German football league system

German football league system
Nation
Germany
States
Baden-Württemberg
Kingdom of Bavaria
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen (state)
Hamburg
Hesse
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Lower Saxony
North Rhine-Westphalia
Rhineland-Palatinate
Saarland
Kingdom of Saxony
Saxony-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Thuringia
Current Champions 2010–11
Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...  (men) 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam is a women's football club team in Potsdam, Germany. The full name is 1. Frauen-Fußball-Club Turbine Potsdam 71 e. V. . They are one of the most successful teams in Germany...  (women)

The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany

Football in Germany

Association football is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members organized in over 26,000 football clubs. There is a league system, with the 1. and 2. Bundesliga on top, and the winner of the first...

 that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. Clubs that are successful in their league can rise higher in the pyramid, whilst those that finish at the bottom can find themselves sinking further down. The top three professional levels contain one division each. Below this, the semi-professional and amateur levels have progressively more parallel divisions, which each cover progressively smaller geographic areas. In theory it is possible for even the lowest local amateur club to rise to the top of the system and become German Football Champions. The number of teams promoted between the leagues varies, and promotion to the upper levels of the pyramid is usually contingent on meeting additional criteria, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances.

Level I: Bundesliga

The Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 (English: Federal League) is the top level in the German football league system and is operated by the German Football League

Deutsche Fußball Liga

The Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH is a subsidiary of Die Liga – Fußballverband. The DFL is responsible for the operation of the 1. Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.- Function :...

 (German: Deutsche Fußball Liga - DFL), Germany's professional football governing body. 18 clubs compete for the title of German Football Champions in a round-robin home and away 34 matchday season. The two clubs finishing last in every season are automatically relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. The club finishing third-last plays a home and away play-off against the club finishing third in the 2. Bundesliga, with the winners earning the final spot in the next Bundesliga season.

Level II: 2. Bundesliga

The 2. Bundesliga

2. Fußball-Bundesliga

- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

 (English: Federal League 2) is the second level in the German football league system and is also operated by the German Football League. 18 clubs compete in a round-robin home and away 34 matchday season. The two clubs finishing first in every season are automatically promoted to the Bundesliga. The club finishing third plays a home and away play-off against the club finishing third-last in the Bundesliga. The two clubs finishing last are automatically relegated to the 3. Liga. The club finishing third-last plays a home and away play-off against the club finishing third in the 3. Liga, with the winners earning the final spot in the next 2. Bundesliga season.

Level III: 3. Liga

The 3. Liga

3rd Liga

The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...

 (English: League 3) is the third level in the German football league system and the lowest tier in professional football in Germany. The league is operated by the German Football Association

German Football Association

The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...

 (German: Deutscher Fußball Bund - DFB), Germany's national football association. 20 clubs compete in a round-robin home and away 38 matchday season. The two clubs finishing first in every season are automatically promoted to 2. Bundesliga. The club finishing third plays a home and away play-off against the club finishing third-last in the 2. Bundesliga. The three clubs finishing last are automatically relegated to the Regionalliga. The 3. Liga is the top tier, a reserve team of a professional club is allowed to compete. In case, reserve teams finish on promotion spots in the Regionalliga, eligible teams following in the final rankings will be promoted instead.

Level IV: Regionalliga

The Regionalliga (English: Regional League) is the fourth level in the German football league system and usually considered a semi-professional league. The league is operated by the German Football Association in cooperation with its five regional football associations. Each regional football association covers the territory of one to six German states.

Currently there are 3 Regionalliga divisions with a total of 55 clubs competing. Until the 2011–12 season, the winners of each Regionalliga division are promoted directly to the 3. Liga, whereas a number of teams finishing at the bottom of the table will be relegated to Oberliga, depending on their corresponding state football association. Due to a structural reform of the Regionalliga in 2012, relegation rules will not be in effect for the 2011–12 season.

Division	States covered	Regional association(s) covered
Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...	Bremen Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... , Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... , Lower Saxony Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany... , Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...  (North) Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Brandenburg Brandenburg Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam... , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony Saxony The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states.... , Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of... , Thuringia Thuringia The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....  (Northeast)	North German Football Association (German: Norddeutscher Fußball-Verband – NFV) Northeast German Football Association (German: Nordostdeutscher Fußball-Verband – NOFV)
Regionalliga West Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is the fourth tier of the German football league system since its introduction in 2008. It covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of three leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga...	North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...  (West) Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz .... , Saarland Saarland Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...  (Southwest)	West German Football and Athletics Association (German: Westdeutscher Fußball- und Leichtathletik Verband – WFV) Regional Football Association Southwest (German: Fußball-Regional-Verband Südwest – FRVS)
Regionalliga Süd Regionalliga Süd The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...	Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants... , Bavaria Bavaria Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany... , Hesse Hesse Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...	South German Football Association (German: Süddeutscher Fußball-Verband – SFV)

Level V: Oberliga

The Oberliga

Oberliga (football)

The Oberliga is currently the name of the fifth tier of the German football leagues. Before the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier...

 (English: Premier League) is the fifth level in the German football league system and the top amateur football league in Germany, therefore historically it was long-time named Amateur-Oberliga. The Oberliga is operated by the regional and state football associations of the German Football Association.

The jurisdiction of most state football associations covers the territory of their corresponding German state

States of Germany

Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...

, with the exception of three state associations in North Rhine-Westfalia and Baden-Württemberg, respectively two state associations in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Currently there are 10 Oberligas, with the NOFV-Oberliga split into two divisions, totalling 11 groups, usually with 16 to 18 clubs each. Usually, the Oberliga divisions are organised by one to three state football associations. This is except for the NOFV-Oberliga, being operated by the North-East German Football Association, and except for the NRW-Liga, being operated by the West German Football and Athletics Association. Both are the governing regional bodies of the covered state associations.

With the exception of the 2011–12 season, usually the winners of each Oberliga division are promoted to Regionalliga, whereas a number of teams finishing at the bottom of the table will be relegated to their respective Verbandsliga oder Landesliga, depending on their corresponding state football association. Due to a structurual reform of the Regionalliga and some Oberliga divisions in 2012, special regulations for promotion and relegation will be in effect for the 2011–12 season.

