List of sports clubs by membership

This page lists the sports clubs with the largest number of members in the world. In many European countries, professional football teams are not organized as clubs, but as corporations. This includes all teams in the English Premier League and most teams in the Spanish Primera División and the Italian Serie A. They therefore do not appear on this list, although they sometimes offer interested persons the opportunity to become 'members' for a fee, which gives them advantages in the purchase of tickets and merchandise. In the big four sports leagues in the United States and Canada, clubs are usually franchises owned by private investors. In Germany, most professional sport teams are organized as corporations (GmbH or Aktiengesellschaft); however, in accordance with the 50+1 rule, the majority of votes lies with the registered associations (e. V.), which have members.

## List of largest sports clubs

[edit]

This list contains all clubs with a current membership of 75,000 or more, provided this is sufficiently documented. There may be other clubs that meet this criterion. The data is based on various sources and may therefore vary in terms of the survey period or the standards applied, which may limit comparability. The inclusion of inactive members who have stopped paying their membership fees alongside active members who actually pay their fees is another factor that can distort the reliability of this list.

Sports clubs with more than 75,000 members  Rank  | Sports club  | Sport  | Place  | Members  | Date

|
|
|
|
|

1  | FC Bayern Munich | Sports association | Munich,  Germany | 400,000  | February 2025[1][2]
2  | S.L. Benfica | Sports association | Lisbon,  Portugal | 400,000  | February 2025[3]
3  | Club Atlético River Plate | Sports association | Buenos Aires,  Argentina | 350,000  | December 2024[4]
4  | Boca Juniors | Sports association | Buenos Aires,  Argentina | 335,000  | August 2023[4]
5  | Borussia Dortmund | Sports association | Dortmund,  Germany | 218,000  | November 2024[5]
6  | Tasmania Football Club | Australian rules football | Tasmania,  Australia | 210,000+  | May 2025[6]
7  | FC Schalke 04 | Sports association | Gelsenkirchen,  Germany | 180,000  | December 2023[7]
8  | German Alpine Club Munich section | Mountaineering | Munich,  Germany | 179,391  | December 2023[8]
9  | German Alpine Club Oberland section | Mountaineering | Munich,  Germany | 174,515  | December 2023[8]
10  | Melbourne Cricket Club | Sports association | Melbourne,  Australia | 157,708  | 31 August 2022[9]
11  | FC Barcelona | Sports association | Barcelona,  Spain | 150,317  | May 2023[10]
12  | AFC Ajax | Sports association | Amsterdam,  Netherlands | 150,000+  | August 2025[11]
13  | Eintracht Frankfurt | Sports association | Frankfurt,  Germany | 150,000  | February 2025[12]
14  | Sporting CP | Sports association | Lisbon,  Portugal | 146,292  | March 2024[13]
15  | SC Internacional | Association football | Porto Alegre,  Brazil | 135,000  | March 2024[14]
16  | 1\. FC Köln | Sports association | Cologne,  Germany | 132,439  | September 2023[15]
17  | FC Porto | Sports association | Porto,  Portugal | 131,037  | September 2024[16]
18  | HNK Hajduk Split | Sports association | Split,  Croatia | 115,300  | August 2025[17]
19  | Grêmio FBPA | Association football | Porto Alegre,  Brazil | 112,425  | September 2023[18]
20  | Collingwood Football Club | Australian rules football | Melbourne,  Australia | 110,102  | 2024[19]
21  | West Coast Eagles | Australian rules football | Perth,  Australia | 103,275  | 2023[20]
22  | Austrian Alpine Club Edelweiss section | Mountaineering | Vienna,  Austria | 102,435  | December 2022[21]
23  | Richmond Football Club | Australian rules football | Melbourne,  Australia | 101,349  | 2023[20]
24  | Hamburger SV | Sports association | Hamburg,  Germany | 100,000  | September 2023[22]
VfB Stuttgart | Sports association | Stuttgart,  Germany | 100,000  | 3rd May 2024[23]
Borussia Mönchengladbach | Sports association | Mönchengladbach,  Germany | 100,000  | December 2023[24]
25  | Real Madrid CF | Sports association | Madrid,  Spain | 99,781  | December 2023[25]
26  | Carlton Football Club | Australian rules football | Melbourne,  Australia | 95,277  | 2023[20]
27  | Club Atlético Independiente | Sports association | Avellaneda,  Argentina | 95,173  | August 2023[4]
28  | CR Flamengo | Sports association | Rio de Janeiro,  Brazil | 89,859  | March 2023[26]
29  | Essendon Football Club | Australian rules football | Melbourne,  Australia | 86,274  | 2023[20]
30  | Feyenoord Rotterdam | Association football | Rotterdam,  Netherlands | 85,000  | May 2024[27]
31  | Racing Club de Avellaneda | Association football | Avellaneda,  Argentina | 83,717  | August 2023[4]
32  | CR Vasco da Gama | Sports association | Rio de Janeiro,  Brazil | 82,611  | January 2021[28]
33  | Geelong Football Club | Australian rules football | Geelong,  Australia | 82,155  | 2023[20]
34  | Hawthorn Football Club | Australian rules football | Melbourne,  Australia | 80,698  | 2023[20]
35  | San Lorenzo de Almagro | Sports association | Buenos Aires,  Argentina | 80,410  | August 2023[4]
36  | Austrian Alpine Club Austria section | Mountaineering | Vienna,  Austria | 78,211  | December 2022[21]

