Bundesliga - Statistics & Facts

Statistics and facts on the German Bundesliga

The Bundesliga is the highest level of professional football in Germany. The league was founded in its current format in 1963 and today is comprised of 18 teams. The composition of teams changes every season through a process of relegation with the second division of German football, the 2. Bundesliga. In the 2013/14 season, the total revenue of the Bundesligawas at 2.45 billion euros. The games were attended by an average of 43.5 thousand spectators in the 2014/15 season, the highest average attendance amongst the top European football leagues.

Revenue from match day, advertising and media receipts made up between 20 and 30 percent each of the total revenue. Revenue from transfers, merchandising and other revenue accounted for the rest, approximately 25 percent. The total leaguewide revenue from kit sponsorships was at an estimated 140 million euros in the 2012/13 season. FC Bayern Munich took in the most from that revenue stream amongst Bundesliga clubs with a reported 25 million euros in revenue from its kit sponsor Deutsche Telekom. The club from Bavaria also leads the league in income from the marketing of its stadium naming rights with an annual payment of six million euros from its naming rights sponsor Allianz.

FC Bayern Munich is the most successful club in the German Bundesliga, both financially and in terms of league titles (25 ‘Meisterschaften’ in total). In the 2013/14 season, FC Bayern Munich generated about 480 million euros in revenue. Borussia Dortmund, the second-most successful team over the past few years, reported revenues of around 220 million euros over the same time period. Branddirectory ascribes the brand FC Bayern Munich a value of 933 million U.S. dollars, while Forbes puts the value of the team at 2.35 billion U.S. dollars. In comparison, the brand value of Borussia Dortmund was at 326 million U.S. dollars and the team value at 700 million U.S. dollars, according to Forbes.