Bayern Munich

Lore & Background

Bayern Munich was founded in 1900 by eleven players, led by Franz John. The club won its first national championship in 1932. The pinnacle came in the 1970s under the captaincy of Franz Beckenbauer, as they won the European Cup three consecutive times (1974–1976). Overall, Bayern have won six European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, winning their sixth title in the 2020 final as part of the treble. The club has reached the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League 11 times and has 22 semi-final appearances.

Reader's Guide

Bayern Munich has also won one UEFA Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. The club had at least one player in eleven consecutive FIFA World Cup finals from 1986 to 2022. By winning the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, Bayern Munich became only the second club to win the 'sextuple'. Bayern Munich is one of five clubs to have won all three of UEFA's main club competitions and the only German club to achieve that. The club has traditional local rivalries with 1860 Munich and 1. FC Nürnberg, and a rivalry with Borussia Dortmund known as Der Klassiker.

Did You Know?

• The club has other departments for chess, handball, basketball, gymnastics, bowling, table tennis and senior football, with more than 1,500 active members.
• Since the beginning of the 2005–06 season, Bayern has played its home games at the Allianz Arena. Previously, the team had played at Munich's Olympiastadion for 33 years.
• Bayern Munich has the largest revenue out of any German sports club and is one of the highest-earning football clubs in the world. Bayern earned a record breaking €978.3 million in the 2024–25 season.