 | |
| Organising body | DFB |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963; 62 years ago (1963) |
| Country | Germany |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Divisions | Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nordost Regionalliga West Regionalliga Südwest Regionalliga Bayern |
| Number of clubs | 90 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 (1963–1974) 3 (1994–2008) 4 (2008–present) |
| Promotion to | 3. Liga |
| Relegation to | Oberliga |
| Current champions | TSV Havelse (Nord) Lokomotive Leipzig (Nordost) MSV Duisburg (West) TSG Hoffenheim (Südwest) 1. FC Schweinfurt (Bayern) (2024–25) |
| Current:2025–26Regionalliga | |
ARegionalliga (German pronunciation:[ʁeɡi̯oˈnaːlˌliːɡa], pluralRegionalligen) is a regional league in numeroussports governing bodies inGermany,Austria andSwitzerland, usually located in the upper or middle tiers of thesports leagues.
The term is often associated with theGerman football league system where it is the fourth tier or one of the three divisions of Regionalliga in Austria, which represent the third tier in that country.[1] Until 1974,Regionalliga was the second tier in Germany. In 1994, it was reintroduced as the third tier. Upon the creation of the new Germany-wide3. Liga in 2008, it became the fourth tier. While all of the clubs in the top three divisions of German football are professional, theRegionalliga has a mixture of professional and semi-professional clubs.
From the introduction of theBundesliga in 1963 until the formation of the2. Bundesliga in 1974, there were fiveRegionalligen, forming the second tier of German Football:
The champions and runners-up of the respective divisions played out two promotion spots to theBundesliga in two groups after the end of the season.
In 1974, the two2. Bundesligen,Süd andNord became the second tier of German Football and theRegionalligen ceased existing for the next 20 years.
In 1994, theRegionalligen were re-introduced, this time as the third tier of German Football. There were initially fourRegionalligen:
Between 1994 and 2000, promotion to the2. Bundesliga was regulated without much continuity. It was a problematic rule, as becoming champion of a division did not automatically mean promotion for that team. The champions of the South and West/Southwest divisions were automatically promoted, however, along with one of the two runners-up. The champions of the North and Northeast divisions had a play-off to decide who would get the fourth promotion spot. This rule was justified because there are more clubs in the southern part of Germany than the north.
In 1998, the promotion rule was changed again: the winner of the play-off between the North and Northeast division champions was promoted, while the loser faced the runners-up from the West/Southwest and South divisions in another play-off for the remaining promotion spot.
In 2000 the number ofRegionalligen was reduced to two:
The new divisional alignment was not bound to certain states any more so teams were moved between the divisions in order to balance club numbers. This led to some clubs in the Southern division being geographically further north than some northern clubs, and vice versa.
The champions and the runners-up of both divisions were promoted to the2. Bundesliga.
In 2008, theRegionalligen were demoted to become the fourth tier of football in Germany after the introduction of a new nationwide3. Liga. However, there was an expansion to three divisions:[2]
"Covering" meant that the single divisions were annually re-aligned to geographic location by aDFB committee in order to have 18 teams assigned to each division every year. This led to teams assigned to a division other than their geographical one. An example for this isBV Cloppenburg, who was assigned to the Western division for the 2008–09 season despite being located in Lower Saxony.
In October 2010, yet another reform of theRegionalligen was decided upon, with the number of leagues expanding to five and beginning play in the 2012–13 season. Under this new format, the oldRegionalliga Nordost would be re-established and the newRegionalliga Südwest andRegionalliga Bayern would be created. TheSüdwest would take clubs from the southern portion of theRegionalliga West and also everything from theRegionallia Süd outside of Bavaria. It was also decided to limit the number of reserve teams perRegionalliga to seven.[3]
The five league champions and the runners-up of theRegionalliga Südwest play-off for the three promotion spots in a home-and-away series. The new leagues consist of up to 22 clubs in their inaugural seasons but were reduced to between 16 and 18 clubs. TheRegionalligen are not administered by the DFB but rather by the regional football associations. In regards to reserve teams, initially only seven were permitted per league, however, this rule may be subject to change under certain circumstances. Reserve sides of3. Liga teams are not permitted in theRegionalliga.[4]
The reorganisation of theRegionalligen so soon after the last changes in 2008 became necessary because of a large number of insolvencies. These were caused by a lack of media interest in the leagues combined with large expenses and infrastructure demands. The fiveRegionalligen from 2012 are:[4]
Some regional football associations also made changes to the league system below theRegionalliga in their area. From the 2012–13 season, theBavarian Football Association split theBayernliga into a northern and a southern division, and increased the number ofLandesligen from three to five.[5]
