Following the news that FIFA is set to allow domestic football leagues to play one game abroad per season, German football faces a familiar battle between tradition and development.
english newspaper Guardian It was exclusively reported that FIFA’s new proposals would allow domestic leagues to host one game per season in a foreign country. The host country will reportedly be allowed to host a maximum of five games from other countries, with the US being the preferred target.
“I think German members will object to this and there will be massive protests in stadiums,” Martin Endemann, head of policy at Football Supporters Europe, which advocates for fans on the continent, told DW. “Any football official who tries to do this will have a very, very hard time with the fans present in the stadium as well as the members of the respective clubs.”
The discussion of playing domestic league games abroad is not new. Last October, UEFA allowed La Liga (Spain) and Serie A (Italy) to play games abroad, but the games were canceled after local authorities raised concerns. The result was ugly.
The new FIFA protocols for moving a competitive game abroad will require approval from all major stakeholders, and FIFA will still have the right to reject the switch.
“This is a formalization of something that has been almost inevitable for years,” Dominik Schreyer, a professor of sports economics at Germany’s Otto Beisheim School of Management, told DW.
Schreiber said, “Football is shifting from a locally supported product to a globally monetized media asset, and once that transition happens, geography becomes flexible.”
“FIFA is not leading here, it is reacting to pressure and trying to regulate the growth that was already going on through preseason tours and league efforts to stage games abroad. Scheduling it as one game per season makes it politically digestible, but ultimately it begins to normalize the idea that domestic competitions are no longer purely domestic. You could say, the product has already gone global, now the match “Gaining momentum,” he said.
The structure of German football differs from the rest of Europe.
While many believe that such developments have long been an inevitability for clubs in England, Spain and Italy, the German club ownership structure differs from that of other major European leagues, presenting a more complex interaction.
The 50+1 rule essentially guarantees that 50% of the club’s total shares plus one share must be owned by members, ruling out ownership by wealthy individuals or even nation states. The power of German fans should not be underestimated, as was seen by a recent failed attempt to secure investment from a private equity partner.
However, if domestic league games abroad become a reality for Europe’s clubs, the Bundesliga will likely return to walking the familiar tightrope of tradition and development.
“Financially, progress is there but it shouldn’t be overstated,” Schreiber said of playing league games abroad. The example of the US National Football League (NFL) playing competitive games abroad is evidence of this. Ahead of the first league game in Germany in 2022, the head of NFL Germany said they could sell more than 3 million tickets. business and finance sources bnn bloomberg It was reported that when the Jacksonville Jaguars play in London, the team generates approximately $35 to 50 million (€30 to €42.5 million) in revenue each time they play.
Schreiber said, “A competitive match abroad carries more commercial value than a pre-season game because of the scarcity, sporting relevance and global media attention involved. As such, a club like Bayern or Dortmund can expect a low double-digit million euros for a match in the US.” Data released by sports pictures Suggested at the end of 2025, Bayern reportedly earns around €5.7 million in revenue per home game.
“It’s about positioning, not pay-days. This becomes even clearer when you take into account compensation for local fans, particularly season ticket holders, who miss high-value matches at their home stadium.”
Opposed this idea, but for how long?
This is where the big challenge lies for German football. The tradition in which many football clubs are rooted in Germany, combined with the 50+1 structure, means it is important to maintain the local market despite the global growth of football.
The DFL (German Football League), the body that governs the Bundesliga, has publicly spoken out against the idea, and did so in 2018 when Christian Seifert was boss. Recently, DFL supervisory board chairman and former Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke could not be clearer when speaking on this topic.
Wotzke said, “As long as I’m responsible for this league, there will be no matches abroad as far as competitive matches are concerned. Full stop.”
Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Driessen is also opposed to the idea, but what if these games become a regular reality for teams like Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid?
Schreiber argued, “For German clubs, the real obstacle is cultural.” “German football still defines itself through local identity, while rivals have fully adopted the global market logic. In the short term, Bundesliga clubs will not be left behind simply by staying away, as media rights still account for the bulk of revenue. But if others monetize international demand through consistent premium programs and German clubs move out, the gap in global relevance will widen, and the money will come in.”
As for Germany, this possibility is really only of concern to a handful of clubs.
With Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund the obvious two candidates, Schreier said, “Fans are buying a spectacle, not a league match. No one will fill the arena in America for Hoffenheim versus Augsburg. So, it will work for a handful of clubs, not the entire league.”
While it is highly unlikely that Bundesliga games will be played abroad, the pressure will increase if other major clubs step in.
Edited by: Matt Pearson