Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund to be broadcast live in Playmobil toy world
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will have their Bundesliga match on October 31, 2026, broadcast live in a virtual toy world presented as Playmobil figurines, a global first for a full-length professional football league match. Broadcasters will recreate the full match feed by overlaying live player and ball movements onto digital Playmobil characters in real time.
The Bundesliga has been mapping 21 unique three-dimensional data points on every player since the 2025/26 season, including joints, head, shoulders and feet, and that skeletal data has primarily been used for semi-automated offside technology. Broadcasters are applying a Playmobil 'body shell' over each player's digital skeleton so the toy figures track the real players' positions and movement. The system aims to match players' speeds and on-pitch locations with the animated representations.
The state-of-the-art display relies on 3D “skeletal data” taken from 21 distinct data points on players’ bodies — the head, joints and limbs — with those coordinates mapped continuously. Actual Bayern and Dortmund player motions and the ball are overlaid on the digital Playmobil character representations, producing a synchronized alternate feed. The process runs in real time to show live positions and movements throughout the match.
"Like the actual real game, the Playmobil world game will also be shown on Sky Sport and RTL+, under the title "Sky Sport Special – Next Level". It will be a different experience for the Bayern Munich and Dortmund fans who will have a chance to watch the game in a virtual toy world. It will be one of the biggest games of the Bundesliga 2026-27 season for both sides, who are equal on points. However, Dortmund are second in the table due to goal difference, but a win will see them clinch the top spot. But a lot can change as the fixture is at the end of October, and hopefully both sides will be keen to maintain their winning form until then.
The match is scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 11:00 PM IST. The broadcast uses 21 three-dimensional data points on each player's body to recreate their movements and overlay Playmobil-style figures in real time.
The result of the October 31 fixture carries immediate table consequences: the two sides enter the match level on points and Borussia Dortmund sit second on goal difference, and a Dortmund victory will see them clinch the top spot.