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The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected
league system A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport. They are often called pyramids, due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions further down the system. League systems of some sort are used in many sports in ...
for association football in Germany that in the 2016–17
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
consisted of 2,235 leagues in up to 13 levels having 31,645 teams, in which all divisions are bound together by the principle of
promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...
. The top three
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
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. Teams that finish at the top of their division at the end of each season can rise higher in the pyramid, while those that finish at the bottom find themselves sinking further down. Therefore, 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 German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of ...
one day. The number of teams promoted and relegated between the divisions varies, and promotion to the upper levels of the pyramid is usually contingent on meeting additional criteria, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances.


Structure


Germany

The ''German football league system'' is held under the jurisdiction of the nationwide German Football Association and its professional body
German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from ''American-Football-Bundesliga'' to ''German Foot ...
, along with its five regional associations and their 21 state associations. On top of the system sit the level 1
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
and the level two
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
, both organized by the professional German Football League. The two top flights then are followed by the level three
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
, the lowest full professional division in Germany, held by the German Football Association itself. The professional level four Regionalliga is divided into 5 regional divisions, these typically organised by one or two of the five regional associations of the German Football association, these being the Northern German Football Association, the Northeastern German Football Association, the
Western German Football Association The Western German Football Association (german: Westdeutscher Fußballverband; ''WDFV'') is one of the five regional associations of the German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; ''DFB'') and covers German state of North Rh ...
, the
Southwestern Regional Football Association The Regional Football Association South West (german: Fussball-Regional-Verband Südwest), the ''FRVS'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saar ...
and the
Southern German Football Association The Southern German Football Association (german: Süddeutscher Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. ...
. For Bavaria, the Bavarian Football Association, a member state association of the Southern German Football Association, runs their top division under their own jurisdiction. Starting at level five, the various fully amateur divisions are usually governed by the 21 state associations. For the North East German Football Association and Southwestern Regional Football Association, both regional bodies still run the level five divisions under their jurisdiction and their state member associations' pyramids therefore start at level six.


Federal association league system

After each season, the winners of the
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
are crowned
German football champions The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of ...
. The bottom two Bundesliga teams are relegated to
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
, whereas the champion and runner-up of 2. Bundesliga are promoted to the top flight. Additionally, the third-last ranked team of Bundesliga and the third-best ranked team of 2. Bundesliga play a promotion/relegation playoff for the final spot in the next Bundesliga edition. The bottom two 2. Bundesliga teams are relegated to
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
, whereas the champion and runner-up of 3. Liga are promoted to the second flight. Additionally, the third-last ranked team of 2. Bundesliga and the third-best ranked team of 3. Liga play a promotion/relegation playoff for the final spot in the next 2. Bundesliga edition. The bottom four teams of 3. Liga are relegated to Regionalliga.


Regional association league systems

Whereas the professional first three levels of the ''German football league system'' each are single division only and are organised by nationwide governing bodies, the semi-professional level four Regionalliga comprises five independent divisions, each run by different regional and/or state associations. Three regional bodies, being the Northern German Football Association, the North East German Football Association and the
Western German Football Association The Western German Football Association (german: Westdeutscher Fußballverband; ''WDFV'') is one of the five regional associations of the German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; ''DFB'') and covers German state of North Rh ...
, each run a division under their sole jurisdiction, these being the corresponding
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
, the
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
and the
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
. The two regional bodies
Southwestern Regional Football Association The Regional Football Association South West (german: Fussball-Regional-Verband Südwest), the ''FRVS'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saar ...
and
Southern German Football Association The Southern German Football Association (german: Süddeutscher Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. ...
share the jurisdiction on the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
. Finally, the Bavarian Football Association, although being just a subordinate state association to the superior Southern German Football Association, runs the
Regionalliga Bayern The Regionalliga Bayern, ( en, Regional league Bavaria), is the highest association football league in the state of Bavaria (german: Bayern) and the Bavarian football league system. It is one of five Regionalligas in German football, the fourth tie ...
, by far the largest single state football association in Germany. As an exception to the regular promotion rules within the German league system, not all champions of each Regionalliga division are granted automatic promotion. Instead only the Regionalliga West and Southwest each provide a fixed direct promotion. Another direct promotion place is assigned according to a rotation principle among the Regionalliga Nord, Nordost, and Bayern champions. The representatives from the remaining two Regionalligen determine the fourth promoted club in two-legged playoffs. File:Karte-Norddeutscher-Fußball-Verband.png, Northern German Football Association File:Karte-Nordostdeutscher-Fußball-Verband.png, Northeastern German Football Association File:Karte-Westdeutscher-Fußball-Verband.png,
Western German Football Association The Western German Football Association (german: Westdeutscher Fußballverband; ''WDFV'') is one of the five regional associations of the German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; ''DFB'') and covers German state of North Rh ...
File:Karte-Südwestdeutscher-Fußball-Verband.png,
Southwestern Regional Football Association The Regional Football Association South West (german: Fussball-Regional-Verband Südwest), the ''FRVS'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saar ...
File:Karte-Süddeutscher-Fußball-Verband.png,
Southern German Football Association The Southern German Football Association (german: Süddeutscher Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. ...


