re emotionally down because you lost.” 

Dortmund’s last Supercup matchup against Bayern came 5 years ago, where the Bavarians came out victorious with a 3-1 victory - their most recent Supercup victory over Bayern (which was also their latest Supercup victory to date) came all the way back in 2019. 

Coincidentally, Die Schwarzgelben’s last home victory against Bayern was that 2019 Supercup victory, giving even more significance to an already high stakes matchup.