Borussia Dortmund top global attendance level records
A study carried out by the CIES Football Observatory reveals that the Bundesliga side top the list of teams with the highest attendance levels for the past 3 years. United come second.
The CIES Football Observatory have published their latest study offering an overview of football match-day attendance levels over a fifteen year period (2003-2018). The alarming finding for the domestic Spanish league reveals a drop-off for LaLiga crowds in the period in question, seeing the average slip from 29,510 to 27,381 fans attending an average match-day game (a 7% drop).
Italy's Serie A has also seen a drop away in match day attendances with 1% less supporters attending top flight Italian league grounds during the time-frame. On the positive side, the German Bundesliga has witnessed an 11% growth with positive results also experienced by the English Premier League (6%) with a marginal 1% level of growth for Ligue 1.
Average stadium attendance by league (2013-2018)
| 1. Bundesliga (Germany) | 43,302 |
| 2. Premier (England) | 36,675 |
| 3. LaLiga (Spain) | 27,381 |
| 4. Liga Mx (México) | 25,582 |
| 5. Serie A (Italy) | 22,967 |
| 6. SuperLiga (China) | 22,594 |
| 7. Ligue 1 (France) | 21,556 |
| 8. MLS (USA) | 21,358 |
| 9. Eredivisie (Holland) | 19,154 |
| 10. Bundesliga 2 (Germany) | 18,814 |
The Polish Ekstraliga is Europe's highest growing league in terms of increased attendance levels witnessing a 47% incremental level of fans passing through the turnstiles in this 15 year spell. Outside Europe the MLS has grown by 34% with the German second tier also witnessing an attendance increase of 32%.
Bundesliga
Average attendance by club (2013-2018)
| 1. Borussia Dortmund | 80,230 |
| 2. Manchester United | 75,218 |
| 3. Barcelona | 74,876 |
| 4. Bayern Munich | 73,781 |
| 5. Real Madrid | 69,822 |
| 6. Schalke | 61,328 |
| 7. Arsenal | 59,793 |
| 8. Hamburg SV | 52,349 |
| 9. Stuttgart | 52,012 |
| 10. Atlanta United | 51,547 |
The German Bundesliga, often cited by many fans as a role model for other domestic leagues, features five of the clubs with the highest attendance levels in a three year period (2013-2018) with Borussia Dortmund topping the list (80,230) followed by Manchester United with FC Barcelona joining the podium with an average of 74,876 fans over the 3 year time-frame. Real Madrid seal fifth place in the ranking with an average 69,822 fans attending games at the Bernabéu.