Red Bull has somewhat quietly turned into one of the biggest names in sports team ownership. What started as a bit of a passion project has turned into a very successful venture for the brand in general.
How Many Soccer Teams Does Redbull Own? Red Bull owns four soccer teams in four different countries. They are FC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, New York Red Bulls in the USA, RB Leipzig in Germany, and Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil.
Breaking Down the Four Soccer Teams Owned by Red Bull
To have a better understanding of the four different teams, this is a quick look at the four Red Bull teams.
- Red Bull Salzburg
- New York Red Bulls
- RB Leipzig
- Red Bull Bragantino
1. Red Bull Salzburg
- League: Austrian Bundesliga
Located in the capital city of Austria, Red Bull purchased the club in 2005. It is one of the most historic teams in all of Austria, and they’ve made appearances in the UEFA Champions League consistently in the last two decades.
While a lot of their top players throughout history have been Austrian-born, they can bring in talent from all over the world.
2. New York Red Bulls
- League: MLS
Founded in 1994, New York was one of the original members of Major League Soccer in the United States. They originally had a nickname of the MetroStars, but that changed to Red Bulls in 2006.
They have one of the strongest fan bases in all of Major League Soccer. Being located in the biggest city in the United States helps a lot, as they can attract talent coming from all over the world as well.
They’ve yet to win an MLS Cup title, but they have reached the finals once in 2008.
3. RB Leipzig
- League: Bundesliga
The German Bundesliga is one of the most respected domestic leagues in the world. Playing their matches in Red Bull Arena, RB Leipzig has stayed in the Bundesliga after making it a high priority once Red Bull purchased them.
The club made history the very first year they were in the top division in Germany, landing a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Just recently, they won the 2022 DFB-Pokal.
This was the first major trophy won by the club. They finished in second place twice since joining Bundesliga, and they were semifinalists during the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League.
4. Red Bull Bragantino
- League: Serie A Brazil
This is the newest club to join the fray for Red Bull. They purchased a club in 2020, and the focus right now is to make them as competitive as possible within Brazil.
It’s still too early to see what they might be able to accomplish, but they take over for representation in Brazil after parting ways with Red Bull Brasil.
Does Red Bull Sponsor Other Sports Teams?
Being pretty big in soccer is one thing, but Red Bull hasn’t stopped there. In fact, they played a role in marketing in several different sports.
Formula One might be the one sport that they are most notable in outside of soccer. Not only is there Oracle Red Bull Racing, but Scuderia AlphaTauri exists.
ESports has been a pretty big focus for the company since it started to grow worldwide. OG Dota 2 and Red Bulls are both under the umbrella. With there being such a correlation between energy drinks and gaming, this seems to be one of the best fits overall.
Ice hockey has EHC Redball Munchen currently involved with the company. They’ve been a club team in Germany that’s found some decent success thanks in large part to the extra money being put into the club.
NASCAR has Team Red Bull, which has found some solid success overall. NASCAR is hoping to capitalize on some of the renewed focus of racing out there, so this could be one way to do it.
Why is Red Bull So Focused on Owning Sports Teams?
Red Bull is a company mostly based on marketing more than anything. Even though they are known for their energy drink, the company doesn’t manufacture it themselves. Instead, it’s more about building a brand and having name recognition across many different fan bases.
Energy drinks go hand-in-hand with sports, so a lot of marking focus has been put on exactly that. Not only do athletes use Red Bull, but fans have been showing their appreciation for these energy drinks as well.
They also love creating a narrative that they can not only purchase a team, but have success in sponsoring them as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition.
Other beverage companies might sponsor a tournament or put money towards marketing in other ways, but Red Bull wants to do things differently.
It’s worked to grow their brand and create a narrative. Right now it seems like something they only want to do more of as time goes on.
Do Sports Fans Like What Red Bull is Doing?
For the most part, sports fans don’t have too much of an opinion on Red Bull and what they are doing as far as sports teams acquisitions.
The loan exception seems to be in Austria, as RB Leipzig has turned into one of the most hated teams in the country. They have been able to have more money than most of their competition, but that can make certain fan bases upset.
There’s no doubt that RB Leipzig is one of the most commercialized teams in Austria. That money they’re bringing in is what helps them attract players and make improvements all the time. It also allows them to compete at the Champions League level and not feel outclassed.
To put it simply, RB Leipzig is the other team everyone is hunting to beat instead of an underdog story. Austria doesn’t typically have dominant teams domestically, so that’s why some people have polarizing views on the subject.
What’s Next for Red Bull?
The trend seems to be that Red Bull is only going to be adding more teams in different sports when the opportunities arise.
It would not be surprising to see the soccer résumé for Red Bull double in the next ten years. They will also be putting more focus on other sports to help grow recognition and show they are for real.