Northern Germany

The Northern German Football Association league system is the regional association league system in the states of Bremen,
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
,
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
and
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
and starts at level four of the German league system with the
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
on top. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the winners of the four other Regionalliga divisions and the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
runner-up for three promotions to the
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
. Below the regional association's league system, the four state association league systems of the Bremen Football Association, the Hamburg Football Association, the
Lower Saxony Football Association The Lower Saxony Football Association (german: Niedersächsischer Fussball-Verband), the ''NFV'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the state of Lower Saxony.
and the Schleswig-Holstein Football Association work as feeders to the Regionalliga.


Northeastern Germany

The Northeastern German Football Association league system is the regional association league system in the states of
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
,
Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
,
Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...
and
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
and starts at level four of the German league system with the
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
on top. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the winners of the four other Regionalliga divisions and the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
runner-up for three promotions to the
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
. Below the regional association's league system, the six state association league systems of the Berlin Football Association, the Brandenburg State Football Association, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Football Association, the Saxony Football Association, the Saxony-Anhalt Football Association and the Thuringian Football Association work as feeders to the Oberliga.


Western Germany

The
Western German Football Association The Western German Football Association (german: Westdeutscher Fußballverband; ''WDFV'') is one of the five regional associations of the German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund; ''DFB'') and covers German state of North Rh ...
league system is the regional association league system in the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
and starts at level four of the German league system with the
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
on top. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the winners of the four other Regionalliga divisions and the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
runner-up for three promotions to the
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
. Below the regional association's league system, the three state association league systems of the Lower Rhine Football Association, the Middle Rhine Football Association and the Westphalian Football and Athletics Association work as feeders to the Regionalliga.


Southwestern Germany

The
Southwestern Regional Football Association The Regional Football Association South West (german: Fussball-Regional-Verband Südwest), the ''FRVS'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saar ...
league system is the regional association league system in the states of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
and
Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
and starts at level four of the German league system with the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
on top, which is held under joint jurisdiction along with the
Southern German Football Association The Southern German Football Association (german: Süddeutscher Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. ...
. The champions and the runner-up enter a promotion playoff along with the winners of the four other Regionalliga divisions for three promotions to the
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
. By rule, the champions and the runner-up will not face each other in the promotion playoffs. Below the regional association's league system, the three state associations league systems of the
Rhineland Football Association The Rhineland Football Association (german: Fussball-Verband Rheinland), the ''FVR'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the northern part of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.Saarland Football Association The Saarland Football Association (german: Saarländischer Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the state of Saarland.Southwest German Football Association work as feeders to the Oberliga.


Southern Germany

The
Southern German Football Association The Southern German Football Association (german: Süddeutscher Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of five regional organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. ...
league system is the regional association league system in the states of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
and
Hessen Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darms ...
and starts at level four of the German league system with the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
, which is held under joint jurisdiction along with the Regional Football Association South West respectively with the
Regionalliga Bayern The Regionalliga Bayern, ( en, Regional league Bavaria), is the highest association football league in the state of Bavaria (german: Bayern) and the Bavarian football league system. It is one of five Regionalligas in German football, the fourth tie ...
. The champions and the runner-up of the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
and the champions of the
Regionalliga Bayern The Regionalliga Bayern, ( en, Regional league Bavaria), is the highest association football league in the state of Bavaria (german: Bayern) and the Bavarian football league system. It is one of five Regionalligas in German football, the fourth tie ...
enter a promotion playoff along with the winners of the three other Regionalliga divisions for three promotions to the
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
. Below the regional association's league system, the five state association league systems of the Baden Football Association, the Bavarian Football Association, the Hessian Football Association, the South Baden Football Association and the Württembergian Football Association work as feeders to the Regionalliga.


