Munich set to benefit from spending boost as 2025 UEFA Champions League Final draws fans from across the world - Mastercard Economics Institute
May 28, 2025 | Munich, GermanyHospitality and local businesses set to benefit as football fans travel to Munich to attend the 2025 UEFA Champions League Final
As Munich and its Allianz Arena prepare to host the UEFA Champions League Final 2025 on Saturday May 31st, the city's hospitality sector and local businesses can look forward to a boost to the local economy, according to insights from the Mastercard Economics Institute.
According to a recent consumer survey1 by Mastercard of 15,000 respondents across 20 countries, 70% of Europeans plan to fulfil a bucket list experience in 2025, with major sporting events among the most sought-after experiences.
Sporting events are seeing a surge in demand, with 58% of Europeans planning to attend at least one this year-a 152% jump compared to 2024. 40% of Europeans plan to spend between €101 and €1000 on sporting events in 2025.
Analysis from the Mastercard Economics Institute reveals the consistent and significant impact in local hospitality sectors that major sporting events have on host cities:
- 2024 Champions’ League Final, London: Spending in restaurants and bars within a 3km radius of the stadium rose by 7.4% relative to what it would have been had the game not taken place. Meanwhile, cross-border spending – driven primarily by visitors from Spain and Germany – was 67 times higher than on a typical weekend.
- UEFA Euro 2024 Final, Berlin: The economic impact was even greater, with restaurant and bar spending surging 130% within a 3km of the stadium. The increase was driven by cross-border spending, which was 21.7 times (2,170%) higher within a 3km radius than it would have been in a normal weekend. Spending remained 4.6 times (460%) higher within a 10km radius.
- 2023 UEFA Champions League Final, Istanbul: The event contributed $120 million to the local economy, with tourist spending around the final increasing by 46% year on year.
When giants come to Munich, wallets open: The economic power of fans
Over the past year, Munich has become a hotspot for major events, with concerts by megastars Taylor Swift and Adele as well as the European Championship significantly boosting the city’s economy. According to figures from Mastercard SpendingPulse2, which measures retail sales in stores and online across all payment channels, Adele’s first two concerts in Munich generated a real ‘Funflation’.
Spending on accommodation in Munich on August 2nd and 3rd (2024) skyrocketed by 57% compared to the previous year. Similarly, Taylor Swift’s two Eras concerts in Munich on 27th and 28th July (2024) drove a 43% increase year on year in accommodation spending.
European Football Championship 2024 matches also significantly boosted restaurant sales3 in the host cities. Interestingly, the impact went beyond major German cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. Dortmund benefited most from the four preliminary round matches in the city and recorded considerable three-digit year-on-year growth in sales for restaurants and bars. Düsseldorf (17 June), Cologne (25 June) and Stuttgart (23 June) were also able to achieve triple-digit growth rates for some games compared to the previous year.
Natalia Lechmanova, Chief Economist Europe at Mastercard Economics Institute, says: “In recent years, sporting events like the UEFA Champions League have significantly boosted the economies of its host areas, benefiting local businesses well beyond the stadiums. As the experience economy continues to thrive across Europe, fans are prioritizing travel and live events, creating lasting opportunities for local businesses in cities like Munich. ”
Kick-off for the Mastercard Fanzone
All European Championship venues have set up fan zones in addition to the stadium matches, with a major impact as the Mastercard Experience Economy survey4 shows: almost six out of ten Europeans (56%) who have watched soccer matches live in recent years are happiest when they can watch their soccer team live. Every second respondent (51%) believes that watching soccer together brings people together and improves relationships with friends and family.
The newly set up Mastercard Fan Zone brings fandom to live in a culturally relevant way – a social content studio with creator challenges, fan voting, exclusive rewards, brand content integrations and activations with partners such as Deutsche Bahn. Highlight of this cooperation is the unforgettable ride to the final with Deutsche Bahn & the Fan ICE with Sidney Freide and Niklas Wilson Sommer driving to Munich together with fans, raffling off tickets to the UCL final. Fans can welcome the star influencers on 31st May at the Munich main station together with a welcome reception and a red carpet.
Cheering for your team in a Champions League Final is a priceless experience — and fans are willing to travel and spend generously to be part of it.
Further data from the Mastercard Economic Institute highlights a growing shift toward spending on live experiences. In Q1 2025, 33.7% of European consumer spending on experiences (excluding travel and restaurants) was on Live Events, up from 32.1% in 2024, and 30.7% in 2019.
Methodology & Sources
1 Mastercard conducted a survey with its research partner Dynata, to understand the shift in consumer preferences towards experiences. The fieldwork took place in February 2025. The survey sampled over 15,000 respondents across 20 countries, collecting data from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, UK, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland.
2 Mastercard Economics Institute Analysis of the aggregated and anonymized sales determined on the first two Adele concert days on August 2 and 3, 2024 in Munich, taking into account restaurants, mobile catering services (e.g. food trucks) and pubs (e.g. bars, pubs, pubs) as well as the accommodation industry compared to the same period one year earlier.
3 Mastercard Economics Institute Analysis of the aggregated and anonymized sales determined on the days of the European Championship preliminary round matches held from 14 June to 25 June 2024 at the respective venues, taking into account restaurants, mobile catering services (e.g. food trucks) and beverage outlets (e.g. bars, pubs, pubs) compared to the previous year.
4 Mastercard conducted a survey together with the market research company Vitreous World to better understand the shift in consumer preferences towards experience orientation. The fieldwork took place from January 2-9, 2024. A total of 16,141 people were surveyed, including 1,005 in Germany.
About Mastercard Economics Institute
Mastercard Economics Institute launched in 2020 to analyze macroeconomic trends through the lens of the consumer. A team of economists, analysts and data scientists draws on Mastercard insights - including Mastercard SpendingPulse™ - and third-party data to deliver regular reporting on economic issues for key customers, partners and policymakers.
About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
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