Division	State(s) covered	State association(s) covered	Feeder to
Oberliga Hamburg Oberliga Hamburg The Oberliga Hamburg, sometimes referred to as Hamburg-Liga, is in the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Hamburg, incorporating some of its surrounding districts...	Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...	Hamburgian Football Association (German: Hamburger Fußball-Verband – HFV)	Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...
Bremen-Liga Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Bremen, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Bremen...	Bremen Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...	Bremian Football Association (German: Bremer Fußball-Verband – BFV)	Regionalliga Nord
Schleswig-Holstein-Liga Schleswig-Holstein-Liga The Schleswig-Holstein-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein...	Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...	Schleswig-Holsteinian Football Association (German: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Fußball-Verband – SHFV)	Regionalliga Nord
Oberliga Niedersachsen	Niedersachsen	Lower Saxonian Football Association (German: Niedersächsischer Fußball-Verband – NFV)	Regionalliga Nord
NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and...	Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... Brandenburg Brandenburg Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam... Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Berlin Football Association (German: Berliner Fußball-Verband – BFV) State Football Association of Brandenburg (German: Fußballlandes-Verband Brandenburg – FLB) State Football Association of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (German: Landesfußball-Verband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – LFVMV)	Regionalliga Nord
NOFV-Oberliga Süd NOFV-Oberliga Süd The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...	Saxony Saxony The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states.... Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of... Thuringia Thuringia The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....	Saxonian Football Association (German: Sächsischer Fußball-Verband – SFV) Football Association of Saxony-Anhalt (German: Fußball-Verband Sachsen-Anhalt – FSA) Thuringian Football Association (German: Thüringer Fußball-Verband – TFV)	Regionalliga Nord
NRW-Liga	North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...	Football Association of the Middle Rhine (German: Fußballverband Mittelrhein – FVM) Football Association of the Lower Rhine (German: Fußballverband Niederrhein – FVN ) Football and Athletics Association of Westphalia (German: Fußball- und Leichtathletikverband Westfalen – FLVW)	Regionalliga West Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is the fourth tier of the German football league system since its introduction in 2008. It covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of three leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga...
Oberliga Südwest Oberliga Südwest The Oberliga Südwest is the highest regional football league for the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland state of Germany. It is the fifth tier of the German football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...	Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz .... Saarland Saarland Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...	Football Association of Rhineland (German: Fußball-Verband Rheinland – FVR)) Southwest German Football Association (German: Südwestdeutscher Fußball-Verband - SWFV) Saarlandic Football Association (German: Saarländischer Fußball-Verband – SFV)	Regionalliga West
Hessenliga Hessenliga The Hessenliga is the highest football league in the state of Hesse and the Hessian football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the 5th tier of the German football league system. It was, until the introduction of the 3...	Hesse Hesse Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...	Hessian Football Association (German: Hessischer Fußball-Verband – HFV)	Regionalliga Süd Regionalliga Süd The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest Football League in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...	Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...	Badenian Football Association (German: Badischer Fußball-Verband – BFV) South Badenian Football Association (German: Südbadischer Fußball-Verband – SBFV) Württembergian Football Association (German: Württembergischer Fußball-Verband – WFV)	Regionalliga Süd
Bayernliga	Bavaria Bavaria Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...	Bavarian Football Association (German: Bayerischer Fußball-Verband – BFV)	Regionalliga Süd

Level VI and lower

Starting at Level VI, each of the 21 German state football associations run a league pyramid under their own jurisdiction. Usually one or two top finishers of each state associations top level earn a promotion spot to Oberliga, depending on the size of the state association. Because of the autonomy of the state associations, the league systems below the Oberliga differ by name, size and covered area. A quite common state association league pyramid consists of Verbandsliga

Verbandsliga

The Verbandsliga is the 6th tier of football in Germany, played on a regional basis by Bundesland. In Saxony, Thuringia, Hamburg, Bremen and Bavaria the 6th tier is called Landesliga, which is the 7th tier in some of the other Bundesländer...

 (English: Association League) or Landesliga

Landesliga

The Landesliga is the 7th tier of football in most of Germany, one division below the Verbandsliga. In Bavaria, Sachsen, Thüringen, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Hamburg the Landesligas are set right below the Oberliga and therefore are the 6th tier...

 (English: State League) at Level VI, Landesliga or Bezirksoberliga

Bezirksoberliga

The Bezirksoberligas are the seventh tier of the German football league system in the state of Bavaria. The Bezirksoberligas also exist or existed in other states of Germany, but as a lower tier of the league system....

 (English: County Premier League) at Level VII, and Bezirksliga (English: County League) at Level VIII. With each level deeper, the number of divisions usually multiplies by two or three, with the area covered becoming progressively smaller. In 2010–11, at tier-VI a nationwide total 33 leagues were existent, with 92 leagues at tier-VII, and 221 leagues on tier-VIII.

Below the bottom flight in every state football association, a number of district football associations run their own league pyramid with a top flight usually called Kreisliga

Kreisliga

The Kreisliga is a low tier in league sports in Germany and the 9th tier of league soccer there.The Kreisligen usually rank right below the Bezirksligen, Bezirksklassen or Landesligen. Any teams finding themselves at the bottom of the Kreisligen would find themselves in one of the local...

 (English: District League) or in some states Kreisoberliga (English: District Premier League) as a feeder to the state football association's pyramid. The district football associations generally cover the area of a major town or a larger district, with typically several hierarchic leagues, usually called Kreisliga A, Kreisliga B, and so on. Nationwide, over 2,300 such divisions are operated by approximately 300 district football associations.

2011–12 season

The 2011–12 season will be a transition year for the semi-professional Regionalliga. The number of divisions will increase from three to five starting in 2012–13. Therefore, no club will be relegated to the Oberliga, with vacant spots for the 2012–13 Regionalliga season filled by extra promotions from the various Oberligas.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga Fußball-Bundesliga The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga... 18 clubs
	↓↑ 2-3 clubs
II	2. Bundesliga 2. Fußball-Bundesliga - Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20... 18 clubs
	↓↑ 2-3 clubs
III	3. Liga 3rd Liga The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2... 20 clubs
	↓ 3 clubs
	↑ 1 club		↑ 1 club		↑ 1 club
IV	Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany... 18 clubs		Regionalliga West Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is the fourth tier of the German football league system since its introduction in 2008. It covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of three leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga... 19 clubs		Regionalliga Süd Regionalliga Süd The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany... 18 clubs
	↓ no clubs (due to 2012 Regionalliga reform)
	↑ 9 clubs	↑ 7 clubs	↑ 7 clubs	↑ 1 club	↑ 1 club	↑ 1 club	↑ 12-13 clubs
V	Hamburgian FA league system Bremian FA league system Schleswig-Holsteinian FA league system Lower Saxonian FA league system	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and...   16 clubs NOFV-Oberliga Süd NOFV-Oberliga Süd The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...   16 clubs	NRW-Liga  18 clubs	Oberliga Südwest Oberliga Südwest The Oberliga Südwest is the highest regional football league for the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland state of Germany. It is the fifth tier of the German football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...   18 clubs	Hessian FA league system	Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest Football League in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...   18 clubs	Bavarian FA league system
		↓ 2 clubs	↓ no clubs	↓ 3 clubs		↓ 3 clubs
		↑ 6-10 clubs	↑ NRW-Liga dissolved	↑ 3 clubs		↑ 3 clubs
VI		FA of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern league system FA of Brandenburg league system Berlin FA league system FA of Saxony-Anhalt league system Thuringian FA league system Saxonian FA league system	FA of the Lower Rhein league system FA of the Middle Rhein league system FA of Westphalia league system	FA of Rheinland league system Saarlandic FA league system Southwest German FA league system		Badenian FA league system South Badenian FA league system Württembergian FA league system

2012 Regionalliga reallocation

The clubs from the Northeast German Football Association will leave the Regionalliga Nord, forming the new Regionalliga Nordost. Therefore the Regionalliga Nord will only consist of the clubs from the North German Football Association. The Regionalliga Süd will be dissolved. The clubs from the Bavarian Football Association will form the new Regionalliga Bayern, whereas the remainder of the Regionalliga Süd, along with the clubs from the Regional Football Association Southwest will form the new Regionalliga Süd/Südwest. Therefore the Regionalliga West will only consist of the clubs from the West German Football and Athletics Association.

