In the run-up to the 2019/20 season, Christian Pulisic left the club as the second most expensive departure and joined the reigning Europa League winners Chelsea. However, the German national players Nico Schulz (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) and Julian Brandt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) as well as the attacker Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and the returnee Mats Hummels (FC Bayern Munich) were signed by the Bundesliga competition. Departures of players like Christian Pulisic or Abdou Diallo, who had moved to top European clubs, were compensated for with Thorgan Hazard, returnees Mats Hummels and Julian Brandt, all of whom came from Bundesliga rivals. New signings include Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen), Abdou Diallo (Mainz 05), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian) and Paco Alcácer (FC Barcelona). BVB was not in first place in the first half of the season, had scored the second most goals behind FC Bayern, but also lost the most games among the top 10 teams, namely six. As a result of the home defeat against FC Bayern Munich on matchday 14, the gap to the top of the table initially grew to four points and then to nine points by the end of the first half of the season. Sensitive home defeats against Bayer 04 Leverkusen and RB Leipzig as well as further point losses, etc. In the league, for a long time in the second half of the season, they were only in the Europa League places, after a 1:2 defeat against rivals Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday 27 Seven points behind fourth place, which qualified for the Champions League group phase.

Due to Augsburg and Cologne, Dortmund did not manage to challenge Bayern for the tenth championship in a row in the second half of the season, so that at the end of the season there were 69 points and the runner-up position. Dortmund were eliminated in the round of 16 in both the premier class and the cup. In the Champions League, BVB advanced to the round of 16 as group winners ahead of Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw. The 8-4 win against Legia Warsaw on the fifth day of group play was the highest-scoring game in the history of the competition up to that point. the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw. In the second leg that followed, the New York Red Bulls prevailed 3-0, with John Wolyniec in the 81st minute. scored the goal to make it 3-0 in the first minute of the game and was considered the key figure for the team in advancing in the competition. The team plays their home games at Cashman Field. In the DFB Cup, he was eliminated in the round of 16 after beating sixth division club 1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen and third division club 1. FC Magdeburg after a 2-1 defeat at FC Bayern Munich. In the new year, they were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 against FC Chelsea, while the eventual winners RB Leipzig knocked Dortmund out of the DFB Cup.

Before the end of the league season, Dortmund had already won the DFB Cup again after four years. Despite the improved points tally in the league compared to the previous season, Borussia Dortmund parted ways with Marco Rose on May 20, 2022, after losing in the group phase of the Champions League, the round of 16 of the DFB Cup against FC St. Pauli and the Europa League was eliminated in the play-offs against Glasgow Rangers. Both the Champions League and the Cup ended in the round of 16, and there was no getting past Tottenham and Bremen respectively. After a changeable second half of the season, in which he finished third in the second half of the table, but also lost 6-0 at Bayern Munich and was eliminated by FC Red Bull Salzburg in the round of 16 of the Europa League, BVB finished the season with 55 points finished fourth in the table and qualified for the Champions League ahead of Bayer 04 Leverkusen on goal difference. Under Stöger, BVB won the last two league games before the winter break and finished the first half of the season in third place in the table with 28 points.

After a total of nine competitive games in a row without a win, including a 4-4 win in the Revierderby against FC Schalke 04 after a 4-0 lead, Bosz was replaced after matchday 15 by Peter Stöger, who had been released a week earlier at 1. FC Köln. Peter Bosz took over the team for the 2017/18 season. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points overall receives the MLS Supporters' Shield. After nine points ahead of Bayern, the league lead was lost for the first time on the 24th matchday and could only be regained at short notice in the 27th round. In the end, after two weaker seasons, the runner-up was again – in addition to the fewest defeats (4 together with the champion) also scored the second most hits. As in previous years, the departure of a top performer had to be compensated for at the start of the season: Erling Haaland switched to English champions Manchester City. New additions included Maximilian Philipp (SC Freiburg), Ömer Toprak (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Jadon Sancho (Manchester City youth team), team usa soccer jersey who was still unknown at the time.