FC Bayern München & Adyen
FC Bayern München scores a 10% increase in transactions with faster payments
75,000 fans, a 15-minute half-time window, and thousands of transactions. The stakes for reliable and fast payments on gameday at FC Bayern München are as high as scoring the winning goal.
In 2023, FC Bayern München teamed up with Adyen to connect payments across every single fan touchpoint. By bringing catering, official retail stores, ticketing, and online commerce onto a single, unified platform, the club has transformed its operational efficiency.
The results speak for themselves: in-person payments are now three seconds faster on average. This friction-free setup has delivered a 10% uplift in matchday transactions, prompting both organisations to extend their partnership into extra time.
Discover all the insights into the FC Bayern x Adyen partnership in this video.
One matchday, many touchpoints
The FC Bayern experience begins long before the kick-off and lasts long after the final whistle blows. Fans buy tickets before the game, want to pick up the latest merchandise from the fan store, and immerse themselves in the club’s history in their on-site museum. And score that stadium sausage with a drink before heading to the stands.
The scale of payments that power these experiences is immense. Tens of thousands of people head to the same points of sale at the same time at a sold-out game. In these moments, every second counts. Fans travel to the Allianz Arena from all over the world and expect a seamless experience during the 15-minute half-time break, when around 69,000 expected spectators from the public areas make their way to the concession points.
A club like FC Bayern needs payments that perform under pressure. Every checkout has to be fast, simple and reliable, even at peak demand.
"The perfect fan experience should be frictionless and simply fun. Payment should work invisibly in the background."
Rouven Kasper
Member of the Executive Board / Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, FC Bayern München
Engaging a fanbase with Tap to Pay
Mobile points of sale are becoming a defining strategy to deliver fast and amazing fan experiences in the Allianz Arena.
In FC Bayern’s stores, employees can open up extra checkouts when demand surges by taking terminals to the fans directly.
Allianz Arena’s catering partner DO & CO uses SIM-enabled all-in-one terminals that operate independently of the stadium Wi-Fi and can be managed centrally to sell refreshments directly in the stands. Even refunds for cups can be handled with Tap to Pay.
Behind the scenes, all these different payment touchpoints come together on the Adyen platform. The centralised infrastructure reduces complexity and creates the foundation for new services that keep matchday moving.
To power a unified fan journey, FC Bayern natively integrates Adyen’s global payment platform with SAP Customer Checkout, connecting transaction data directly across the club's backend ERP and commerce channels. This ensures every touchpoint, from the global online store to mobile stadium kiosks, runs efficiently on one single solution.
Giving back at the checkout
Since switching to Adyen, FC Bayern saves an average of three seconds on every transaction. Across thousands of checkouts on a matchday in a 15 minute break, the impact adds up.
Faster processing lets FC Bayern handle around 10% more transactions on a given matchday. For Philip van Berkel from DO & CO, that also represents a clear commercial opportunity. In the best-case scenario, 10% more transactions can translate into 10% more revenue.
For fans, the benefit is even more immediate. Less time spent in line means more time enjoying the game.
"We are able to process every single transaction faster, which allows fans to spend more time in the stands and cheer on FC Bayern longer."
Philip van Berkel
Head of Public Catering / Logistics / Technical Services & Stewarding, DO & CO
When payment innovation becomes a team sport
The benefits of a connected payment infrastructure extend far beyond matchdays in München. It lets FC Bayern reach fans in more than 200 countries and offers more than 250 payment methods.
International fans already experience the benefits of Adyen’s global platform at the Allianz Arena, where they can pay with popular payment methods like Alipay+ using a QR code. Familiar local payment methods for foreigners gives the home advantage to international growth.
The potential becomes particularly clear during the club’s international activities. During its Summer Tour in Asia, online sales in the respective markets increased by several hundred percent.
"The foundation for our global online store is Adyen’s 250+ payment methods. Not every fan can be at the stadium, but this way, every fan can bring a piece of FC Bayern home."
Peter Romics
Director / Global Commerce FC Bayern, FC Bayern München
Small amounts, big impact
The same infrastructure also creates opportunities to strengthen the community around the club.
With Adyen Giving, fans can donate directly at the payment terminal to FC Bayern Hilfe e.V. Adyen covers the transaction fees to ensure 100% of every donation reaches the organisation.
On matchdays, those contributions can add up to a five-figure donation total in a single day.
When payment innovation becomes a team sport
FC Bayern created a strong advantage by partnering with Adyen. Since teaming up in 2023, the shared payment infrastructure has created a winning line-up. Fans spend less time at checkout, FC Bayern can grow its international business, and they can build and scale services fast.
FC Bayern and Adyen are now extending their partnership to continue improving the fan experience together. Future developments may include services such as Click & Collect and Click & Serve.
When payments work well, fans barely notice them. For FC Bayern München, what happens behind the scenes makes a significant difference.
"Together with Adyen, we are highly innovative as a team, setting global benchmarks and continuously evolving."
Rouven Kasper
Member of the Executive Board / Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, FC Bayern München