new 2012/13	was 2011/12	States covered	Regional association(s) covered
Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...	Regionalliga Nord	Bremen Bremen The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... Lower Saxony Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany... Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...	North German Football Association
Regionalliga Nordost Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of former East Germany and West-Berlin from 1994 to 2000. As such, it was almost identical in territorial cover to the old DDR-Oberliga....	Regionalliga Nord	Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... Brandenburg Brandenburg Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam... Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Saxony Saxony The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states.... Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of... Thuringia Thuringia The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....	Northeast German Football Association
Regionalliga West Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is the fourth tier of the German football league system since its introduction in 2008. It covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of three leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga...	Regionalliga West	North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...	West German Football and Athletics Association
Regionalliga Süd/Südwest Regionalliga Süd/Südwest The Regionalliga Süd/Südwest will be the fourth tier of the German football league system from 2012 in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland...	Regionalliga West Regionalliga Süd	Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....  (Southwest) Saarland Saarland Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...  (Southwest) Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...  (South) Hesse Hesse Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...  (South)	Regional Football Association Southwest South German Football Association (except for Bavarian Football Association)
Regionalliga Bayern Regionalliga Bayern The Regionalliga Bayern, , will be the highest football league in the state of Bavaria and the Bavarian Football League System. It will be one of five Regionalligas in German football, the 4th tier of the German football league system, below the 3rd Liga....	Regionalliga Süd	Bavaria Bavaria Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...	Bavarian Football Association

2012–13 season

Starting from the 2012–13 season, a promotion playoff will be introduced to the Regionalliga. The winners of all 5 divisions and the runners-up of the Southwest division will contest in 3 home and away playoffs, with the winners earning a spot in the 3. Liga. The actual number of teams in every division is not final, as it will depend the regional allocation of promotions to and relegation from the 3. Liga at the end of the 2011–12 season. The five divisions are allowed a maximum of 22 clubs in the first season, with a possible reduction to 16 or 18 clubs in later seasons.

Level	Division
	↑ 1 playoff spot	↑ 1 playoff spot	↑ 1 playoff spot	↑ 2 playoff spots	↑ 1 playoff spot
IV	Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany... 22 clubs	Regionalliga Nordost Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of former East Germany and West-Berlin from 1994 to 2000. As such, it was almost identical in territorial cover to the old DDR-Oberliga.... 16 clubs	Regionalliga West Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is the fourth tier of the German football league system since its introduction in 2008. It covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia and is one of three leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga... 22 clubs	Regionalliga Süd/Südwest Regionalliga Süd/Südwest The Regionalliga Süd/Südwest will be the fourth tier of the German football league system from 2012 in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland... 22 clubs	Regionalliga Bayern Regionalliga Bayern The Regionalliga Bayern, , will be the highest football league in the state of Bavaria and the Bavarian Football League System. It will be one of five Regionalligas in German football, the 4th tier of the German football league system, below the 3rd Liga.... 22 clubs
	↓↑ not yet decided upon
V	Hamburgian FA league system Bremian FA league system Schleswig-Holsteinian FA league system Lower Saxonian FA league system	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and...   NOFV-Oberliga Süd NOFV-Oberliga Süd The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...	FA of the Lower Rhein league system FA of the Middle Rhein league system FA of Westphalia league system	Oberliga Südwest Oberliga Südwest The Oberliga Südwest is the highest regional football league for the Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland state of Germany. It is the fifth tier of the German football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system...   Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest Football League in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German Football, the 5th tier of the German football league system... Hessian FA league system	Bavarian FA league system
		↓↑ not yet decided upon		↓↑ not yet decided upon
VI		FA of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern league system FA of Brandenburg league system Berlin FA league system FA of Saxony-Anhalt league system Thuringian FA league system Saxonian FA league system		FA of Rheinland league system Saarlandic FA league system Southwest German FA league system Badenian FA league system South Badenian FA league system Württembergian FA league system

Until 1933

Until the foundation of the German Football Association there had already been lots of different regional and district championships resp. leagues and it was not until 1906 that there was a consistent mode to determine the participants of the German championship that was played as a final tournament until the foundation of the Bundesliga. For that reason football in Germany was divided into seven regions which had their own regional championships (that were mostly played as a cup tournament, too). Only the regional champions and the defending German champion were qualified to play in the championship until 1924, when the number of final tournament participants was increased to 16.

As there were no regional top-level league established the system of many parallel leagues and divisions continued up to the 1933–34 season.

From the late 1920s on there were efforts to install a nationwide professional league, but these efforts were never powerful enough to outreach the strong anti-professionalism from conservative and nationalist officials.

Level	Division
	↑ Winners qualified for German championship tournament
	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament	↑ Winners qualified for Regional championship tournament
I	North German district divisions	Berlin district divisions	Middle German district divisions	West German district divisions	South German district divisions	Baltic district divisions	Southeast German district divisions

1933–1944

National Socialism

Nazism

Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...

 took power in Germany in January 1933. This also meant the end of attempts to invent professional football in Germany. But the football authorities did restructure and slightly centralise the football competition system. So in 1933 the Gauliga

Gauliga

A Gauliga was the highest level of play in German football from 1934-45. The leagues were introduced in 1933, after the Nazi takeover of power by the Sports office of the Third Reich.-Name:...

 (county league) system was initiated as a system of 16 top-level divisions similar in strength that replaced the more than thirty previous top-level divisions. The champion of each Gauliga was qualified to play in the German championship tournament. With 10 teams each in the Gau leagues, the number of teams in the top flight was 160, a reduction from 400 to 500 teams until then. The number of Gau leagues increased to 31 in 1944, because of league division for economic reasons (transport costs) and territory annexion during World War II.

Level	Division
	↑ Winners qualified for German championship tournament
I	Gauliga divisions

1947–1963

After World War II the Oberliga system developed out of the occupation zone championships. The first teams of the five West German top-level divisions (Nord

Oberliga Nord (1947-63)

The Oberliga Nord was the highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the states of Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:...

, West

Oberliga West (1947-63)

The Oberliga West was the highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1947 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963...

, Südwest

Oberliga Südwest (1945-63)

The Oberliga Südwest was the highest level of the German football league system in the southwest of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the two states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland.-Overview:...

, Süd

Oberliga Süd (1945-63)

The Oberliga Süd was the highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen.-Overview:...

, Berlin

Oberliga Berlin (1945-63)

The Oberliga Berlin was the highest level of the German football league system in the city of West-Berlin in Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It was by far the smallest of the five Oberligas.-Overview:...

) qualified for the German championship tournament. From 1949 until 1991 the German Democratic Republic

German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...

 had its own football league system

East German football league system

The football league system of the German Democratic Republic existed from the creation of the DDR-Oberliga in 1949 until shortly after German reunification in 1990....

.

Level	Division
	↑ Winners and runners-up qualified for German championship tournament
I	Oberliga Nord	Oberliga Berlin	Oberliga West	Oberliga Südwest	Oberliga Süd

1963–1974

Since the late 1920s there had been plans to establish a nationwide professional top-level league, but they all failed because of the opposition by anti-professionalists and the relatively strong regional football associations. In summer 1962, under the influence of the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 quarter final defeat to Yugoslavia, the German Football Association decided to establish the Bundesliga as a nationwide professional football league.

The previous Oberliga became the second level of the German league system, now named Regionalliga. Its five parallel divisions (Nord, West, Südwest, Süd, Stadtliga Berlin) corresponded with the previous Oberliga divisions.

In the first two years the Bundesliga had 16 members but their number was increased to 18 in 1965. Two teams were relegated to the Regionalliga. The first two teams from each Regionalliga division and the champion of West Berlin competed in a promotion tournament in two groups, whose winners were promoted into the Bundesliga.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
	↑ Winners and runners-up qualified for Bundesliga promotion tournament
II	Regionalliga Nord	Regionalliga Berlin	Regionalliga West	Regionalliga Südwest	Regionalliga Süd

1974–1981

Soon it became obvious that the financial gap between the fully professionalised Bundesliga and the five Regionalliga divisions, where many semi-professional and even amateur-like clubs competed, was too large. Teams relegated from the Bundesliga were often in serious danger of bankruptcy. Some clubs tried to avoid this fate by match fixing

Match fixing

In organised sports, match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, or sports fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as...

