Rivalries
Bayern Munich has a rivalry with Borussia Dortmund. Bayern and Dortmund have competed against each other for many Bundesliga titles. Bayern and Dortmund have played against each other in the DFB-Pokal final in 2008 and 2012. The 2–5 loss against Dortmund in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final was Bayern's worst ever loss in a final. Bayern and Dortmund have also played against each other in the DFL-Supercup in 1989, 2008, and 2012. The height of the rivalry was when Bayern played against Dortmund in the 1998 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Dortmund advanced past Bayern on a 1–0 aggragate.
Bayern is one of three professional football clubs in Munich. Bayern's main local rival is TSV 1860 Munich, who were the more successful club in the 1960s, winning a cup and a championship. In the 1970s and 1980s, TSV 1860 moved between the first and the third division, but lately have settled in the second division. The Munich derby is still a much anticipated event, getting a lot of extra attention from supporters of both clubs. 1860 is considered more working-class, and therefore suffers from a diminishing fan base in a city where the manufacturing sector is declining. Bayern is considered the establishment club, which is reflected by many board members being business leaders and including the former Bavarian minister president, Edmund Stoiber. Despite the rivalry, Bayern has repeatedly supported 1860 in times of financial disarray.
SpVgg Unterhaching from the semi-rural southern outskirts of Munich, is the city's third team. There is no rivalry between Bayern and Unterhaching, the most notable event in the relation of the two clubs being the finish of the 1999–2000 Bundesliga season. Unterhaching defeated Bayer Leverkusen on the last day of the season, giving Bayern the chance to surpass Leverkusen in the standings and claim the title.
Since the 1920s, 1. FC Nuremberg has been Bayern's main and traditional rival in Bavaria. Philipp Lahm said that playing Nuremberg is "always special" and is a "heated atmosphere". Both clubs played in the same league in the mid-1920s, but in the 1920s and 1930s, Nuremberg was far more successful, winning five championships in the 1920s, making the club Germany's record champion. Bayern took over the title more than sixty years later, when they won their tenth championship in 1987, thereby surpassing the number of championships won by Nuremberg. The duel between Bayern and Nuremberg is often referred to as the Bavarian Derby.
Bayern also enjoys a strong rivalry with the 1. FC Kaiserslautern, originating in parts from a game in 1973, when Bayern led 4–1 to lose 7–4, but also from the two clubs competing for German championship honors at various times in the Bundesliga as well as the city of Kaiserslautern having been part of Bavaria until the end of the Second World War.
Since the 1970s, Bayern's main rivals have been the clubs who put up the strongest fight against its national dominance. In the 1970s this was Borussia Mönchengladbach, in the 1980s the category expanded to include Hamburger SV. In the 1990s Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, and Bayer Leverkusen emerged as the most ardent opponents. Recently Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, and Werder Bremen have been the main challengers in the Bundesliga.
Amongst Bayern's chief European rivals are Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, and Manchester United due to many classic wins, draws and losses. Real Madrid versus Bayern is the match that has historically been played most often in the Champions League with 14 matches and the European Cup with 19 matches. Real's biggest loss at home in the Champions League came at the hands of Bayern on 29 February 2000 (2–4). Due to Bayern being traditionally hard to beat for Madrid, Madrid supporters often refer to Bayern as the 'Bestia negra' which translates to 'The Black Beast'. Despite the number of duels, Bayern and Real have never met in the final of a Champions League or European Cup. The last time the two teams met were in the 2–1 win of Real Madrid in the 2011–12 Champions League semi-finals (3–3 on aggregate) forcing extra time and penalties. Bayern Munich won 3–1 on penalties to reach their first ever home Champions League final.
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