At the end of March 2023, theWestern German Football Association (WDFV) confirmed theRegionalliga West's status as a professional league for the first time with regard to the 2023–24 season's licensing procedure. North Rhine-Westphalia had already classified the league as such in the 2020–21 season to enable the "numerous professional footballers" to continue practicing their profession. At that time, for example, the game operations in the four remaining regional leagues had been stopped prematurely.[6]
At the 96thDFB-Bundestag in December 2017, delegates decided to change the promotion rules and, without success, reduce the number of leagues to four. To achieve this, a temporary solution was put into place for the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons. Four teams were promoted and there were three guaranteed promotion places from the champions of the five regional leagues. The champion of the southwest league, which gave up its second playoff place, were promoted automatically in the next two seasons. Additionally there were two teams promoted from the other four regional leagues. In the 2018–19 season, the champion of the northeast league was also promoted directly. The winner of the third guaranteed promotion place was decided by the drawing of lots. The remaining two regional league champions of the 2018–19 season faced off in a two-legged playoff determining the fourth promotion place. The two regional leagues whose teams took part in the playoff automatically had promotion places for the 2019–20 season. As a result, the third division has had four relegation places.[7]
At the 97thDFB-Bundestag in 2019, a working group under DFB vice-presidentPeter Frymuth unsuccessfully proposed a system involving four rather than five regional leagues.[7] Instead, the delegates reformed the promotion scheme from the 2020–21 season, in which there continued to be four promotions to the3. Liga. TheRegionalliga West andSüdwest each provide a fixed direct promotion. Another direct promotion place is assigned according to a rotation principle among theRegionalligen Nord,Nordost andBayern champions. The representatives from the remaining twoRegionalligen determine the fourth promoted club in two-legged playoffs.[8]
The history and development of theRegionalligen in maps:
In Austrian soccer,Regionalliga represents the third highest tier, afterAustrian Bundesliga (top tier) andErste Liga (second tier). Unlike the two top tiers, which are true national leagues, Regionalliga is organized in three regional divisions: Ost (East), Mitte ("Middle"), and West (West). A short playoff circle omg the three winners of each division at the end of the season (played as home and away games) determines the team to move up to the Erste Liga (second tier).[9]
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A club that wants to play in theRegionalliga must meet two conditions. First, the team must qualify for the league. Second, the club must obtain a license from theDFB. This license is granted if the club can prove that they are financially sound, that their stadium conforms to the security regulations, and that they have a working youth section.
The champions of three divisions are automatically promoted; the remaining two take part in the promotion round to the3. Liga at the end of the season for the fourth promotion. Reserve teams are also eligible for promotion unless the respective first team is playing in the3. Liga.
At least the bottom two teams of each division are demoted to their respectiveOberliga. The actual number of teams relegated from every division depends on the number of relegations from the3. Liga and promotions from theOberliga.
As clubs in theRegionalliga must have their teams licensed by the DFB on a per-season basis, a team may also be relegated by having its license revoked or by going intoadministration. Reserve teams are also relegated when the respective first team is relegated to the3. Liga.
Matchday squads in theRegionalliga must include at least six players of German nationality and under the age of 24, two under the age of 21, and a maximum of three non-EU players.
| Season | Regionalliga Nord | Regionalliga Nordost | Regionalliga West/Südwest | Regionalliga Süd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | VfB Lübeck | Carl Zeiss Jena | Arminia Bielefeld | SpVgg Unterhaching |
| 1995–96 | VfB Oldenburg | Tennis Borussia Berlin | FC Gütersloh | Stuttgarter Kickers |
| 1996–97 | Hannover 96 | FC Energie Cottbus | SG Wattenscheid 09 | 1. FC Nürnberg |
| 1997–98 | Hannover 96 | Tennis Borussia Berlin | Rot-Weiß Oberhausen | SSV Ulm 1846 |
| 1998–99 | VfL Osnabrück | Chemnitzer FC | Alemannia Aachen | SV Waldhof Mannheim |
| 1999–2000 | VfL Osnabrück | 1. FC Union Berlin | 1. FC Saarbrücken | SSV Reutlingen 05 |
| Season | Regionalliga Nord | Regionalliga Süd |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 1. FC Union Berlin | Karlsruher SC |
| 2001–02 | VfB Lübeck | Wacker Burghausen |
| 2002–03 | Erzgebirge Aue | SpVgg Unterhaching |
| 2003–04 | Rot-Weiss Essen | Bayern Munich II |
| 2004–05 | Eintracht Braunschweig | Kickers Offenbach |
| 2005–06 | Rot-Weiss Essen | FC Augsburg |
| 2006–07 | FC St. Pauli | SV Wehen |
| 2007–08 | Rot Weiss Ahlen | FSV Frankfurt |
| Season | Regionalliga Nord | Regionalliga West | Regionalliga Süd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Holstein Kiel | Borussia Dortmund II | 1. FC Heidenheim |
| 2009–10 | SV Babelsberg 03 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | VfR Aalen |
| 2010–11 | Chemnitzer FC | Preußen Münster | SV Darmstadt 98 |
| 2011–12 | Hallescher FC | Borussia Dortmund II | Stuttgarter Kickers |
| 1 Awarded on points-per-game basis after season was not completed |
| 2 Play-off winner |
| League competitions | |
|---|---|
| Cup competitions | |
| National teams | |
| By city | |
| Awards | |
| Defunct | |