, known as the 1971 Bundesliga scandal

Bundesliga scandal (1971)

Bundesliga scandal refers to the malicious, for-profit manipulation of games in the 1970–71 German soccer championship season.- History :...

.

To narrow the gap between pro football and amateur levels, in 1974 a second professional tier was introduced with the 2. Bundesliga

2. Fußball-Bundesliga

- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

, having a North and a South Division with usually 20 clubs each. For the first time in Bundesliga history, the level II division champions gained direct access to the Bundesliga, as the former promotion tournament was disestablished. Instead, even the playoff winner among the two runners-up was also promoted, with relegation from the Bundesliga therefore increased to 3 clubs.

As the Regionalligas were dissolved in 1974, with about one half of the former Regionalliga clubs relegated to their corresponding fully amateur state league pyramids, between 1974 and 1978, several amateur premier leagues, called Amateur-Oberliga, were established in every region, to narrow the gap between professional football and amateur level once more.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga Nord			2. Bundesliga Süd
III	Amateur-Oberliga Nord	Amateur-Oberliga Berlin	Amateur-Oberliga Nordrhein Amateur-Oberliga Westfalen	Amateur-Oberliga Südwest	Amateur-Oberliga Bayern Amateur-Oberliga Hessen Amateur-Oberliga Baden-Württemberg

1981–1991

In 1981 the two divisions of the 2nd Bundesliga were merged into one nationwide division with 20 teams.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga
	↑ Winners qualified for 2. Bundesliga promotion tournament north			↑ Winners qualified for 2. Bundesliga promotion tournament south
III	Amateur-Oberliga Nord	Amateur-Oberliga Berlin	Amateur-Oberliga Nordrhein Amateur-Oberliga Westfalen	Amateur-Oberliga Südwest	Amateur-Oberliga Bayern Amateur-Oberliga Hessen Amateur-Oberliga-Baden Württemberg

1991–1994

As the league systems of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were merged in 1991, the number of teams competing in the Bundesliga was temporarily increased to 20 and to make room for 24 teams the 2. Bundesliga was again divided into a North and a South division of 12 teams each.

In 1992 the number of competing teams in the Bundesliga was re-decreased to 18 with four teams relegated and only two promoted from the second level. The 2. Bundesliga played one more season with 24 teams in one division before its size was decreased to 20 members in 1993 and 18 teams in 1994.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga
	↑ Winners qualified for 2. Bundesliga promotion tournament
III	Amateur-Oberliga Nord	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Mitte NOFV-Oberliga Süd	Amateur-Oberliga Nordrhein Amateur-Oberliga Westfalen	Amateur-Oberliga Südwest	Amateur-Oberliga Bayern Amateur-Oberliga Hessen Amateur-Oberliga-Baden Württemberg

1994–2000

In 1994 the Regionalliga was re-established at the third-tier of the German football league system. It was divided into four divisions (Nord

Regionalliga Nord

The Regionalliga Nord is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the northern and eastern part of Germany. It covers ten of the sixteen states of Germany...

, Nordost

Regionalliga Nordost

The Regionalliga Nordost was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of former East Germany and West-Berlin from 1994 to 2000. As such, it was almost identical in territorial cover to the old DDR-Oberliga....

, West/Südwest

Regionalliga West/Südwest

The Regionalliga West/Südwest was the third tier of the German football league system in the states of Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen from 1994 to 2000.- Overview :...

 and Süd

Regionalliga Süd

The Regionalliga Süd is currently the fourth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the third tier. It currently is the highest regional league for the southern part of Germany...

). Four teams were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. At the beginning these were the four division champions, but later the champions of the Nord and Nordost division had to compete in a promotion play-off while one runner-up from the South or West division was promoted additionally.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga
III	Regionalliga Nord Regionalliga Nordost		Regionalliga West/Südwest		Regionalliga Süd
IV	Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Süd	Oberliga Nordrhein Oberliga Westfalen	Oberliga Südwest	Oberliga Bayern Oberliga Hessen Oberliga Baden-Württemberg

2000–2008

From 2000 until 2008 there were two Regionalliga divisions (Nord and Süd), the champions and runners-up of each division were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga
III	Regionalliga Nord			Regionalliga Süd
IV	Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein Oberliga Niedersachsen/Bremen	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Süd	Oberliga Nordrhein Oberliga Westfalen	Oberliga Südwest	Oberliga Bayern Oberliga Hessen Oberliga Baden-Württemberg

2008–2012

In 2006, the German Football Association

German Football Association

The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...

 decided to establish a further nationwide league at the third level of the German football league system starting with the 2008–09 season. This 3rd Liga

3rd Liga

The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...

 consists of 20 teams. In the starting season the league consisted of the four lowest-ranked teams of the 2. Bundesliga after the 2007–08 season and the 3rd to 10th place finishers in both the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga Süd after 2007–08 season.

The champions and the runners-up of the 3. Liga are promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The third placed team starts in a home and away play-off against the third-last team of the 2. Bundesliga. The teams finishing 18th to 20th in the 3. Liga are relegated to the Regionalliga.

The Regionalliga was continued with an additional division (West) as fourth level of the league system. 54 teams compete in three regional divisions (North, West, South) of 18 teams each. These 54 teams consist of those Regionalliga teams that did not qualify for the 3. Liga after the 2007–08 season and additional teams from Oberliga feeders. Starting in 2008–09, the winner of each Regionalliga division will be promoted to the 3. Liga.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga
III	3. Liga
IV	Regionalliga Nord		Regionalliga West		Regionalliga Süd
V	Bremen-Liga Oberliga Hamburg Oberliga Niedersachsen Schleswig-Holstein-Liga	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Süd	NRW-Liga	Oberliga Südwest	Bayernliga Hessenliga Oberliga Baden-Württemberg

From 2012

Starting from the 2012–13 season, the Regionalliga will be expanded to five regional divisions. The Northern Division will be split into a Northern Division and a North-Eastern Division. The Western and the Southern Division will be divided into a Western Division, a South/South-Western Division and a Bavarian Division. The five Division winners along with the runner-up of the South-Western Division will compete for 3 promotions spots to the 3. Liga in a play-off round.

