JAKARTA - Two Bundesliga matches were canceled on Friday, January 9, 2026, local time, because heavy snow made the stadium unsafe.
The Bundesliga match between St. Pauli vs RB Leipzig, which was scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2026, was postponed because the city of Hamburg in northern Germany was struggling against heavy snow. It is estimated that more snow will fall.
Hours later, the league confirmed that the Werder Bremen vs Hoffenheim match, which was also scheduled for Saturday, would also not take place.
St. Pauli said it had made every effort to ensure the match could be held safely, but it was not possible.
Although efforts have been made for several days to clear the snow, the difficulty of clearing it from the stadium roof is of particular concern.
St. Pauli added that they were advised to cancel the match in order to reduce the burden on emergency services, transport networks, and the health care system.
Meanwhile, Werder Bremen said ice and snow piles made it impossible to hold a safe match at the 42,000-seat Weserstadion.
The problems included ice in the aisles, problems in keeping emergency exits open, and travel difficulties for spectators.
The Bundesliga promised to provide a new date soon for the two postponed matches.
Snow fell on Friday across northern and eastern Germany and is expected to fall again overnight. Long-distance train travel in most of the north was suspended and road travel disrupted.
Union Berlin's match against Mainz is still scheduled for Saturday despite the home fans having volunteered to clear snow and ice around the stadium in the German capital this week.
Apart from football, a men's basketball match scheduled for Saturday in Hamburg was also cancelled after the arena was closed due to concerns about snow on the roof.
Another basketball team, Syntainics MBC, said it was traveling in protest, citing concerns about responsibility for players, staff and coaches after the league rejected a request to postpone a game scheduled for Saturday.
The team described the 430-kilometer (267-mile) overland journey to Oldenburg in northwest Germany as a dangerous act.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the Eredivisie match between NEC Nijmegen and Utrecht scheduled for Friday was canceled earlier based on weather forecasts.
Other Eredivisie matches scheduled for the weekend will go ahead, but second division matches have been postponed.
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