State association league systems

Mostly in line with the geographical borders of the 16 German states, amateur football is organised by 21 state football associations. Therefore, 13 states, these being
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
, Bremen,
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
,
Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
,
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
,
Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
,
Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
,
Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...
,
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
and
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
have a state football association with a jurisdiction covering the whole area of the corresponding political entity. Three states are subdivided into more than one state football association. The state of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
is subdivided into three state associations, these being Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine and Westphalia. The state of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
is also subdivided into three state associations, these being Baden, South Baden and Württemberg. Finally, the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
is subdivided into two state associations, these being Rhineland and Southwest. Starting on levels four to six of the German football league system, each of these 21 state associations runs a league pyramid under its own jurisdiction. The state association of Bavaria starts its pyramid at level four. The top divisions of the state associations of Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Westphalia sit at level five of the pyramid. The pyramids of the remaining associations of Baden, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Rhineland, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, South Baden, Southwest, Thuringia and Württemberg start at level six of the German football league system. All state associations have full jurisdiction over their league pyramids, though the configuration varies in between states. A traditional state league pyramid had a Verbandsliga (Association League) as its top flight, followed by several divisions of Landesliga (State League). Due to many structural reforms in the last decades, both on federal level and on state levels, this structure has become more indeterminate. Currently, eight of the 21 state associations (Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Westphalia) have an Oberliga (English: Premier League) as their top amateur state division, some followed by a Verbandsliga, some directly by a Landesliga. Starting in 2012, the state association of Bavaria organized its own Regionalliga (Regional League), a league formerly only organized by the superior regional associations. With the exception of Berlin and Hamburg, all other state associations usually supervise several county and/or district associations. The county associations usually cover the area of a government district, whereas the district associations have jurisdiction for the territory of an urban district. The associations of Bavaria, Bremen, Lower Saxony and the Southwest are initially subdivided into several county associations, the latter are then subdivided into district associations. The associations of South Baden and Württemberg have several county associations following in the league system, but no district associations. The remaining associations (Baden, Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Rhine, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Middle Rhine, Rhineland, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia and Westphalia) are directly subdivided into district associations. The county associations usually run a single division, the Bezirksliga (County League) under their jurisdiction, then followed by the district associations' top flights
Kreisliga The Kreisliga ( en, District League), along with the ''Kreisoberliga'' ( en, District Premier League) and the ''Kreisklasse'' ( en, District Class), are the lowest set of divisions in the German football league system, set at step 8 and below. S ...
(District League). State associations that are directly subdivided into district associations, typically run the Bezirksliga themselves. In Hesse, the Bezirksliga is called the Gruppenliga (Group League).


Northern Germany


Schleswig-Holstein

The Schleswig-Holstein Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
and starts at level five of the German league system with the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are Eutin 08. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the
Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as ''Oberliga Bremen'', is a fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football ...
champions, the Oberliga Hamburg champions and the Niedersachsenliga runner-up for two promotions to the
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
. Below the state association league system 12 district associations work as feeders to the Verbandsliga. In the 2017–18 season, the full system comprises 61 divisions having 861 teams. Additionally, four teams play above the state association league system:
Holstein Kiel Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein von 1900 e.V., simply as KSV Holstein or Kieler SV Holstein, commonly known as Holstein Kiel (), is a German association football and sports club based in the city of Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein. From the 1900s thro ...
(''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), Eutin 08, SC Weiche Flensburg 08 and VfB Lübeck (''all
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
'').


