Over 70,000 spectators: TTBL breaks the 70,000 mark

Following the conclusion of the regular season in 2025/26, the German Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) set a remarkable attendance record for the second consecutive year. With a total of 73,993 spectators at the 132 league matches (average: 561 fans per match), Germany’s top division broke the 70,000-fan barrier in its 60th season—partly due to the appearances of Olympic champion Fan Zhendong for 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT—for the first time since the abolition of the “Paarkreuz” system 19 years ago.

Compared to last year’s previous regular-season record of 66,815 spectators (average: 506), attendance rose significantly once again by more than 7,000 visitors, or nearly 11 percent. In 2025, German idol Timo Boll’s farewell tour with Borussia Düsseldorf had already led to a 14 percent increase in attendance for nearly all TTBL competitors.

With the signing of Fan Zhendong, Saarbrücken has now taken over from Düsseldorf as the number one crowd-puller. The Champions League winner welcomed 13,160 fans (average: 1,196) to its eleven home matches—including eight appearances by the Chinese superstar. For Saarbrücken, this represents nearly a threefold increase in total attendance compared to the 2024/25 season (4,419 spectators).

Nevertheless, FCS narrowly missed Düsseldorf’s one-year-old league record of 13,580 fans. With 11,220 spectators (average: 1,020), Borussia is now the only team besides Saarbrücken to have drawn a five-figure crowd this season.

Overall, three-quarters of all clubs recorded increased attendance figures. With one exception, all clubs reported a total attendance of more than 4,000 fans each. A year ago, all twelve clubs had exceeded the 3,000-fan mark during the season for the first time.

Florian Manzke
Featured image above: BeLaSportfoto