Germany/DFB: record average revenues of €16.2m for the 18 first teams in the 3.Liga in 2023-24

The 18 clubs whose first teams competed in the 3.Liga in 2023-24 recorded total revenues of €291.61m (+24%), a record average of €16.2m, according to the Deutscher Fussball Bund, the league's governing body, in its annual report dedicated to the 2023-24 financial year, published on 23/01/2025.

Total expenditure by German third division teams also reached an all-time high of €302.7m, an average of €16.8m per club, including €5.4m on wages and salaries. The report does not take into account the reserve teams of Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg, who competed in the 3.Liga in 2023-24.

"The 3.Liga continues to grow, is booming in the stadiums and is more financially stable than ever before in its 16-year history. Compared to 2017-18, total revenue almost doubled," said the DFB, which highlighted several points that "underline the positive development of the third division:
• For the first time in five years, as many clubs have reported an annual surplus as a deficit;
• For the first time since the league's inception in 2008, no club has a cash shortfall;
• For the first time in three years…