More than 5 billion euros for the DFL

German professional football has finally left the Corona low behind it and is reporting a sales record. Last season, the Bundesliga and the 2nd league exceeded the five billion euro mark for the first time ever. The total proceeds of 5.24 billion euros are nine percent higher than the previous best from the 2018/19 season – back then it was 4.8 billion euros.

“The Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga not only offer outstanding sport, unforgettable moments and emotions, they are and will remain a successful sector of the economy,” said supervisory board boss Hans-Joachim Watzke on the 2024 economic report of the German Football League (DFL): “With the financial consequences of the Like many other industries, professional football is still struggling with the pandemic-related sales losses – but the trend is clearly pointing upwards and back into the profit zone.

The elite class is mainly responsible for this. The 18 first division clubs also achieved a record independently with sales of 4.45 billion euros. The increase is around 23 percent compared to the 2021/22 season (3.61 billion euros). The Bundesliga clubs’ sales had previously collapsed as a result of the pandemic in the 2019/20 (3.8 billion) and 2020/21 (3.47 billion) seasons.

Second place among the European leagues

Bayern Munich has a wide lead in first place in terms of revenue. The industry leader took in 854.2 million euros. In terms of club turnover, the Bundesliga consolidated its second place among the top European leagues after the English Premier League, according to the DFL.

To ensure that it stays that way despite the collapsed investor deal, the result of the upcoming sale of national media rights for the four seasons from 2025/26 to 2028/29 is of great importance. The proceeds are by far the clubs’ most important source of income. The 36 professional clubs currently receive around 1.1 billion euros per season – which already corresponds to an annual loss of 100 million compared to the previous cycle. Due to the rumored economic problems of potential interested parties, there is speculation that revenues will fall further below the billion mark.

The DFL bosses are still encouraged by the numbers. Around two thirds of the clubs and corporations, which employed a total of 55,001 people, were in the black in 2022/23. This value has increased from 18 to 23 compared to the previous year. The clubs paid a new high (1.6 billion) in taxes and duties. And in the first half of the current season, around 10.28 million tickets were sold in professional football – more than ever before.

Entrance fees “still moderate”

“A record amount of taxes and duties, 55,001 people employed, the highest ticket sales in history: The key figures for the 2022/23 season speak clearly beyond sales and once again document the social importance and responsibility of the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga,” said DFL managing director Steffen Merkel: “Through crises, German professional football retains its popularity and attractiveness.”

According to the DFL, the average admission prices remained “moderate” at 11.49 euros for a standing room and 31.58 euros for a seat. Revenues from central marketing continue to make up the largest item and have increased significantly by ten percent to 1.52 billion euros. The 1.12 billion euros in advertising revenue is also a record. The transfer proceeds were 617.1 million euros.

Ingo Strauss and Sven Völcker Published/Updated: Daniel Theweleit Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 3 A comment from Jan Ehrhardt Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 18

“With a personnel cost ratio of less than 50 percent and increased investments in youth performance centers, German clubs operate in a future-proof and much healthier way than other top European leagues,” emphasized Merkel’s colleague Marc Lenz: “Sporting success and attractive leagues must remain achievable with economic reason – as a future, healthy standard in Europe.”