© Graphic: FC Bayern
FC Bayern have once again been crowned champions of the IFI Social Media League - the fourth time the German record champions have secured the digital championship after 2018, 2020 and 2025. In the final standings of the 18 Bundesliga clubs, the Munich side pushed VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund into second and third place respectively.
The International Football Institute (IFI) analysed the clubs’ social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The assessment took into account, amongst other things, follower growth, engagement rates, posting frequency and reach. The Social Media Index was calculated based on the points accumulated over the season.
Strong growth on TikTok and YouTube
On TikTok and YouTube in particular, Bayern impressed with strong continued growth – despite already having a high number of followers at the start of the season. The rich multimedia content on the club’s channels also contributed to this success.
“Bayern are the best at conveying the emotions from the pitch into the digital world,” explained Dr Benjamin Birzer from the IFI. “Especially on purely video-based platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, Bayern are simply ahead of the competition.”
In the 2025/26 season, FC Bayern achieved the top score of 3.00 on the Social Media Index, meaning the Munich-based club also retained top spot on the digital pitch.
Cross-channel content strategy
FC Bayern’s outstanding sporting season in 2025/26 was also reflected in the club’s digital development. This was underpinned by a cross-channel content strategy that puts fans around the world front and centre and focuses on relevant storytelling, exclusive insights, in-depth video formats, and in-house photos and graphics. The club set new records with more than 1.1 billion interactions, 15 billion video views and community growth of around ten per cent to over 220 million followers across all platforms. As a result, FC Bayern moved up from eighth to fifth place in the international rankings. April proved to be the most successful month for social media in the club’s history, whilst the 4–3 home win against Real Madrid in the CL quarter-final second leg set an all-time record for a single day.
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