Bayern Beat Heidenheim 4-2 in Final Pre-Season Friendly at Voith-Arena

FC Bayern Munich beat 1. FC Heidenheim 4-2 on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in their final pre-season friendly at the Voith-Arena, rallying from a 2-1 halftime deficit with goals from Luis Díaz and Nathaniel Brown after Arijon Ibrahimović had levelled from the penalty spot. The result closed Bayern’s summer tune-up one week before the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Borussia Dortmund on Friday, August 22.

Kickoff was at 18:00 CEST in Heidenheim. Alphonso Davies captained the visitors, while Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Dayot Upamecano — all returning from FIFA World Cup 2026 duty — entered in the 61st minute for their first preseason minutes under Vincent Kompany.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match coverage from Bundesliga.com, BBC Sport, and FC Bayern Munich, August 18, 2026. Lineups and scorers reflect the completed friendly at the Voith-Arena.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	Pre-season friendly
Date	Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Venue	Voith-Arena, Heidenheim
Kickoff	18:00 CEST
Final score	Heidenheim 2–4 Bayern Munich

Goal timeline

Minute	Team	Scorer	Notes
5’	Heidenheim	Yannik Wagner	Early strike after Bayern lost possession inside the box
25’	Bayern	Felipe Chávez	Equaliser as the visitors settled into the match
44’	Heidenheim	Julian Niehues	Header from a set piece; hosts led 2-1 at the break
47’	Bayern	Arijon Ibrahimović (pen.)	Spot-kick after Tim Binder was fouled by Niehues
78’	Bayern	Luis Díaz	Put Bayern ahead after a sustained second-half push
84’	Bayern	Nathaniel Brown	Cut inside from the right and finished past Kevin Dähne

Heidenheim were competitive for long stretches — Wagner threatened repeatedly on the counter and Breunig tested Bayern’s composure with physical challenges that drew a word from Kompany to Frank Schmidt in the dugout. Bayern’s quality showed after the hour mark, when six substitutes raised the tempo and turned a one-goal deficit into a comfortable win.

How the game unfolded

First half: Wagner sets the tone, Heidenheim lead at the break

Heidenheim struck first in the fifth minute when Yannik Wagner punished a turnover and beat goalkeeper Jonas Urbig. Bayern responded through Felipe Chávez in the 25th minute, but the second-tier side stayed dangerous — Wagner forced saves from Urbig and had a second effort flagged offside.

Julian Niehues headed Heidenheim in front in the 44th minute, sending the home crowd into halftime with a 2-1 advantage. Ibrahimović, who spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Heidenheim, had been dispossessed early in the move that led to Wagner’s opener — a familiar opponent on an unfamiliar night for the Bayern youngster.

Second half: Penalty, then Bayern pull away

Binder won a penalty within two minutes of the restart when Niehues brought him down, and Ibrahimović converted for 2-2. Brown, who had replaced Davies at halftime, nearly created a third when he raced onto a loose ball and laid back for Urbig.

Kompany sent on Kane, Olise, Musiala, Díaz, Tah, Stanišić, and Pavlović in a 61st-minute wave of substitutions that reshaped the match. Díaz struck in the 78th minute to make it 2-3, and Brown sealed the result six minutes later with a left-footed finish.

Kane had chances late — a header over the bar in stoppage time and a shot that stung Dähne’s palms — while Olise saw an effort parried in added time. Brown was replaced by Pavlović in the 90th minute as Bayern saw out the win.

Squad notes and injury watch

Bayern travelled without Konrad Laimer, Min-jae Kim, and Jamal Musiala in the starting lineup after all three were withdrawn injured during the 3-1 Telekom Cup win over RB Leipzig on August 15. Musiala was among the second-half substitutes but went down off the ball in the 67th minute — described as a similar issue to his collapse against Leipzig — and was replaced by Lennart Kiala in the 70th minute.

Player	Incident	Outcome
Jamal Musiala	Off-ball issue, ~67’	Substituted for Kiala at 70’
Dayot Upamecano	Managed minutes	Replaced by Kim at 33’ after ~30 minutes

Kompany will hope Musiala’s problem is minor with the Supercup against Dortmund four days away and the Bundesliga home opener against VfB Stuttgart on August 28 following shortly after.

Ismael Saibari, who assisted Musiala’s goal against Leipzig on his Bayern debut, came on in the first half for Wisdom Mike. Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl remained options off the bench as they worked back from injury.

Heidenheim context

Heidenheim, coached by the long-serving Frank Schmidt, are preparing for life in Bundesliga 2 after relegation. They had already played two league matchdays before hosting Bayern — a 4-3 home win over promoted VfL Osnabrück followed by a 4-1 loss at Hertha Berlin.

Tuesday’s performance offered encouragement: Wagner’s movement troubled Bayern’s back line, and leading at halftime against the reigning champions was no small feat for a side that will open its DFB Cup campaign at SSV Jeddeloh II on August 23.

What’s next

Club	Next fixture	Date
Bayern	Franz Beckenbauer Supercup vs. Borussia Dortmund	Friday, August 22, 2026
Heidenheim	DFB Cup first round at SSV Jeddeloh II	Saturday, August 23, 2026
Bayern	Bundesliga opener vs. VfB Stuttgart (H)	Friday, August 28, 2026

For Bayern, the friendly served its purpose: Kane and Olise got minutes, Díaz and Brown looked sharp in front of goal, and Kompany learned more about his squad’s fitness — even as Musiala’s availability for Dortmund remained uncertain.

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Discussion

A preseason friendly is not a league table — but Heidenheim led at the break and Musiala left the pitch again.

1. Musiala went down off the ball for the second time in four days after coming on against Heidenheim. How cautious should Kompany be with the midfielder before the Supercup on August 22?

Bayern’s depth looked useful through Brown and Díaz, but losing Musiala for competitive football would sting.

2. Harry Kane and Michael Olise finally saw action after the World Cup. Did their cameos — and Kane’s late chances — suggest they will be ready for Dortmund?

Or does a week of training still leave question marks over full match fitness?

Share your read on Bayern’s preseason and whether Heidenheim’s first-half display says anything about their 2. Bundesliga prospects.