It’s Europe’s economic motor and 90 minutes on one day in June is set to provide a $39m boost to the continent’s biggest economy.
Thousands of football fans will descend on Germany’s capital Berlin to witness two teams battling it out for UEFA Champions League glory on June 6 with the city estimated to rake in millions of dollars from the star-studded top flight football event, kicking off in the Olympiastadion — the 77,000 seat venue that hosted FIFA’s 2006 World Cup final.
Souvenirs, accommodation, transport, food and beverage sales will contribute to the earnings of Germany’s biggest city hosting the prestigious competition’s 59th final, according to research by Onefootball and GoEuro.co.uk.
June’s festivities will only make up a fraction of the overall profit generated by the Champions League this season — traveling fans have spent millions as they follow their teams around Europe, generating $261m of income for host cities.
British clubs Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City could all have made an extra $1.4m for their respective cities if they had passed the final 16, whilst semifinalists Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus have brought home $6m to their home towns.
Though fans sometimes don’t always go the distance.
Madrid is home to two top flight teams — 10-time UEFA Champions League victors Real Madrid and current La Liga champions Atletico Madrid — but their “away” games in the quarterfinals canceled out any tourism income, with the Spanish capital missing out on up to $1.8m.
As the semifinals get underway next week it’s silverware that’s on players’ minds — with Real Madrid looking to maintain their title defense against Italian side Juventus, and two-time FIFA Club World Cup winner Barcelona tackling Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich for a shot at their fifth UEFA Champions League trophy.