Hamburg

The Hamburg Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
and parts of southern Schleswig-Holstein and northeastern Lower Saxony and it starts at level five of the German league system with the Oberliga Hamburg on top. The 2021–22 season champions were
TuS Dassendorf TuS Dassendorf is a German association football club from the municipality of Dassendorf, Schleswig-Holstein. The club's greatest success has been promotion to the tier five Oberliga Hamburg in 2013 and winning the league in each of its first f ...
. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the
Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as ''Oberliga Bremen'', is a fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football ...
champions, the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein champions and the Niedersachsenliga runner-up for two promotions to the
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
. As the state of Hamburg consists only of the city of Hamburg itself, there are no local associations below. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 30 divisions having 453 teams. Additionally, six teams play above the state association league system:
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
(''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''),
FC St. Pauli Fußball-Club St Pauli von 1910 e.V., commonly known as simply FC St Pauli (), is a German professional football club based in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, that competes in the 2. Bundesliga. The football department is part of a larger sp ...
(''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), Altona 93, Hamburger SV II, FC St. Pauli II and FC Eintracht Norderstedt 03 (''all
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
'').


Lower Saxony

The
Lower Saxony Football Association The Lower Saxony Football Association (german: Niedersächsischer Fussball-Verband), the ''NFV'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the state of Lower Saxony.
league system is the state association league system in the state of
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
and starts at level five of the German league system with the Niedersachsenliga on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are SSV Jeddeloh. The champions are directly promoted to
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
, whereas the runner-up enters a promotion playoff along with the
Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as ''Oberliga Bremen'', is a fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football ...
champions and the Oberliga Hamburg champions and the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein champions for two additional promotions. Below the state association league system four county associations and following them 43 district associations work as feeders to the Oberliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 295 divisions having 4,022 teams. Additionally, 16 teams play above the state association league system: Hannover 96 and
VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
(''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), Eintracht Braunschweig (''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), SV Meppen and
VfL Osnabrück VfL Osnabrück is a German multi-sport club in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. It currently fields teams in basketball, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, and tennis but is by far best known for its football section. History Foundation to WW2 The c ...
(''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), Lüneburger SK Hansa, TSV Havelse, VfL Wolfsburg II, Hannover 96 II, 1. FC Germania Egestorf/Langreder, Schwarz-Weiß Rehden,
VfB Oldenburg VfB Oldenburg is a German association football club based in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. In the 2022–23 season, they play in the 3. Liga, the third level of football in Germany. History Founded by a group of high school boys as ''FC 1897 Ol ...
, SSV Jeddeloh, SV Drochtersen/Assel, VfV 06 Hildesheim and Eintracht Braunschweig II (''all
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
'').


Bremen

The Bremen Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of Bremen and starts at level five of the German league system with the
Bremen-Liga The Bremen-Liga, sometimes also referred to as ''Oberliga Bremen'', is a fifth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are
Bremer SV Bremer SV is a German association football club, based in the city of Bremen, which was founded in 1906. The club play their home games at the Panzenberg Stadium and currently participate in the 4th tier Regionalliga Nord. History Bremer SV w ...
. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the Oberliga Hamburg champions, the Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein champions and the Niedersachsenliga runner-up for two promotions to the
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
. Below the state association league system one county association and following it two district associations work as feeders to the Landesliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 11 divisions having 148 teams. Additionally, two teams play above the state association league system: SV Werder Bremen (''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
'') and SV Werder Bremen II (''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
'').


Northeastern Germany


Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Football Association league system in the state association league systems in the state of
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the
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-Western Pomerania. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the fifth tier of the ...
on top. The current (2020–21 season) champions are FC Mecklenburg Schwerin. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Nordost. Below the state association league system six district associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 37 divisions having 487 teams. Additionally, seven teams play above the state association league system:
Hansa Rostock FC Hansa Rostock () is a German association football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The club is also called as "the cog" because of its club crest. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the forme ...
(''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), TSG Neustrelitz (''
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
''), Hansa Rostock II,
FC Anker Wismar FC Anker Wismar is a German association football club based in Wismar, Germany, currently playing in the Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. History The club's origins date back to 1904 when ''FC Elite Wismar'' were established. The follow ...
, Malchower SV, FC Mecklenburg Schwerin and Torgelower FC Greif (''all Oberliga Nordost'').


