The German Bundesliga has announced record revenues in a report published on Monday.
The Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL), which operates the Bundesliga, revealed that the 36 clubs competing in Germany’s top two divisions during the 2024-25 season made a combined revenue of €6.33billion (£5.49bn; $7.5bn), the largest in history.
It represented a 7.9 per cent increase on the €5.87bn made during the previous season, which itself was a record.
The DFL has also reported significant growth in revenues earned within its second-tier competition, the 2.Bundesliga.
In what represented a 13.1 per cent year-on-year increase — and a further record — the league, which contained historically large clubs such as Koln, Hamburg and Schalke, separately recorded revenue of €1.21bn.
Across the two divisions, 28 of the 36 clubs reported making a profit, compared to just 17 the year before, as German football continued its recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, which decimated finances.
For the top-flight clubs, media and broadcasting income was the largest component, accounting for 33.24 per cent of total revenue, and increasing by almost €168m. Match revenue, which represented 11.69 per cent of total earned by Bundesliga teams, rose by €75.3m. The clubs also benefited from slight increases in advertising and merchandising income, while earning €872.6m in transfer income (11.69 per cent), which was actually a reduction of €132.2m on the previous season.
Wage costs continue to dominate expenditure, and increased last season, but German sides are spending more in other areas too.
Clubs in the top two tiers spent a combined €326.5million on youth and women’s football in 2024-25, a new record. Investment there has risen by over €100m in just three seasons.
Reflecting on the result, Hans-Joachim Watzke, the president of the DFL, said in a release: “Today, German professional football is in better shape than ever before, based on its key figures. This does not mean there is nothing left to optimise. On the contrary, in the coming years, we will need to further develop in areas such as talent development and internationalisation and strengthen centralised marketing. But on the current foundation, we can approach the World Cup year in 2026 with confidence and optimism.”
In a joint statement, Marc Lenz and Steffen Merkel, the DFL’s co-CEOS, reflected that: “The economic figures of German professional football are stronger than ever before. (They) clearly shows that the existential crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has now been overcome and clubs are competitive in their various competitions and act in the main rationally with their finances.”