Level	Division
I	Bundesliga
II	2. Bundesliga
III	3. Liga
	↑ Winners and Southwest runner-up qualified for 3. Liga promotion playoffs
IV	Regionalliga Nord	Regionalliga Nordost	Regionalliga West	Regionalliga Süd/Südwest	Regionalliga Bayern
V	Bremen-Liga Oberliga Hamburg Oberliga Niedersachsen Schleswig-Holstein-Liga	NOFV-Oberliga Nord NOFV-Oberliga Süd	Mittelrheinliga Niederrheinliga Oberliga Westfalen	Hessenliga Oberliga Baden-Württemberg Oberliga Südwest	Bayernliga Nord Bayernliga Süd

Scheme

	Germany	Germany	West Germany	West Germany	West Germany	Germany	Germany	East Germany
Level	2008–	1994–2008	1974–1994	1963–1974	1945–1963	1933–1945	1903–1932	DDR 1949–1991
I	Bundesliga	Bundesliga	Bundesliga	Bundesliga	Oberliga	Gauliga	Verbandsliga	DDR Oberliga
II	2.Bundesliga	2.Bundesliga	2.Bundesliga	Regionalliga	2.Oberliga	Bezirksklasse	Bezirksliga	DDR Liga
III	3.Liga	Regionalliga	Am. Oberliga	1. Amateurliga	1. Amateurliga	Kreisliga	▼ ???	DDR 2.Liga
IV	Regionalliga	Oberliga	Verbandsliga	2. Amateurliga	2. Amateurliga	1. Kreisklasse		Bezirksliga
V	Oberliga	Verbandsliga/Landesliga ¹	Landesliga	Bezirksklasse	Bezirksklasse	2. Kreisklasse		Bezirksklasse
VI	Verbandsliga/Landesliga¹	Landesliga/Bezirksoberliga	Bezirksliga	1. Kreisklasse	1. Kreisklasse			Kreisliga
VII	Landesliga/Bezirksoberliga	Bezirksliga	Kreisliga ²	2. Kreisklasse	2. Kreisklasse			1.Kreisklasse
VIII	Bezirksliga	Kreisliga ²	Kreisklasse A ²	3. Kreisklasse	3. Kreisklasse			2.Kreisklasse
IX	Kreisliga ²	Kreisklasse A ²	Kreisklasse B ²
X	Kreisklasse A ²	Kreisklasse B ²	Kreisklasse C ²
XI	Kreisklasse B ²	Kreisklasse C ²
XII	Kreisklasse C ²

¹ in some areas called Landesliga, in others Verbandsliga.

² in some areas called Kreisliga A, Kreisliga B, Kreisliga C and Kreisliga D or 1. Kreisklasse, 2. Kreisklasse and 3. Kreisklasse.

The league structure has shifted frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by German reunification

German reunification

German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...

 and the subsequent intregration of the national leagues of East and West Germany. All these levels are interconnected

League system

A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...

 by way of promotion and relegation. The next diagram shows how this works for the first five levels. Note that the actual number of clubs being promoted and relegated below the Regionalliga level is frequently subject to change by the German Football Association

German Football Association

The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...

.

Baden

The league pyramid of the Baden Football Association (Badischer Fußballverband – BFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Verbandsliga Baden as a feeder to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. Below the Baden league tier-IX district football associations work as feeders to the Landesliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
VI	Verbandsliga Baden 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Mittelbaden 15 clubs	Landesliga Odenwald 17 clubs	Landesliga Rhein-Neckar 17 clubs
	↓ relegation to Bruchsal, Karlsruhe or Pforzheim district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Buchen, Mosbach or Tauberbischofsheim district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Heidelberg, Mannheim or Sinsheim district FA league systems

Bavaria

The league pyramid of the Bavaria Football Association (Bayerischer Fußball-Verband – BFV) currently starts at tier-V of the German football league system with the Bayernliga as a feeder to the Regionalliga Süd. Below the Bavarian league pyramid, 24 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Due to the 2012 Regionalliga reform, the usual rules of promotion and relegation are disbanded for the 2011–12 season. Instead 9 to 13 clubs from the Bayernliga and from the three Landesliga divisions will promote to the new implemented Regionalliga Bayern. The Bayernliga itself will be split into two divisions, North and South, starting in 2012, with the number of Landesliga divisions increased to five, and with the Bezirksoberliga dissolved after the 2011–12 season.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Regionalliga Süd
V	Bayernliga 18 clubs
VI	Landesliga Bayern-Mitte Landesliga Bayern-Mitte The Landesliga Bayern-Mitte is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.... 19 clubs			Landesliga Bayern-Nord Landesliga Bayern-Nord The Landesliga Bayern-Nord is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.... 18 clubs		Landesliga Bayern-Süd Landesliga Bayern-Süd The Landesliga Bayern-Süd is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.... 18 clubs
VII	Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken The Bezirksoberliga Mittelfranken is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Middle Franconia... 16 clubs	Bezirksoberliga Niederbayern Bezirksoberliga Niederbayern The Bezirksoberliga Niederbayern is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Lower Bavaria... 16 clubs	Bezirksoberliga Oberpfalz Bezirksoberliga Oberpfalz The Bezirksoberliga Oberpfalz is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Upper Palatinate... 19 clubs	Bezirksoberliga Oberfranken Bezirksoberliga Oberfranken The Bezirksoberliga Oberfranken is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Upper Franconia... 16 clubs	Bezirksoberliga Unterfranken Bezirksoberliga Unterfranken The Bezirksoberliga Unterfranken is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia... 16 clubs	Bezirksoberliga Oberbayern Bezirksoberliga Oberbayern The Bezirksoberliga Oberbayern is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Upper Bavaria... 16 clubs	Bezirksoberliga Schwaben Bezirksoberliga Schwaben The Bezirksoberliga Schwaben is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia . Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the 6th tier of the league system.... 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Mittelfranken 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Mittelfranken 2 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Niederbayern-Ost 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederbayern-West 14 clubs	Bezirksliga Oberpfalz-Nord 16 clubs Bezirksliga Oberpfalz-Süd 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Oberfranken-West 16 clubs Bezirksliga Oberfranken-Ost 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Unterfranken 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Unterfranken 2 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Nord Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Nord The Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Nord is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Upper Bavaria... 16 clubs Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Ost Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Ost The Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Ost is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Upper Bavaria... 16 clubs Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Süd Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Süd The Bezirksliga Oberbayern-Süd is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Upper Bavaria... 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord The Bezirksliga Schwaben-Nord is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the northern half of the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia... 16 clubs Bezirksliga Schwaben-Süd Bezirksliga Schwaben-Süd The Bezirksliga Schwaben-Süd is currently the 8th tier of the German football league system in the southern half of the Bavarian Regierungsbezirk of Swabia... 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Erlangen/Pegnitzgrund, Neumark/Jura or Nürnberg/Frankenhöhe district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Bayerwald, Landshut, Passau or Straubing district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Amberg/Weiden, Cham/Schwandorf or Regensburg district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Bamberg/Bayreuth, Coburg/Kronach or Hof/Marktredwitz district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Aschaffenburg, Rhön, Schweinfurt or Würzburg district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Donau/Isar, Inn/Salzach, München or Zugspitze district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Allgäu, Augsburg or Donau district FA league systems

Berlin

The league pyramid of the Berlin Football Association (Berliner Fußball-Verband – BFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Berlin-Liga as a feeder to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord

NOFV-Oberliga Nord

The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and...

. As the state of Berlin consists only of the city of Berlin itself, there are no district associations. The Berlin district league pyramid is therefore organised by the state association.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NOFV-Oberliga Nord
VI	Berlin-Liga 19 clubs
VII	Landesliga Berlin 1 16 clubs Landesliga Berlin 2 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Berlin 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Berlin 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Berlin 3 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to the Berlin FA district league system

Brandenburg

The league pyramid of the Brandenburg Football Association (Fußball-Landesverband Brandenburg – FLB) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Brandenburg-Liga, a feeder to the NOFV-Oberliga Nord

NOFV-Oberliga Nord

The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of former East Germany and West-Berlin. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg and...