## List of largest association football clubs

[edit]

Association football clubs with more than 100,000 members  Rank  | Club  | Place  | Members  | Date

|
|
|
|

1  | FC Bayern Munich | Munich,  Germany | 400,000  | February 2025[29][30]
2  | S.L. Benfica | Lisbon,  Portugal | 400,000  | February 2025[31]
3  | Club Atlético River Plate | Buenos Aires,  Argentina | 350,000  | December 2024[4]
4  | Boca Juniors | Buenos Aires,  Argentina | 335,000  | August 2023[4]
5  | Borussia Dortmund | Dortmund,  Germany | 218,000  | November 2024[32]
6  | FC Schalke 04 | Gelsenkirchen,  Germany | 180,000  | December 2023[33]
8  | FC Barcelona | Barcelona,  Spain | 150,317  | May 2023[34]
9  | Eintracht Frankfurt | Frankfurt,  Germany | 150,000  | February 2025[35]
10  | Sporting CP | Lisbon,  Portugal | 146,292  | March 2024[36]
11  | SC Internacional | Porto Alegre,  Brazil | 135,000  | March 2024[37]
12  | 1\. FC Köln | Cologne,  Germany | 132,439  | September 2023[38]
13  | FC Porto | Porto,  Portugal | 131,037  | September 2024[39]
14  | HNK Hajduk Split | Split,  Croatia | 115,300  | August 2025[40]
15  | Grêmio FBPA | Porto Alegre,  Brazil | 113,425  | September 2023[41]

## List of largest Australian rules football clubs

[edit]

Australian rules football clubs with more than 75,000 members  Rank  | Club  | Place  | Members  | Date

|
|
|
|

1  | Tasmania Football Club | Tasmania,  Australia | 210,000+  | May 2025[42]
2  | Collingwood Football Club | Melbourne,  Australia | 110,102  | 2024[43]
3  | West Coast Eagles | Perth,  Australia | 103,275  | 2023[20]
4  | Richmond Football Club | Melbourne,  Australia | 101,349  | 2023[20]
5  | Carlton Football Club | Melbourne,  Australia | 95,277  | 2023[20]
6  | Essendon Football Club | Melbourne,  Australia | 86,274  | 2023[20]
7  | Geelong Football Club | Geelong,  Australia | 82,155  | 2023[20]
8  | Hawthorn Football Club | Melbourne,  Australia | 80,698  | 2023[20]

## See also

[edit]

