Bundesliga matches are to be limited to 50% attendance and a maximum of 15,000 fans due to reintroduced Covid restrictions in Germany.
Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz agreed a number of measures with the leaders of the country’s 16 states, including the reduction of fans at outdoor and indoor sports events.
Bundesliga stadiums, which had mostly been operating on near-full capacity this season, must now reduce their crowds to minimise the risk of infection.
“A temporary limit on the number of fans in the stadium is understandable,” German Football League chief Christian Seifert said.
“The DFL hopes that this decision by the federal government and the states leads to an improvement of the pandemic situation.”
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It means this weekend’s games, including Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football, will be affected.
German authorities fear a fourth wave of Covid risks overwhelming intensive care units: more than 73,000 new infections and 388 deaths were recorded on Thursday.
Sky Sports to show Bundesliga live
Sky Sports has become the new home of the Bundesliga in the UK and Ireland after winning exclusive rights for the next four seasons.
As the home of German top-flight football in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, football fans will be able to tune in to Sky Sports to watch the likes of Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Robert Lewandowski, while 30-time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich look to hold off their rivals to claim another title.
The premium fixture of each weekend will be shown live every Saturday at 5.30pm on Sky Sports Football, with further matches broadcast via Sky Sports’ linear or digital channels including Sky Sports YouTube.