. Below the Brandenburg league pyramid, 17 district football associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NOFV-Oberliga Nord
VI	Brandenburg-Liga 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Brandenburg-Nord 16 clubs Landesliga Brandenburg-Süd 16 clubs
VIII	Landesklasse Brandenburg-Mitte 16 clubs Landesklasse Brandenburg-Nord 16 clubs Landesklasse Brandenburg-Ost 16 clubs Landesklasse Brandenburg-Süd 15 clubs Landesklasse Brandenburg-West 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Barnim, Dahmeland, Elbe/Elster, Havelland-Mitte, Jüterbog/Luckenwalde, Märkisch Oderland, Niederlausitz, Oberhavel, Oder/Neiße, Ostprignitz/Ruppin, Ostuckermark, Prignitz, Senftenberg, Spree, Spreewald, Westhavelland or Westuckermark district FA league systems

Bremen

The league pyramid of the Bremen Football Association (Bremer Fußball-Verband – BFV) currently starts at tier-V of the German football league system with the Bremen-Liga

Bremen-Liga

The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Bremen, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Bremen...

 as a feeder to the Regionalliga Nord. Below the Bremen league pyramid a total of 3 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Regionalliga Nord
V	Bremen-Liga Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Bremen, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Bremen... 16 clubs
VI	Landesliga Bremen Landesliga Bremen The Landesliga Bremen is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Bremen, below the Oberliga Bremen.-Overview:... 16 clubs
VII	Bezirksliga Bremen 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Bremerhaven 15 clubs
	↓ relegation to Bremen-Nord or Bremen-Stadt district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Bremerhaven district FA league system

Hamburg

The league pyramid of the Hamburgian Football Association (Hamburger Fußball-Verband – HFV) currently starts at tier-V of the German football league system with the Oberliga Hamburg as a feeder to the Regionalliga Nord. As the state of Hamburg consists only of the city of Hamburg itself, there are no district associations. The Hamburgian district league pyramid is therefore organised by the state association.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Regionalliga Nord
V	Oberliga Hamburg Oberliga Hamburg The Oberliga Hamburg, sometimes referred to as Hamburg-Liga, is in the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Hamburg, incorporating some of its surrounding districts... 18 clubs
VI	Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa The Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Hamburg, together with the Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia... 16 clubs		Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia The Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Hamburg, together with the Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa... 16 clubs
VII	Bezirksliga Hamburg-Nord 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Hamburg-Ost 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Hamburg-Süd 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Hamburg-West 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Hamburgian FA district league system

Hesse

The league pyramid of the Hessian Football Association

Hessian Football Association

The Hessian Football Association , the HFV, is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the DFB, and covers the state of Hesse....

 (Hessischer Fußball-Verband – HFV) currently starts at tier-V of the German football league system with the Hessenliga

Hessenliga

The Hessenliga is the highest football league in the state of Hesse and the Hessian football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the 5th tier of the German football league system. It was, until the introduction of the 3...

 as a feeder to the Regionalliga Süd. Below the Hesse league pyramid 32 district football associations work as feeders to the Gruppenliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Regionalliga Süd
V	Hessenliga Hessenliga The Hessenliga is the highest football league in the state of Hesse and the Hessian football league system. It is one of eleven Oberligas in German football, the 5th tier of the German football league system. It was, until the introduction of the 3... 18 clubs
VI	Verbandsliga Hessen-Mitte Verbandsliga Hessen-Mitte The Verbandsliga Hessen-Mitte, until 2008 named Landesliga Hessen-Mitte, is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3... 19 clubs		Verbandsliga Hessen-Nord Verbandsliga Hessen-Nord The Verbandsliga Hessen-Nord, until 2008 named Landesliga Hessen-Nord, is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3... 18 clubs		Verbandsliga Hessen-Süd Verbandsliga Hessen-Süd The Verbandsliga Hessen-Süd, until 2008 named Landesliga Hessen-Süd, is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3... 18 clubs
VII	Gruppenliga Gießen/Marburg 18 clubs	Gruppenliga Wiesbaden 19 clubs	Gruppenliga Fulda 18 clubs	Gruppenliga Kassel 1 16 clubs Gruppenliga Kassel 2 16 clubs	Gruppenliga Darmstadt 18 clubs	Gruppenliga Frankfurt-Ost 18 clubs Gruppenliga Frankfurt-West 18 clubs
	↓ relegation to Alsfeld, Biedenkopf, Dillenburg, Frankenberg, Gießen, Marburg oder Wetzlar district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Limburg-Weilburg, Maintaunus, Rheingau-Taunus or Wiesbaden district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Lauterbach-Hünfeld or Schlüchtern district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Hofgeismar, Wolfhagen, Kassel, Schwalm-Eder, Waldeck or Werra/Meißner district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Bergstraße, Darmstadt, Dieburg, Groß-Gerau or Odenwald district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Büdingen, Frankfurt, Friedberg, Gelnhausen, Hanau, Hochtaunus or Offenbach district FA league systems

Lower Rhine

The league pyramid of the Lower Rhine Football Association (Fußballverband Niederrhein – FVN) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Niederrheinliga as a feeder to the NRW-Liga. All divisions on each level run in parallel with clubs redistributed due to geographical considerations each new season. Below the Lower Rhein league pyramid 14 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NRW-Liga
VI	Niederrheinliga 18 clubs
VII	Landesliga Niederrhein 1 16 clubs Landesliga Niederrhein 2 17 clubs Landesliga Niederrhein 3 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Niederrhein 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 3 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 4 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 5 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 6 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 7 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 8 16 clubs Bezirksliga Niederrhein 9 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Bocholt, Bottrop, Duisburg/Mülheim/Dinslaken, Düsseldorf, Essen Nord/West, Essen Süd/Ost, Grevenbroich/Neuss, Kempen/Krefeld, Kleve/Geldern, Moers, Mönchengladbach/Viersen, Remscheid, Solingen or Wuppertal/Niederberg district FA league systems

Lower Saxony

The league pyramid of the Lower Saxony Football Association (Niedersächsischer Fußballverband – NFV) currently starts at tier-V of the German football league system with the Oberliga Niedersachsen as a feeder to the Regionalliga Nord. Below the Lower Saxony league pyramid 47 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Regionalliga Nord
V	Oberliga Niedersachsen Oberliga Niedersachsen The Niedersachsenliga, sometimes referred to as Oberliga Niedersachsen, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Lower Saxony . Since 1994, the league was split into a western and an eastern group. From 2010, it returned to a... 18 clubs
VI	Landesliga Braunschweig 16 clubs	Landesliga Hannover 17 clubs	Landesliga Lüneburg 17 clubs	Landesliga Weser-Ems 18 clubs
VII	Bezirksliga Braunschweig 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Braunschweig 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Braunschweig 3 16 clubs Bezirksliga Braunschweig 4 18 clubs	Bezirksliga Hannover 1 15 clubs Bezirksliga Hannover 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Hannover 3 17 clubs Bezirksliga Hannover 4 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Lüneburg 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Lüneburg 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Lüneburg 3 17 clubs Bezirksliga Lüneburg 4 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 3 16 clubs Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 4 17 clubs Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 5 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Braunschweig, Gifhorn, Goslar, Göttingen, Helmstedt, Northeim-Einbeck, Osterode, Peine, Salzgitter, Wolfenbüttel or Wolfsburg district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Diepholz, Hameln/Pyrmont, Hannover-Land, Hannover-Stadt, Hildesheim, Holzminden, Nienburg or Schaumburg district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Celle, Cuxhaven, Harburg, Lüchow-Dannenberg, Lüneburg, Osterholz, Rotenburg, Soltau-Fallingbostel, Stade, Uelzen or Verden district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Ammerland, Aurich, Bentheim, Cloppenburg, Delmenhorst, Emden, Emsland, Friesland, Leer, Oldenburg-Land, Oldenburg-Stadt, Osnabrück-Land, Osnabrück-Stadt, Vechta, Wesermarsch, Wilhelmshaven or Wittmund district FA league systems

