RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig has a very short and controversial history.

RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V., or RB Leipzig, was founded in May 2009 (they use RasenBallsport because corporate names are not permitted by the German Football Association, although the shortened RB still seems to get the point across). The club was created by the energy drink company Reb Bull and shortly after its foundation, it “partnered” with fifth-division side SSV Markranstädt. This was not really a partnership, but more of Red Bull taking over the club — a kind of work-around of rules against corporate ownership in German football — and beginning to pump loads of money into it with a goal of advancing to the Bundesliga in 8 seasons or less. They also bought up several other local clubs with academy teams, to build out their farming and academy system.

RB Leipzig began their inaugural season, playing in the 5th tier of German football, in the old home of SSV Markranstädt, a small 5,000 seat stadium. In their first season, they won the league after matchday 25 and quickly began their ascent of the German football pyramid. Prior to their start in the 4th tier in 2010, they began to sign more and more high quality players, outspending their competition significantly, and also moved into the former 2006 World Cup Stadium Zentralstadion, renaming it Red Bull Arena. Surprisingly, the club finished in 4th that season and did not achieve promotion. Although they missed out on promotion, they won the Saxony Cup, snagging them their first trophy in club history, just two years after their foundation.

Despite making some major noise in their DFB-Pokal debut in 2011 by defeating Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, they were unable to secure promotion as they finished 3rd in the 4th division. The 2013 season saw several successes for the club, as they won the Saxony Cup again, qualifying them for the next season’s DFB-Pokal, and achieved promotion through the playoff. The next season, they finished 2nd, securing them a direct promotion to the second division in only their 6th year of existence.

Leipzig spent nearly 25 million euros on new players during the 2014-2015 season, however this still wasn’t enough to get them into a promotion spot, and as a result they fired Alexander Zorniger, the manager who had gotten them from the 5th tier all the way to the 2nd in a matter of years. The club continued to make major signings and it payed off in 2016 when they finished in 2nd in 2. Bundesliga and received a direct promotion to the Bundesliga in their 7th year of existence.

In their first season in the Bundesliga, they went undefeated in their first 13 league matches and ended up qualifying for the Champions League. They continued to place well in the coming seasons and were Champions League regulars. They won their first major title in 2022 when they won the DFB-Pokal on penalties. They won the next years DFB-Pokal as well, and also defeated Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup.

2023-24 SEASON: 4th in Bundesliga (qualified for Champions League), DFB-Pokal 2nd Round

2024-25 SEASON: Bundesliga since 2016, UEFA Champions League

RB Leipzig shares a regional rivalry with 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig and Dynamo Dresden, but they are both in lower divisions at the moment. They also share a rivalry with other big Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

RB Leipzig does have a women’s team who operates under the same name. They were created in 2016 and play in the Frauen-Bundesliga, the top level of German women’s football. They won their only trophies back to back in 2019 and 2020 when they won the Saxony Cup.

None that we know of.

RB Leipzig play their home games at Red Bull Arena, which is the largest stadium in eastern Germany. It opened in 2004 and was used during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The stadium has a current capacity of just under 48,000, but there are plans to expand it to nearly 54,000.

Leipzig offers a number of different stadium tour options. Visit the club website to learn more.

GETTING THERE: It’s just over a mile west of the city center, and the walk should be around 30 minutes. You can also take tram 3, 7 or 15 from the main train station to Sportforum.

PUBS and GRUB: It’s all pretty residential out by the stadium, so check out the old town for pregame activities.

AROUND TOWN: We haven’t been there yet, so we’ll just suggest the official tourism website.