Brandenburg

The Brandenburg State Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the
Brandenburg-Liga The Brandenburg-Liga (VI) (''formerly the Verbandsliga Brandenburg'') is the highest league for football teams exclusively in the German state of Brandenburg and at step six of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3. Li ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are VfB Krieschow. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Nordost. Below the state association league system eight district associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 64 divisions having 871 teams. Additionally, 11 teams play above the state association league system:
SV Babelsberg 03 SV Babelsberg 03 is a football in Germany, German association football club based in Potsdam-Potsdam-Babelsberg, Babelsberg, on the outskirts of Berlin. The team was founded as ''Sport-Club Jugendkraft 1903'' and again as ''SG Karl-Marx Babelsbe ...
,
FC Energie Cottbus FC Energie Cottbus (Lower Sorbian: ''Energija Chóśebuz'') is a German football club based in Cottbus, Brandenburg. It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, Energie played six seasons i ...
, FSV 63 Luckenwalde and
FSV Union Fürstenwalde FSV Union Fürstenwalde is a German football club from Fürstenwalde/Spree, currently playing in the NOFV-Oberliga Nord (V). As with many East German clubs at the time, the club has a complicated history of formations, re-formations, ownership ...
(''all
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
''), SV Grün-Weiß Brieselang, Brandenburger SC Süd 05, SV Altlüdersdorf,
FSV Optik Rathenow FSV Optik Rathenow is a German association football club who compete in the Oberliga. The club is situated in the city of Rathenow, near Berlin, and play their home games at the Vogelgesang. In 1994, the club earned three promotions in quick s ...
, VfB Krieschow, SV Victoria Seelow and FC Strausberg (''all Oberliga Nordost'').


Berlin

The Berlin Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the
Berlin-Liga The Berlin-Liga (VI), formerly the Verbandsliga Berlin, is the highest league for football teams exclusively in the German capital. Since German reunification in 1990, it has been the highest level of domestic football in the city, replacing the A ...
on top. The current (2020-21 season) champions are
Eintracht Mahlsdorf Eintracht Mahlsdorf is a German football club from the eastern city district of Mahlsdorf in Berlin. History Eintracht Mahlsdorf was initially established in 1896 as a gymnastics club by local youth, but not formally registered until the foll ...
. The champions are directly promoted to
NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of the former East Germany and West Berlin. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and northern Saxony ...
. As the state of Berlin consists only of the city of Berlin itself, there are no local associations below. The full system comprises 20 divisions having 307 teams. Additionally, as of the 2020-21 season, 15 teams play above the state association league system: Hertha BSC and
1. FC Union Berlin 1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as 1. FC Union Berlin () or Union Berlin, is a professional German football club in Köpenick, Berlin. The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweid ...
(''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''),
Hertha BSC II Hertha BSC II is the reserve team of Hertha BSC that is based in Berlin, Germany. Historically, during the time the senior team played in professional football the team has played as Hertha BSC Amateure. Since 2005 it permanently plays under its ...
, VSG Altglienicke,
FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin Fußball-Club Viktoria 1889 Berlin Lichterfelde-Tempelhof e.V., commonly known as FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin or Viktoria Berlin, is a German association football club based in the locality of Lichterfelde of the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Be ...
, BFC Dynamo,
Berliner AK 07 Berliner AK 07 is a German football club based in the locality of Moabit of the borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the fourth tier Regionalliga Nordost. History The association was established on 15 December 1907 in t ...
, SV Lichtenberg 47, and
Tennis Borussia Berlin Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin. History The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ta ...
(''
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
''), FC Hertha 03 Zehlendorf, Blau-Weiß 90 Berlin,
SC Staaken SC Staaken () is a German sports club in Staaken, Berlin Germany. The club was founded in 1919. History The club was founded on 12 July 1919. During this time, Hans Berndt played for the club as a youth player. In 1937, the club merged w ...
, SV Tasmania Berlin,
CFC Hertha 06 CFC Hertha 06 is a German association football club from the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The club's greatest success has been promotion to the tier five NOFV-Oberliga Nord in 2015. Apart from football the club also offers chess, table ...
, and SFC Stern 1900 (''
NOFV-Oberliga Nord The NOFV-Oberliga Nord is the fifth tier of the German football league system in the northern states of the former East Germany and West Berlin. It covers the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and northern Saxony ...
'')