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The league pyramid of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Football Association (Landesfußballverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – LFVMV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Verbandliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern a feeder to the Oberliga Nordost-Nord. Below the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern league pyramid 6 district football associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NOFV-Oberliga Nord
VI	Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern The Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern... 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern-Nord 14 clubs Landesliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern-Ost 14 clubs Landesliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern-West 14 clubs
VIII	Landesklasse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern I 14 clubs Landesklasse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern II 14 clubs Landesklasse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern III 14 clubs Landesklasse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern IV 14 clubs Landesklasse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern V 14 clubs Landesklasse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern VI 14 clubs
	↓ relegation to Mecklenburger Seenplatte-Vorpommern, Nordvorpommern-Rügen, Schwerin-Nordwestmecklenburg, Vorpommern, Warnow or Westmecklenburg district FA league systems

Middle Rhine

The league pyramid of the Middle Rhine Football Association (Fußballverband Mittelrhein – FVM) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Mittelrheinliga as a feeder to the NRW-Liga. All divisions on each level run in parallel with clubs redistributed due to geographical considerations each new season. Below the Middle Rhein league pyramid 9 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NRW-Liga
VI	Mittelrheinliga 17 clubs
VII	Landesliga Mittelrhein 1 16 clubs Landesliga Mittelrhein 2 15 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Mittelrhein 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Mittelrhein 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Mittelrhein 3 16 clubs Bezirksliga Mittelrhein 4 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Aachen, Berg, Bonn, Düren, Euskirchen, Heinsberg, Köln, Rhein-Erft or Sieg district FA league systems

Rhineland

The league pyramid of the Rhineland Football Association (Fußballverband Rheinland – FVR) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Rheinlandliga as a feeder to the Oberliga Südwest. Below the Rheinland league pyramid 9 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Oberliga Südwest
VI	Rheinlandliga 18 clubs
VII	Bezirksliga Rheinland-Mitte 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Rheinland-Ost 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Rheinland-West 18 clubs
	↓ relegation to Hunsrück/Mosel, Koblenz or Rhein/Ahr district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Rhein/Lahn, Westerwald/Sieg or Westerwald/Wied district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Eifel, Mosel or Trier/Saarburg district FA league systems

Saarland

The league pyramid of the Saarland Football Association (Saarländischer Fußballverband – SFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Saarlandliga as a feeder to the Oberliga Südwest. Below the Saarland league pyramid 4 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Oberliga Südwest
VI	Saarlandliga Saarlandliga The Saarlandliga is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system in the German federal state of Saarland... 18 clubs
VII	Verbandsliga Saarland Verbandsliga Saarland The Verbandsliga Saarland is currently the 7th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008 it was the 5th tier of the league system and until the introduction of the Saarlandliga in 2009, it was the 6th tier.... 18 clubs
VIII	Landesliga Saarland-Nordost 18 clubs			Landesliga Saarland-Südwest 18 clubs
IX	Bezirksliga Homburg 18 clubs	Bezirksliga Neunkirchen 18 clubs	Bezirksliga St. Wendel 18 clubs	Bezirksliga Merzig 18 clubs	Bezirksliga Saarbrücken 18 clubs	Bezirksliga Saarlouis 18 clubs
	↓ relegation to Nordsaar or Ostsaar district FA league systems			↓ relegation to Südsaar or Westsaar district FA league systems

Saxony

The league pyramid of the Saxony Football Association (Sächsischer Fußball-Verband – SFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Sachsenliga as a feeder to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd

NOFV-Oberliga Süd

The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...

. Below the Saxony league pyramid 13 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NOFV-Oberliga Süd
VI	Sachsenliga 16 clubs
VII	Bezirksliga Sachsen-Mitte 14 clubs Bezirksliga Sachsen-Nord 14 clubs Bezirksliga Sachsen-Ost 14 clubs Bezirksliga Sachsen-West 14 clubs
	↓ relegation to Chemnitz, Dresden, Erzgebirge, Leipzig, Meißen, Mittelsachsen, Muldental-Leipziger Land, Nordsachsen, Oberlausitz, Sächsische Schweiz/Osterzgebirge, Vogtland, Westlausitz or Zwickau district FA league systems

Saxony-Anhalt

The league pyramid of the Saxony-Anhalt Football Association (Fußballverband Sachsen-Anhalt – FSA) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt a feeder to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd

NOFV-Oberliga Süd

The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...

. Below the Saxony-Anhalt league pyramid 14 district football associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NOFV-Oberliga Süd
VI	Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt The Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt,... 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Nord 15 clubs Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Süd 16 clubs
VIII	Landesklasse Sachsen-Anhalt 1 16 clubs Landesklasse Sachsen-Anhalt 2 16 clubs Landesklasse Sachsen-Anhalt 3 16 clubs Landesklasse Sachsen-Anhalt 4 16 clubs Landesklasse Sachsen-Anhalt 5 16 clubs Landesklasse Sachsen-Anhalt 6 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Altmark-Ost, Altmark-West, Anhalt, Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Börde, Burgenland, Halle, Harz, Jerichower Land, Magdeburg, Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis, Salzland or Wittenberg district FA league systems

Schleswig-Holstein

The league pyramid of the Schleswig-Holstein Football Association (Schleswig-Holsteinischer Fußballverband – SHFV) currently starts at tier-V of the German football league system with the Schleswig-Holstein-Liga

Schleswig-Holstein-Liga

The Schleswig-Holstein-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein...

 as a feeder to the Regionalliga Nord. Below the Schleswig-Holstein league pyramid 14 district football associations work as feeders to the Verbandsliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Regionalliga Nord
V	Schleswig-Holstein-Liga Schleswig-Holstein-Liga The Schleswig-Holstein-Liga, sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein, is the fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein... 18 clubs
VI	Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Nord-Ost Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Nord-Ost The Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Nord-Ost is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, together with three other leagues at this level in the state... 16 clubs	Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Nord-West Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Nord-West The Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Nord-West is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, together with three other leagues at this level in the state... 18 clubs	Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Süd-Ost Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Süd-Ost The Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Süd-Ost is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, together with three other leagues at this level in the state... 18 clubs	Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Süd-West Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Süd-West The Verbandsliga Schleswig-Holstein-Süd-West is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, together with three other leagues at this level in the state... 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Kiel, Plön or Rendsburg-Eckernförde district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Dithmarschen, Flensburg, Nordfriesland or Schleswig district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Herzogtum Lauenburg, Lübeck, Ostholstein or Stormarn district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Neumünster, Segeberg or Steinburg district FA league systems

South Baden

The league pyramid of the South Baden Football Association (Südbadischer Fußball-Verband – SBFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Verbandsliga Südbaden

Verbandsliga Südbaden

The Verbandsliga Südbaden is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:...

