The Borussia Dortmund Files
DE

Profile — Facts, Figures and Milestones

BVB: 8x German champions, first German European cup winner 1966, Signal Iduna Park (81,360), 238,100 members. Listed as KGaA.

ORACLE · LIVE Matchday 31 · Sun 03/05, 15:30
Gladbach BVB
Home 25.2% 3.83
Draw 24.7% 3.92
Away 50.1% 1.93

The Club at a Glance

Borussia Dortmund at a Glance

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund is one of the most successful football clubs in Germany.

Through the end of 2019, the club won eight German championships (most recently 2012) and four DFB-Pokals. BVB became the first German European cup winner in 1966 and occupy second place in the Bundesliga all-time table by actual points won. Since the 1976/77 season, Borussia Dortmund have played uninterrupted in the Bundesliga and have reached four further European finals since 1993, most recently in 2013.

German Champions
8x (most recently 2012)
DFB-Pokal
4x (most recently 2017)
European Cups
CL winners 1997, CWC 1966
Bundesliga since
1976/77 uninterrupted

Signal Iduna Park

The Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion), with a capacity of 81,360, is Germany's largest football-only stadium.

The name Borussia derives from the old Latin word for Prussia. The Suedtribuene, accommodating 25,000 standing spectators, is Europe's largest terrace. For Champions League matches, the capacity is reduced to 66,000 (all-seater requirement).

Capacity
81,360 (league) / 66,000 (CL)
Suedtribuene
25,000 standing

Members and Fan Culture

Membership Explosion Since 2020

BVB's membership has grown from 155,244 in late 2018 to 238,100 (as of February 2026).

This makes Borussia Dortmund Germany's second-largest sports club behind FC Bayern (approx. 410,000) and among the global top 5. The growth is remarkable: as recently as 2010, membership stood at just 40,000. In 16 years, the BVB have increased their membership base sixfold.

Fan Friendships and Rivalries

BVB fans, organised in more than 850 official fan clubs, have maintained friendships since the 1970s with Rot-Weiss Essen, Celtic Glasgow and HSV.

Looser friendships have existed since the 1990s with SC Freiburg. The greatest fan rivalry exists with FC Schalke 04. This animosity reaches its linguistic peak in the substitution of the rival's name with Luedenscheid-Nord (for Dortmund) and Herne-West (for Schalke). Bayern and VfL Bochum are also traditionally despised, and more recently RB Leipzig.

You'll Never Walk Alone

The official stadium anthem is You'll Never Walk Alone — introduced to football by Liverpool FC.

When both sets of fans sang the anthem together before the clubs' first Europa League meeting in April 2016, it earned BVB fans the inaugural FIFA Fan Award. For the 100th anniversary on December 19, 2009, the Walk of Fame was unveiled — 100 stars distributed across the city, spanning from 1911 to the centenary.

The BVB Share and KGaA

The BVB Share: Catastrophic Performance

The all-time high of the BVB share was 10.23 euros on October 30, 2000. In March 2026 it trades at around 3.10 euros.

A loss of nearly 70 percent since the IPO. In the 2023/24 financial year, the group generated 509 million euros in revenue — the second-highest in club history — and in 2024/25 broke the record with 526 million euros. The disconnect between operational success and share price is a permanent issue for BVB investors. The P/E ratio of approximately 67 (March 2026) reflects the structural problems of the football share: high dependence on sporting success, volatile transfer income and limited dividend appeal (0.06 euros per share).

All-time high
10.23 EUR (Oct. 2000)
Price Mar 2026
approx. 3.10 EUR
Revenue 2024/25
526M EUR (record)
Dividend
0.06 EUR per share

KGaA: The Special Legal Structure

BVB operates as a KGaA — a partnership limited by shares, unique among major German football clubs.

The registered association retains operational control as general partner, while shareholders as limited partners have profit claims but no vote on management. Shareholder structure: 67.24 percent free float, plus strategic stakes from Evonik Industries, Signal Iduna Gruppe and Puma. The 50+1 rule is de facto irrelevant — the KGaA structure ensures the association retains control regardless.

Management 2026

New Leadership Since 2023/24

Lars Ricken leads as CEO Sport — the former Champions League hero of 1997.

Thomas Tress heads finance, Carsten Cramer manages marketing and digitalisation, Svenja Schlenker covers HR. Hans-Joachim Watzke stepped back from operations in 2023 and serves as president of the association. Sebastian Kehl is sporting director and Ricken's right hand. Head coach Niko Kovac succeeded Nuri Sahin in January 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many members does BVB have?
238,100 (as of February 2026). This makes Borussia Dortmund Germany's second-largest sports club behind FC Bayern.
What is the BVB share worth?
Around 3.10 euros (March 2026). The all-time high was 10.23 euros in October 2000 — a loss of nearly 70 percent.
What does KGaA mean for BVB?
Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien — a partnership limited by shares. The registered association retains operational control as general partner, while shareholders have no vote on management.
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