As fans enjoy the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League’s league phase at full speed, Mabrian and The Data Appeal Company – Almawave Group have analysed the expected tourism impact of six of the most iconic football matches to be held in Spain, Italy, and Germany, with an estimate average direct tourism economic impact of €5.1 million in each of the host cities analysed.
These data insights, prepared on the occasion of the World Football Summit in Madrid, held this week, examines the distribution of additional tourism spending expected to be generated in host cities of selected UEFA Champions League matches taking place over the next four months in Spain, Italy, and Germany. The projections* cover the direct expenditure related to the event including the estimated expenditures on accommodation, food & beverages, and transportation. These projections don’t include other economic impacts, like the tickets, sponsorships and advertising, etc.
The UEFA Champions League matches analysed are:
- Madrid: Real Madrid vs Manchester City (December 10th, 2025)
- Milan: Inter Milan vs Liverpool (December 9th, 2025) and Inter Milan vs Arsenal (January 20th, 2026)
- Munich: Bayern München vs Brugge (October 22nd, 2025) and Bayern München vs Union Saint-Gilloise (January 21st, 2026)
- Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund vs Bodø/Glimt (December 10th, 2025)
On average, each of the cities studied—Madrid, Milan, Munich, and Dortmund—will benefit from a direct tourism-related economic impact of €5.1 million per match. Of this total, food and beverage spending represents approximately 51%, accommodation accounts for 27%, and transportation for the remaining 22%.
Milan stands out for its particularly strong economic contribution: each of its two matches (Inter Milan vs Liverpool and Inter Milan vs Arsenal) is expected to draw more than 72,200 attendees, generating a direct tourism estimated impact of €5.6 million per match.
In Munich, the matches Bayern München vs Brugge and Bayern München vs Union Saint-Gilloise are projected to contribute €5.3 million and €5.4 million, respectively, in direct tourism-related spending. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund vs Bodø/Glimt is expected to generate €4.4 million in Dortmund.
“Sports tourism, and particularly travel surrounding football matches and championships, has long been a powerful driver to position the destination’s brand and attracting worldwide visitors,” says Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian. “Understanding and predicting its impact is now more important than ever to help destinations plan, manage and promote accordingly, while maximising economic benefits for the local economy in a smarter way.”
Real Madrid vs Manchester City: An Economic Impact of 4.4 million euro
This match, scheduled for December 10th, 2025 in Madrid (Spain), is expected to attract 72,213 attendees and generate an economic impact of €4.4 million in tourism-related spending alone. Of this total, 55% corresponds to food and beverage, 30% to accommodation, and 16% to transportation. This translates into €1.3 million in hospitality spending (including hotels, vacation rentals, and other accommodation options), €2.4 million in food & beverage, and €721,500 in transportation. This, is especially relevant considering that around 60% of the match attendees will be Real Madrid’s Club member with season ticket, the most of them residents in the city.
Additionally, Mabrian, the global travel intelligence and destination strategy partner, analysed year-over-year variations in flight and hotel prices around the match in Madrid, along with air capacity to the Spanish capital.
Between December 8th and 11th, 2025, the number of scheduled seats on flights to Madrid is expected to increase by +8.7% year-over-year, with particularly strong growth from British airports (+22.7%) compared to the same period last year. Breaking down air capacity growth from UK airports, data shows that seat availability will increase significantly from Manchester (+58%) compared to the same days in 2024.
Regarding hotel prices, data indicates an overall rise across all major categories during the week of the match.Three-star accommodations will increase by +6.2% year-over-year (reaching €154 per night), four-star hotels will rise by +15.3% (€211 per night), and five-star hotels will reach €452 per night, an interannual increase of +30.6%.
“Major sporting events such as football tournaments attract huge spikes in visitors over just a few days — but the real opportunity lies in extending that impact,” explains a Mabrian spokesperson. “These insights show that, by leveraging data and forecasts, destinations can strategically design complementary experiences that encourage longer stays, boost local spending, and maximise the long-term value of sports tourism.”