 as a feeder to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. Below the South Baden league pyramid 24 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
VI	Verbandsliga Südbaden Verbandsliga Südbaden The Verbandsliga Südbaden is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:... 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Südbaden 1 16 clubs		Landesliga Südbaden 2 16 clubs		Landesliga Südbaden 3 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Baden-Baden 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Bodensee 17 clubs	Bezirksliga Freiburg 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Hochrhein 17 clubs	Bezirksliga Offenburg 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Schwarzwald 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Baden-Baden district FA league system	↓ relegation to Bodensee district FA league system	↓ relegation to Freiburg district FA league system	↓ relegation to Hochrhein district FA league system	↓ relegation to Offenburg district FA league system	↓ relegation to Schwarzwald district FA league system

Southwest

The league pyramid of the Soutwest German Football Association (Südwestdeutscher Fußballverband – SWFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Verbandsliga Südwest

Verbandsliga Südwest

The Verbandsliga Südwest is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:...

 as a feeder to the Oberliga Südwest. Below the South West league pyramid 10 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksklasse.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Oberliga Südwest
VI	Verbandsliga Südwest Verbandsliga Südwest The Verbandsliga Südwest is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:... 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Südwest-Ost 16 clubs Landesliga Südwest-West 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Nahe 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Rheinhessen 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Vorderpfalz 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Westpfalz 16 clubs
IX	Bezirksklasse Nahe-Ost 16 clubs Bezirksklasse Nahe-West 16 clubs	Bezirksklasse Rheinhessen-Nord 16 clubs Bezirksklasse Rheinhessen-Süd 16 clubs	Bezirksklasse Vorderpfalz-Mitte 16 clubs Bezirksklasse Vorderpfalz-Nord 16 clubs Bezirksklasse Vorderpfalz-Süd 16 clubs	Bezirksklasse Westpfalz-Mitte 16 clubs Bezirksklasse Westpfalz-Nord 16 clubs Bezirksklasse Westpfalz-Süd 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Bad Kreuznach or Birkenfeld district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Alzey-Worms or Mainz-Bingen district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Rhein-Mittelhaardt, Rhein-Pfalz or Südpfalz FA league systems	↓ relegation to Kaiserslautern-Donnersberg, Kusel-Kaiserslautern or Pirmasens-Zweibrücken district FA league systems

Thuringia

The league pyramid of the Thuringia Football Association (Thüringer Fußball-Verband – TFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Thüringenliga a feeder to the NOFV-Oberliga Süd

NOFV-Oberliga Süd

The NOFV-Oberliga Süd is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the southern states of former East Germany. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga in 2008, it was the fourth tier of the league system. It covers the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony...

. Below the Thuringia league pyramid 21 district football associations work as feeders to the Regionalklasse.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NOFV-Oberliga Süd
VI	Thüringenliga 16 clubs
VII	Landesliga Thüringen-Nord 16 clubs Landesliga Thüringen-Ost 16 clubs Landesliga Thüringen-Süd 16 clubs
VIII	Regionalklasse Thüringen 1 16 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 2 16 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 3 16 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 4 16 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 5 14 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 6 14 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 7 16 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 8 14 clubs Regionalklasse Thüringen 9 14 clubs
	↓ relegation to Altenburg, Bad Salzungen, Eichsfeld, Eisenach, Erfurt, Gera, Gotha, Greiz, Hildburghausen, Ilm-Kreis, Jena, Kyffhäuserkreis, Meiningen, Nordhausen, Saale Orla, Saalfeld Rudolstadt, Sömmerda, Sonneberg, Unstrut-Hainich, Weimar or Werra-Rennsteig district FA league systems

Westphalia

The league pyramid of the Westphalia Football and Athletics Association (Fußball- und Leichtathletikverband Westfalen – FLVW) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with two divisions of Westfalenliga as feeders to the NRW-Liga. All divisions on each level run in parallel with clubs redistributed due to geographical considerations each new season. Below the Westphalian league pyramid 33 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Due to the 2012 Regionalliga reform, the usual rules of promotion and relegation are disbanded for the 2011–12 season. Instead the two division winners from the Westfalenliga will compete in a home and away playoff with clubs from NRW-Liga for promotion to the reorganised Regionalliga West. Playoff losers along with an additional number of 10 to 16 Westfalenliga clubs will promote to the reimplemented Oberliga Westfalen. The number of Landesliga divisions will be decreased to four, and the number of Bezirksliga divisions will be decreased to twelve after the 2011–12 season.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to NRW-Liga
VI	Westfalenliga 1 Nordost 18 clubs Westfalenliga 2 Südwest 17 clubs
VII	Landesliga Westfalen 1 Ost 16 clubs Landesliga Westfalen 2 Süd 16 clubs Landesliga Westfalen 3 West 16 clubs Landesliga Westfalen 4 Nord 16 clubs Landesliga Westfalen 5 Mitte 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Westfalen 1 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 2 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 3 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 4 17 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 5 17 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 6 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 7 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 8 15 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 9 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 10 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 11 17 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 12 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 13 16 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 14 15 clubs Bezirksliga Westfalen 15 16 clubs
	↓ relegation to Ahaus-Coesfeld, Arnsberg, Beckum, Bielefeld, Bochum, Brilon, Büren, Detmold, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Gütersloh, Hagen, Herford, Herne, Höxter, Iserlohn, Lemgo, Lippstadt, Lübbecke, Lüdenscheid, Lüdinghausen, Meschede, Minden, Münster/Warendorf, Olpe, Paderborn, Recklinghausen, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Soest, Steinfurt, Tecklenburg, Unna-Hamm or Warburg district FA league systems

Württemberg

The league pyramid of the Württemberg Football Association (Württembergischer Fußball-Verband – WFV) currently starts at tier-VI of the German football league system with the Verbandsliga Württemberg as a feeder to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. Below the Württemberg league pyramid 16 district football associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga.

Level	Division
	↑ promotion to Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
VI	Verbandsliga Württemberg Verbandsliga Württemberg The Verbandsliga Württemberg is currently the 6th tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3rd Liga it was the 5th tier of the league system.-Overview:... 17 clubs
VII	Landesliga Baden-Württemberg 1 17 clubs	Landesliga Baden-Württemberg 2 17 clubs	Landesliga Baden-Württemberg 3 16 clubs	Landesliga Baden-Württemberg 4 16 clubs
VIII	Bezirksliga Enz/Murr 16 clubs Bezirksliga Hohenlohe 17 clubs Bezirksliga Rems/Murr 15 clubs Bezirksliga Unterland 17 clubs	Bezirksliga Donau/Iller 16 clubs Bezirksliga Kocher/Rems 16 clubs Bezirksliga Neckar/Fils 16 clubs Bezirksliga Stuttgart 17 clubs	Bezirksliga Alb 16 clubs Bezirksliga Böblingen/Calw 16 clubs Bezirksliga Nördlicher Schwarzwald 15 clubs Bezirksliga Schwarzwald 16 clubs	Bezirksliga Bodensee 16 clubs Bezirksliga Donau 16 clubs Bezirksliga Riß 15 clubs Bezirksliga Zollern 15 clubs
	↓ relegation to Enz/Murr, Hohenlohe, Rems/Murr or Unterland district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Donau/Iller, Kocher/Rems, Neckar/Fils or Stuttgart district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Alb, Böblingen/Calw, Nördlicher Schwarzwald or Schwarzwald district FA league systems	↓ relegation to Bodensee, Donau, Riß or Zollern district FA league systems

External links

• Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB)
• Kicker.de
• Bundesliga archive

Sources

• The official DFB website with tables and results from all German leagues
• "Kicker Almanach" The Football Yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937, published by the Kicker Sports Magazine
  Kicker (sports magazine)
  kicker Sportmagazin is Germany's leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, in Nuremberg...