Bundesliga tops Europe for attendances

The German top flight retained first place ahead of the English Premier League, averaging over 44,500 fans per game. The figure is over 6,000 more than England’s top flight and an increase of 4,000 on the 2016/17 number.

Germany’s second tier, Bundesliga 2, had the eighth-highest average attendance in Europe, coming in ahead of the top flights of Scotland, Russia, Turkey and Portugal with over 17,500 fans flocking to each match.

Four Bundesliga clubs – Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Schalke and VfB Stuttgart – feature in the top 20 for total attendances. Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park (79,496) and Bayern’s Allianz Arena (75,000) in fact boast the two largest averages, with BVB retaining their title as Europe’s best supported club from 2016/17.

Stuttgart, whose attendance dropped to ‘just’ 50,692 in 2016/17 while in Bundesliga 2 – still more than the champions of England (Chelsea), Italy (Juventus), the Netherlands (Feyenoord) and France (Monaco) – return to the top 20 in their first season back in the first tier and lay claim to the 12th-highest average on the continent.

Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hamburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne and Hertha Berlin remain in the top 30 for averages. It means nine sides from Germany's top two divisions are represented, which is more than any other country.

These results are perhaps little surprise considering the action the Bundesliga provides on the pitch. None of Europe’s top leagues can match the German top flight’s record of 3.04 goals per game in the 2018/19 season, and this all comes at affordable, fan-friendly prices.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung calculated that an average Bundesliga football fan could attend their club's 17 home outings, buy a new home shirt, and enjoy two beers and a bratwurst per game for less than €500 a season. Bayern are one of the most successful clubs in European history, and yet their supporters can come to every game at the Allianz Arena for as little as €140 per season, which works out at just over €8 a match.

That comes amidst rocketing prices across the continent. German football fans can come down to support their favourite team for as little as €183 per season on average. That is around €80 cheaper than in Spain or Italy, and just a third of what English fans have to cough up.

With a winning combination of affordable access, state-of-the-art grounds, passionate supporters and some of the most exciting football Europe has to offer, the Bundesliga looks set to keep attracting the biggest crowds on the continent for many years to come, and will also play host to UEFA Euro 2024 at 10 of its finest venues.

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