Red Bull soccer teams: How many soccer teams does Red Bull own and sponsor?

Red Bull soccer teams: How many soccer teams does Red Bull own and sponsor?

Kenneth Mwenda
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:28 PM
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Red Bull has several soccer teams under its ownership and sponsorship. These teams are part of the firm's Global Soccer franchise, and all adhere to an identical philosophy and approach to the game. The franchise also has a strong focus on player development, with a number of academies and training centres across the globe.

Red Bull soccer teams: How many soccer teams does Red Bull own and sponsor?
Leipzig fans cheer on their team at the Red Bull Arena on 10 September 2022. Photo: Jan Woitas
Source: Getty Images

The expansion of the multi-club ownership model has been one of the biggest trends in football club ownership in recent years. The majority of football clubs used to be owned by wealthy local businesspeople or consortiums, but things have drastically changed since then, and not just because super-wealthy nations and billionaires have entered the game.

Multi-club ownership is a business strategy in which one investor purchases and finances multiple clubs. These various clubs will occasionally be fairly independent, while other times, they will be closely bound by a set of explicitly stated principles and practises. The latter is unquestionably true regarding the Red Bull ownership model.

The Red Bull GmbH franchise

Rll Red Bull soccer teams
A photo of the Red Bull Arena in Saxony, Leipzig, taken on 10 September 2022. Photo: Jan Woitas
Source: Getty Images

The Austrian private company is well-known for its line of energy drinks of the same name. It also has a reputation for sponsoring various teams and sporting events. It was established in 1984 by businessmen Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian, and Chaleo Yoovidhya, a Thai. Red Bull GmbH's main office is in Salzburg's Fuschl am See.

How many soccer teams do Red Bull own?

As of March 2023, they own 4 teams. The company started their foray into sports ownership by acquiring Austria Salzburg in 2005. The Energy Drink firm has some fast-rising football teams in big soccer countries, including the United States, Germany, Austria and Brazil. This is a brief overview of all the Red Bull teams.

1. FC Red Bull Salzburg | Austria

Red Bull soccer teams worldwide
The FC Red Bull Salzburg team after the Admiral Bundesliga match against LASK at Raiffeisen Arena on March 11, 2023, in Linz, Austria. Photo: Andreas Schaad
Source: Getty Images

FC Red Bull Salzburg is an Austrian football team headquartered in Wals-Siezenheim and competes in the Austrian Bundesliga, the top division of Austrian football. The Red Bull Arena serves as their home pitch. When participating in UEFA competitions, the club competes under FC Salzburg and dons a modified crest due to sponsorship restrictions.

Prior to being purchased by Red Bull GmbH in 2005, the club was known as SV Austria Salzburg and had a number of sponsored names. The firm changed the club's name and its colours from the customary violet and white to red and white. Some of the team's supporters started a new club called SV Austria Salzburg due to the change.

2. New York Red Bulls | United States

Red Bull soccer teams youth
Luquinhas #82 of New York Red Bulls celebrates his goal during the Major League Soccer match against Columbus Crew at Red Bull Arena on March 18, 2023, in Harrison, New Jersey. Photo: Ira L. Black
Source: Getty Images

The New York Red Bulls is an American professional soccer team in the New York metropolitan area. The club is an Eastern Conference team in Major League Soccer (MLS).

The team was founded in October 1994, and they debuted as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars for the league's inaugural season in 1996. The team was bought by Red Bull GmbH in 2006 and rebranded under its current name as a member of the organization's international network of football clubs.

After playing at Giants Stadium, the club moved to Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, in 2010. The club and New York City FC, which joined the league in 2015, are the two MLS teams based in the New York metropolitan area.

3. RB Leipzig | Germany

How many soccer teams does Red Bull own?
RB Leipzig players after the Bundesliga match between VfL Bochum 1848 and RB Leipzig at Vonovia Ruhrstadion on March 18, 2023, in Bochum, Germany. Photo: Stefan Brauer
Source: Getty Images

RB Leipzig is one of the best Red Bull soccer teams worldwide. The headquarters of the German professional football team are in Leipzig, Saxony. Red Bull GmbH, which bought the playing rights of fifth-tier team SSV Markranstädt with the goal of advancing the new club to the Bundesliga's top division within eight years, took the initiative to found the club in 2009.

The subsidiary RasenBallsport Leipzig GmbH manages the men's professional football team. The Red Bull Arena is where RB Leipzig plays its home games. The club's nickname is Die Roten Bullen (English: The Red Bulls).

4. Red Bull Bragantino | Brazil

Why does Red Bull own so many soccer teams?
Red Bull Bragantino players celebrate after scoring during a match against Velez Sarsfield at Jose Amalfitani Stadium on April 14, 2022, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo: Marcelo Endelli
Source: Getty Images

The Brazilian football team Red Bull Bragantino also called Bragantino is based in Bragança Paulista, Paulo. It competes in the Campeonato Paulista Série A1, the top division of the São Paulo state football league, and the Série A, the top division of the Brazilian football league system.

Before Red Bull GmbH took over club management in 2020, the team was known as Clube Atlético Bragantino. The firm changed the club's name and its colours from the customary black and white to red and white.

5. FC Liefering

Red Bull professional soccer teams
FC Liefering players celebrate after a match against SV Horn at Red Bull Arena on March 10, 2023, in Salzburg, Austria. Photo: Andreas Schaad
Source: Getty Images

FC Liefering GmbH is an Austrian association football club, formerly from Liefering, a part of Salzburg. It currently competes in Austrian football's Second League, the second tier. Liefering has served as FC Red Bull Salzburg's backup team in the Austrian Football Bundesliga since 2012.

Why does Red Bull own so many soccer teams?

The Austrian company's goal is to boost revenue rather than simply spread awareness of its energy drink brand. Each club within the ownership model employs a comparable playing philosophy, which is one of the reasons their internal supply chain of players has been so successful.

This indicates that players can move between these teams fairly easily, whether sold to the top team or loaned to a smaller club. By developing precise profiles and precise requirements for the players they bring in, they strengthen the process in their scouting system by signing and developing players who are capable of functioning successfully in this kind of system.

This tactic has produced an outstanding wave of recruitment and talent development. Even though Red Bull Ghana, the company's first African branch, was shut down in 2014, the firm still has a significant presence on the continent.

Red Bull soccer teams
Sadio Mane of RC Salzburg and Ricardo van Rhijn of Ajax during the Europa League match on February 27, 2014, at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria. Photo: VI Images
Source: Getty Images

Sadio Mané, Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano, Patson Daka, and Enock Mwepu are just a few of the undervalued players their scouting network has discovered and turned into huge profits from. Other notable players who rose through the Red Bull ranks include Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Takumi Minamino of Monaco, Timo Werner of RB Leipzig, and Hwang Hee-Chan of Wolves.

Being pretty big in professional soccer teams is one thing, but Red Bull has not stopped there. In actuality, they contribute to the marketing of a number of sports. The company sponsors other sporting events, including racing through its Red Bull Racing Brand.

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Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.