Host city, Germany · DFB-Pokal
Essen
Whole-event economic activation of fixtures hosted, season 2026–27 to date, 2 fixtures In progress
Football fixtures hosted in Essen have activated €1.4m in the city's real economy in the season 2026–27 to date, across 2 fixtures, ranking 136th among host cities assessed by Reputation League.
Season brief · 2026–27, through 27 Oct 2026
Essen: €1.4m From Football, the Highest at This Point of the Season Since 2016–17
The 2 matches hosted in Essen in the 2026–27 season through 27 Oct 2026 generated €1.4 million for the city's real economy, according to Reputation League. Essen ranks 136th among European host cities assessed and 19th in Germany. At the same date of the 2025–26 season, the figure stood at €730,000: 88% more in 2026–27. It is the highest total at this point of any season since 2016–17. Over the full 2025–26 season, football generated €730,000 in Essen across 1 match.
Hospitality accounted for €730,000, transport €360,000, retail €150,000 and accommodation €120,000. The matches drew 36,300 spectators, including 358 international visitors, and about 1,130 overnight stays.
Rot-Weiss Essen's 2 home matches accounted for €1.4 million. The largest single match was Rot-Weiss Essen–RB Leipzig (DFB-Pokal, 27 Oct 2026) at €690,000.
| Season 2026–27, through 27 Oct 2026 | €1.4 million | 2 matches |
|---|---|---|
| Season 2025–26, same date | €730,000 | |
| Season 2025–26, full season | €730,000 | 1 match |
| International visitors, season to date | 358 |
Source: Reputation League, Economic Activation Platform (FEAF v3), season 2026–27 through 27 Oct 2026. Host cities, tourism bodies, clubs and the press may reuse this brief and its image, citing Reputation League as the source.
Latest signals
- DFB-Pokal Accounts for 64% of €38.3m in Economic Activation in Oct. 27-29 Midweek RoundMidweek Round, 27–29 Oct
- DFB-Pokal Round of 32 Generates €24.6m in Economic Activation, Led by MunichMidweek Round, 27–29 Oct
- Premier League Accounts for 28% of €71.4m in Economic Activation Over Aug. 21-24 WeekendWeekend, 21–24 Aug
- DFB-Pokal Round of 64 Generates €15.0m in Economic Activation, Led by HamburgWeekend, 21–24 Aug
- Versus average 2016–2025
- +4%
- Last full season, 2025–26
- €0.73m
- Average 2016–2025
- €0.66m
Economic activation per fixture: €0.68m against an average of €0.66m
Rank 153, 1 fixture
Per season, 4 seasons, COVID-affected seasons excluded
Analytics
Essen is in line with its usual pace after 1 fixtures
Cumulative economic activation fixture by fixture, season in progress, against the 2016–2025 range (4 seasons, COVID-affected seasons excluded). A usual full season closes near €0.66m.
View data
| Fixture | This season | Usual pace |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €0.68m | €0.66m |
Essen is hospitality-led: 54% of economic activation, against 38% across all host cities
Share of real economy activation by sector, season 2026–27 to date.
View data
| Sector | Essen | All host cities |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 9.0% | 24.2% |
| Hospitality | 53.7% | 38.3% |
| Transport | 26.5% | 25.6% |
| Retail | 10.8% | 11.9% |
Fixtures with the highest economic activation, 2026–27
Full city report
Available on request to host cities, regional authorities and tourism bodies.
- Fixture-level assessment (2 fixtures in 2026–27)
- Breakdown by competition and by sector: accommodation, hospitality, transport, retail
- Historical series since 2016 and peer benchmarking
- Sources, inputs and confidence level for each figure