Germany/DFL: record cumulative turnover of €5.87bn for the 36 professional clubs
• "Never before have the 36 clubs reported such a high cumulative turnover: €5.87bn (€4,801.9m for the Bundesliga
German professional football first division. 18 clubs.
+ €1,068.1m for the 2.Bundesliga
German second division. 18 clubs.
, see below).
• Never before have so many people been employed by the clubs of the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga and their subsidiaries: almost 62,000.
• Never before has professional football paid so many taxes and duties: around €1.66bn."
"With the DFL
Deutsche Fußball Liga, German professional football league.
Economic Report 23-24, German professional football is sending out positive signals against the trend," said Hans-Joachim Watzke
Executive Committee member @ UEFA • Speaker for the Executive Committee @ Deutsche Fußball Liga e.V. • CEO @ Borussia Dortmund (BVB)
, executive board speaker for DFL e.V. (an association of which the commercial company DFL GmbH has been a wholly-owned subsidiary since 01/07/2001) and therefore also statutorily chairman of the supervisory board of DFL GmbH, in the foreward to the economic report presented at the German professional football league's general assembly in Berlin (GER) on 03/09/2025 (document available to download in English).
"Beyond the economic dimension, football has a positive impact. Our stadiums are places where everyday life takes a break for 90 minutes. Places where people from all walks of life can come together and share emotions and unforgettable moments. There is a great need for this," added Watzke.
"Over the course of the 2023-24 season, German professional football once again sold a record number of tickets: more than 20.7 million. TV ratings are also at a record level," added the German executive.
- The reason why the DFL did not present its 2023-24 financial statement until 03/09/2025 is because a number of German clubs prepare their accounts on a calendar year basis, meaning that the overall figures for 2023-24 could not be calculated before 31/12/2024.
Bundesliga/2.Bundesliga squad costs down to 34% of total expenditure
For the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (2019-20 season), all 18 Bundesliga clubs reported positive equity again. The same applies to 14 of the 18 second division clubs.
The clubs are generating transfer surpluses and financing themselves from a balanced mix of income. In terms of expenditure, a further reduction in the proportion of squad costs is remarkable, especially in an international comparison. If the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga are considered together, this proportion is 34%, which is lower than ever before.
In the other four top European leagues (England, Spain, Italy, France), club squad costs account for between 50% and 70% of total expenditure."
Marc Lenz & Steffen Merkel, joint CEOs of DFL GmbH, in the foreward to the DFL Economic Report 2023-24
2023-24 Bundesliga/revenue by category: match revenue accounts for less than 11% of total revenue
- Match revenue: €523.7m (10.91% of total revenue)
- Advertising: €1,018m (21.20%)
- Media revenue (all competitions): €1,534.1 (31.95%)
- Transfers: €1,004.8m (20.93%)
- Merchandising: €271.2m (5.65%)
- Other (transfer of rights, catering, letting and leasing, membership fees etc.): €450m (9.37%)
Total: €4,801.9m
2023-24 2.Bundesliga/revenue by category: media revenue & match revenue virtually equal
- Match revenue: €261.2m (24.45% of total revenue)
- Advertsing: €166.5m (15.59%)
- Media revenue (all competitions): €280.4m (26.25%)
- Transfers: €98.5m (9.22%)
- Merchandising: €88.1m (8.24%)
- Other (transfer of rights, catering, letting and leasing, membership fees etc.): €173.5m (16.24%)
Total: €1,068.1m
Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL)
Activity: German professional football league
• Organises the Bundesliga (first division, 18 clubs) and 2.Bundesliga (second division, 18 clubs)
• Oversees the process for awarding professional licenses to the 36 clubs of the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga.
Subsidiaries:
• Bundesliga International: international marketing, media rights, and commercial activities (includes the former DFL Sports Enterprises)
• DFL Digital Sports: management of the League's internet sites, management and marketing of images and archive data of the championships
• Sportcast: delivers the base TV signal for all broadcasters of the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga
• Liga Travel: (joint venture with HRG Germany): specialised travel agency for clubs, sponsors, media, and fans
• Sportec Solutions: joint venture with Deltatre, sports statistics and sports technology
Partners:
• Amazon Web Services (machine learning) since 2020, "official generative AI provider" since 2023-24
• Derbystar (ball supplier): 2018-2026, remplaced by adidas for 2026-2030
• Sky Deutschland (pay-TV)
• EA Sports (video games): 1998-2027
• Topps (collecting cards): 2008-2029
• Mondelēz International (confectionery): since 01/01/2021
• funny-frisch (snacks): since 2025
• Tipico (betting): 2018-2028
Category: Leagues & Federations
Affiliate(s):
Bundesliga International
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# 955, created on 06/02/14 at 18:33 - Updated on 11/09/25 at 18:12
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