Saxony-Anhalt

The Saxony-Anhalt Football Association league system is the association league systems in the state of
Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the
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 (german: Sachsen-Anhalt). Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the fifth tier of the ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are 1. FC Lok Stendal. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Nordost. Below the state association league system 14 district associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 72 divisions having 974 teams. Additionally, eight teams play above the state association league system: 1. FC Magdeburg and
Hallescher FC Hallescher FC, sometimes still called by its former popular name Chemie Halle, is a German association football club based in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third highest level in the German footb ...
(''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), VfB Germania Halberstadt (''
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
''),
SV Merseburg 99 SV, Sv, sv, etc. may refer to: Places and language * El Salvador, ISO 3166-1 country code SV * South Vietnam, an extinct state * Svalbard, Norway, FIPS country code SV * Swedish language, ISO 639-1 language code sv * Silicon Valley, a region in n ...
, VfL Halle 96, Askania Bernburg, Union Sandersdorf and 1. FC Lok Stendal (''all Oberliga Nordost'').


Thuringia

The Thuringian Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the Thüringenliga on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are FSV Wacker 90 Nordhausen II (not promoted). The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Nordost. Below the state association league system nine district associations work as feeders to the Landesklasse. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 75 divisions having 949 teams. Additionally, seven teams play above the state association league system:
FC Carl Zeiss Jena FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German football club based in Jena, Thuringia. Formed in 1903 and initially associated with the Carl Zeiss AG factory, they were one of the strongest clubs in East Germany from the 1960s to the 1980s, winning the DDR-Ober ...
and Rot-Weiß Erfurt (''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''),
ZFC Meuselwitz Zipsendorfer Fußballclub Meuselwitz is a German association football club from Meuselwitz, Thuringia. History The origins of the club go back to the establishment of ''Aktivist Zipsendorf'' in 1919. After World War II the club played as ''BSG ...
and FSV Wacker 90 Nordhausen (''
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
''), FC Carl Zeiss Jena II, Einheit Rudolstadt and BSG Wismut Gera (''all Oberliga Nordost'').


Saxony

The Saxony Football Association league system is the association league system in the state of
Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the Sachsenliga on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are FC Eilenburg. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Nordost. Below the state association league system 13 district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 94 divisions having 1,213 teams. Additionally, 15 teams play above the state association league system:
RB Leipzig RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...
(''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), FC Erzgebirge Aue and
Dynamo Dresden Sportgemeinschaft Dynamo Dresden e.V., commonly known as SG Dynamo Dresden or Dynamo Dresden, are a German association football club based in Dresden, Saxony.Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Ka ...
(''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''),
Chemnitzer FC Chemnitzer Fußballclub e.V. is a German association football club based in Chemnitz, Saxony. The club competes in Regionalliga Nordost, the fourth tier of German football. The roots of the club go back to its establishment as Chemnitzer BC 19 ...
and
FSV Zwickau FSV Zwickau is a German association football club located in Zwickau, Saxony. Today's club claims as part of its complex heritage sides that were East Germany's first champions: 1948 Ostzone winners SG Planitz and 1950 DDR-Oberliga champions ZSG ...
(''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''),
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig 1. Fußballclub Lokomotive Leipzig e.V. is a German football club based in the locality of Probstheida in the Südost borough of Leipzig, Saxony. The club may be more familiar to many of the country's football fans as the historic side VfB Lei ...
, VfB Auerbach, FC Oberlausitz Neugersdorf and FSV Budissa Bautzen (''all
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
''),
Bischofswerdaer FV 08 The Bischofswerdaer FV 08 is a German association football club from the town of Bischofswerda, Saxony. The club's greatest success during play in the former East Germany was two seasons spend in the DDR-Oberliga in the 1980s, the highest level ...
,
VFC Plauen VFC Plauen is a German association football club from the city of Plauen, Saxony. The club had to declare insolvency on 1 December 2014. __TOC__ History The club was founded as ''1. Vogtländischer Fußballclub Plauen'' and took part in the ...
,
FC Inter Leipzig Inter Leipzig is a German association football club located in Leipzig, Saxony. Their first team competes in the NOFV-Oberliga, the fifth tier of German football. History According to the Inter Leipzig mission statement, the club claims to beco ...
, BSG Chemie Leipzig, FC Eilenburg and SV Einheit Kamenz (''all Oberliga Nordost'').


