Borussia Dortmund Lineup Builder 2026 - 2027
To build your Borussia Dortmund starting XI, use the tool above: browse the current BVB squad, pick a formation, and place your players on the pitch. Dortmund lineups are among the most debated in Europe, because the squad is usually full of young attackers competing for the same handful of positions. On this page you can settle the argument yourself and share the result.
Features of the Dortmund Lineup Builder
- Explore the current Borussia Dortmund squad with real player data
- Add transfer targets and see how they change the shape of the team
- Try formations including 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3 and 4-4-2
- Customise the kit in black and yellow, or any colours you like
- Download your lineup as an image and share it with other BVB fans
The BVB Identity: Speed, Youth and the Sudtribune
Borussia Dortmund are defined by two things: the fastest attacking football in Germany, and the largest standing terrace in world football. The Sudtribune — the Yellow Wall — holds around 25,000 supporters and turns Signal Iduna Park into the most intimidating home ground in the Bundesliga. On the pitch, the club made its name with the Klopp era, when Gegenpressing and vertical transitions brought back-to-back league titles and a Champions League final, and that template still shapes what fans expect from a BVB lineup: energy, directness and forwards who attack space rather than wait for it.
The Selection Debates
- Balance versus attack: Dortmund can field an extraordinary number of attacking players. The recurring question is how many the midfield can support without leaving the defence exposed.
- The number six: a single holding midfielder behind an attacking side is a demanding role. Choosing a genuine destroyer or a deep-lying playmaker changes the entire team's rhythm.
- Wingers versus wing-backs: the wide areas are Dortmund's strongest asset, and the choice between a back four with wingers and a back three with wing-backs decides who gets on the pitch.
- The young forward: there is nearly always a teenage attacker whom the Yellow Wall wants to see starting immediately.
Dortmund's Transfer Strategy
BVB run one of the most recognisable recruitment models in European football, and it is worth keeping in mind when you build transfer scenarios:
- Buy young, develop, sell high: Dortmund sign talented players in their late teens or early twenties, give them regular first-team football, and accept that the best of them will eventually move on for a large fee.
- Guaranteed playing time as a selling point: the promise of genuine minutes is why BVB regularly win transfer races against wealthier clubs.
- Speed and directness as a profile: attackers who thrive in transition and can run in behind fit the way the team plays.
- Reinvestment rather than accumulation: proceeds from major sales are cycled straight back into the next generation of signings.
Which Formation Suits Dortmund?
- 4-2-3-1: the safest option. Two holding midfielders cover the counter-attacking risk that comes with committing full-backs and wingers forward.
- 4-3-3: maximum width for the wide forwards, with a three-man midfield supplying the passes in behind.
- 3-4-3: gets the wing-backs high while keeping three defenders in place — a good fit for a team that wants to press aggressively.
For a side-by-side comparison of every system, see the football formations guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I build a Borussia Dortmund lineup?
Use the builder above: choose a formation such as 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, then drag players from the current BVB squad onto the pitch. You can also add players you would like Dortmund to sign. When your starting XI is ready, download it as an image and share it. The tool is free and needs no account.
What formation does Borussia Dortmund play?
Dortmund have most often used the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3, both of which give their wide attackers space to run into. Back-three shapes such as 3-4-3 and 3-4-2-1 have also been used to get wing-backs high up the pitch while keeping three defenders against counter-attacks.
Is the BVB squad builder free?
Yes. Building a Borussia Dortmund starting XI, customising the kit, downloading the lineup as an image and sharing it are all free and require no registration.
Can I add transfer targets to my Dortmund lineup?
Yes. Alongside the current squad you can add any player you would like BVB to sign, so you can test how a new signing would change the balance of the team before the transfer actually happens.
You can also build a lineup for Bayern Munich, any other club in the Bundesliga lineup builder, or switch to German and eine BVB-Aufstellung erstellen.
