Fans 'could return to German football stadiums for the opening of the Bundesliga season' this weekend but strict Covid-19 restrictions will remain in place.
Authorities in Germany will reportedly allow stadiums to be at 20 per cent capacity for top-flight fixtures - potentially starting with Bayern Munich vs Schalke this Friday.
But spectators will only be permitted in areas of the country where the rate of coronavirus infection is below a rate of 35 per 100,000 people over seven days.
If the same criteria were to be applied to the Premier League on current levels of coronavirus infection, however, only eight clubs could host fans.
Manchester, Liverpool, Leicester, Burnley, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Sheffield are all above the 35 per 100,000 cut-off.
That would mean Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Everton, Burnley, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sheffield United and Leicester City would have to remain behind closed doors.
By contrast, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, West Ham, Brighton and Southampton would be able to admit fans.
German newspaper Bild outlines the rules for all spectator sports laid out by health authorities in Germany, which state:
All the Bundesliga clubs due to host a match on the opening weekend fall below this threshold and will be able to sell tickets up to 20 per cent of capacity.
Bild report that Borussia Dortmund will cap attendance at 10,000 for Saturday's opener against Borussia Monchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park despite the potential of 16,237 fans at the 81,365-capacity venue.
The 20 per cent limit in Germany could be increased from the end of October.