* Sports club
* List of fan-owned sports teams

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Munich, Bayern (3 December 2024). "Herbert Hainer im Gespräch: FC Bayern durchbricht Schallmauer von 382.000 Mitgliedern".
2. ^ "A look at why Bayern Munich are the world's best-supported club as they move past 400,000 members". bundesliga.de. Frankfurt am Main: DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025. "Bayern, Germany's record champions, are celebrating their 125th anniversary. Alongside that landmark, they also now boast 400,000 registered members, which makes them the best-supported club in the world by that measure, outstripping fellow European juggernauts Benfica."
3. ^ "Benfica announces reaching 400,000 members". Observador. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
4. ^ a b c d e f g "River Plate alcanzó una cifra récord de socios y quedó segundo en el ranking mundial". infobae (in European Spanish). 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
5. ^ "218.000 Mitglieder - enteilt der BVB nun Schalke?". www.reviersport.de/ (in German). 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
6. ^ "210,000 Strong – Devils Founding Members Reach New Milestone". Tasmania Devils. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
7. ^ Heßbrügge, Rolf (2023-12-06). "Schalke: Das ist die schöne Bescherung in der Weihnachtszeit". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
8. ^ a b "Magazin des Deutschen Alpenvereins (DAV)". www.alpenverein.de (in German). 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
9. ^ "Final MCC Annual Report |" (PDF). 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
10. ^ "Xavi's son becomes FC Barcelona member". fcbarcelona.com. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
11. ^ "Over ons". www.ajaxlife.nl. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
12. ^ "150.000 Mitglieder!". Eintracht (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-26.
13. ^ "Sporting regista recorde de sócios pagantes em 2023". www.record.pt (in European Portuguese). 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
14. ^ "Inter supera 107 mil sócios e impulsiona venda de camisas após chegada de Valencia". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
15. ^ "Membership". 1\. FC Köln.
16. ^ "Nova administração da SAD do FC Porto corta quase três quartos de remuneração fixa". SIC Notícias. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
17. ^ "Članstvo (Membership)". August 2025. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
18. ^ "Rumo aos 120 mil; Veja o número de sócios do Grêmio em 2023". Grêmio News. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
19. ^ "Collingwood break membership record for second consecutive year". Collingwood FC. 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Pies leapfrog rival duo as 15 clubs set records: 2023 AFL membership ladder revealed". Fox Sports. 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
21. ^ a b Jahresbericht 2022 p. 16
22. ^ "Wir sind 100.000!". HSV e.V. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
23. ^ "Über 100.000 Dunkelrote!". VfB Stuttgart (in German). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
24. ^ "Borussia Mönchengladbach | Wir sind 100.000! 💚". Borussia Mönchengladbach (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
25. ^ "Cómo hacerse socio del Real Madrid: carnet, abonos, entradas y beneficios". goal.com (in Spanish). 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
26. ^ "Transparência - Flamengo". www.flamengo.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
27. ^ "Het Legioen - De officiële supportersclub van Feyenoord - Legioen". hetlegioen.feyenoord.nl. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
28. ^ Montalvão, Tauan (2021-02-18). "Vasco divulga número de sócios em janeiro de 2021; confira". Vasco Notícias (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
29. ^ Munich, Bayern (3 December 2024). "Herbert Hainer im Gespräch: FC Bayern durchbricht Schallmauer von 382.000 Mitgliedern".
30. ^ "A look at why Bayern Munich are the world's best-supported club as they move past 400,000 members". bundesliga.de. Frankfurt am Main: DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2025. "Bayern, Germany's record champions, are celebrating their 125th anniversary. Alongside that landmark, they also now boast 400,000 registered members, which makes them the best-supported club in the world by that measure, outstripping fellow European juggernauts Benfica."
31. ^ "Benfica announces reaching 400,000 members". Observador. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
32. ^ "218.000 Mitglieder - enteilt der BVB nun Schalke?". www.reviersport.de/ (in German). 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
33. ^ Heßbrügge, Rolf (2023-12-06). "Schalke: Das ist die schöne Bescherung in der Weihnachtszeit". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-29.
34. ^ "Xavi's son becomes FC Barcelona member". fcbarcelona.com. 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
35. ^ "150.000 Mitglieder!". Eintracht (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-26.
36. ^ "Sporting regista recorde de sócios pagantes em 2023". www.record.pt (in European Portuguese). 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
37. ^ "Inter supera 107 mil sócios e impulsiona venda de camisas após chegada de Valencia". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
38. ^ "Membership". 1\. FC Köln.
39. ^ "Nova administração da SAD do FC Porto corta quase três quartos de remuneração fixa". SIC Notícias. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
40. ^ "Članstvo (Membership)". April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
41. ^ "Rumo aos 120 mil; Veja o número de sócios do Grêmio em 2023". Grêmio News. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
42. ^ "210,000 Strong – Devils Founding Members Reach New Milestone". Tasmania Devils. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
43. ^ "Collingwood break membership record for second consecutive year". Collingwood FC. 2024-08-04. Retrieved 2024-08-08.