Reports Say Volkswagen May Withdraw from Football Club Investments, with Bayern Munich Potentially Affected

[Written by Pan Yuchen of Guancha.cn / Edited by Gao Xin]

According to a report by German newspaper Bild on September 4, Volkswagen Group may withdraw from its current football-related investments as part of efforts to restructure itself. Previously, on September 3, Volkswagen Group's supervisory board approved its largest-ever restructuring plan, the "2030 Future Plan." Article 10.9 of the resolution states: "In principle, equity investments in football clubs are not part of the 2030 target blueprint."

Accordingly, the affected German football clubs include Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, in which Audi holds an 8.33% stake; Stuttgart, in which Porsche holds a 10.4% stake; recently relegated second-tier club Wolfsburg, which is 100% controlled by Volkswagen AG; and third-tier club Ingolstadt, in which Audi holds a 19.9% stake.

In August this year, Bayern Munich participated in Audi's Summer Tour event held in Hong Kong, China. Audi

It is reported that Bayern Munich and Audi's sponsorship contract will expire in 2029. The partnership between the two sides began in 2002. In 2011, Audi became one of Bayern's three external shareholders (the other two being Allianz and Adidas). In 2019, BMW considered acquiring Audi's stake in Bayern to replace its sponsorship position, but the plan was ultimately unsuccessful.

In January 2020, Bayern and Audi completed an early contract extension, extending the sponsorship agreement from 2025 to 2029. After the renewal, Audi's annual sponsorship fee increased from 40 million euros to 60 million euros, with total sponsorship fees reaching nearly 600 million euros.

According to Bild, the new contract is unlikely to be renewed, and the two sides will make an initial decision in the summer of 2027 to determine the future direction.

FAW Audi and Bayern Munich's sponsorship cooperation in the Chinese market Audi

In response to the report, Bayern said it was very satisfied with its long-term cooperation with Audi.

Another Volkswagen-controlled team, Wolfsburg, is located in the city of Wolfsburg, where Volkswagen Group's headquarters are based. The club was relegated to the second division in the 2025-2026 season, ending a 29-year run in the Bundesliga.

In the 2025-2026 season, Wolfsburg was relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in nearly 30 years. Oriental IC

According to Bild, although Volkswagen will not completely abandon Wolfsburg, the funding it can provide to the club will continue to decrease. Previously, Volkswagen invested 80 million euros per season in Wolfsburg, but the amount has now been reduced to around 55 million euros. However, the funds are not only used for the men's professional team, but also for youth development, infrastructure and the women's team; furthermore, profits from the football club must be handed over to the group.

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