Western Germany


Lower Rhine

The Lower Rhine Football Association league system is one of three state association league systems in the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
, covering its northwestern part, and starts at level five of the German league system with the
Oberliga Niederrhein The Oberliga Niederrhein ( en, Premier League of the Lower Rhine) is a German amateur football division administered by the Football Association of the Lower Rhine, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Lowe ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are KFC Uerdingen 05. The champions are directly promoted to
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
. Below the state association league system 13 district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 91 divisions having 1,476 teams. Additionally, nine teams play above the state association league system: Borussia Mönchengladbach (''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''),
MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jerseys, the club was on ...
and
Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
(''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), Borussia Mönchengladbach II,
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen Rot-Weiß Oberhausen is a German association football club in Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was formed as ''Oberhausener SV'' in December 1904 out of the merger of ''Emschertaler SV'' (1902) and the football enthusiasts of ''Oberh ...
,
Rot-Weiss Essen Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. The team won the DFB-Pokal in 1953, and the German championship in 195 ...
, Fortuna Düsseldorf II, KFC Uerdingen 05 and
Wuppertaler SV Wuppertaler SV is a German association football club located in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. The city was founded in 1929 out of the union of a number of smaller towns including Elberfeld, Barmen, Vohwinkel, Cronenberg and Ronsdorf – e ...
(''all
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
'').


Middle Rhine

The Middle Rhine Football Association league system is one of three state association league systems in the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
, covering its southwestern part, and starts at level five of the German league system with the
Mittelrheinliga The Mittelrheinliga ( en, Middle Rhine League), sometimes also referred to as Oberliga Mittelrhein after its elevation to Oberliga status in 2012, is a German amateur football division administered by the Football association of the Middle Rhine, ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are FC Wegberg-Beeck. The champions are directly promoted to
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
. Below the state association league system nine district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 92 divisions having 1,348 teams. Additionally, eight teams play above the state association league system:
Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
and 1. FC Köln (''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), FC Viktoria Köln (''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), Alemannia Aachen, 1. FC Köln II,
SC Fortuna Köln SC Fortuna Köln is a German association football club based in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. History The club was formed as on 21 February 1948 through the merger of three local sides: Victoria Köln 1911 (one of two clubs to ...
,
Bonner SC Bonner SC is a German association football club based in Bonn. The club was formed in 1965 through the merger of ''Bonner FV'' and ''Tura Bonn''. Its former women's football department won the German national championship in 1975. History ''B ...
and FC Wegberg-Beeck (''all
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
'').


Westphalia

The Westphalian Football and Athletics Association league system is one of three state association league systems in the state of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
, covering its eastern part, and starts at level five of the German league system with the
Oberliga Westfalen The Oberliga Westfalen is the highest level football league in the region of Westphalia, which is part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The league existed from 1978 to 2008, but was then replaced by the NRW-Liga, a new statewide league. Wit ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are TuS Erndtebrück. The champions and the runner-up are directly promoted to
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
. Below the state association league system 29 district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 214 divisions having 3,231 teams. Additionally, 14 teams play above the state association league system:
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
and FC Schalke 04 (''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), Arminia Bielefeld and
VfL Bochum Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum (), is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has spent 35 seasons in the Bundeslig ...
(''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), Sportfreunde Lotte,
Preußen Münster Preußen or Preussen is the German word for Prussia. It also refers to: Ships * ''Preußen'' (ship), windjammer built in 1902 * SMS ''Preußen'' (1873), armored frigate * SMS ''Preußen'' (1903), pre-dreadnought Battleship * , vorpostenboot ...
and
SC Paderborn 07 Sport-Club Paderborn 07 e.V., commonly known as simply SC Paderborn 07 () or SC Paderborn, is a German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has enjoyed its greatest successes since the turn of the mille ...
(''all
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), Borussia Dortmund II, TuS Erndtebrück,
SC Verl SC Verl is a German association football club based in Verl, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club was founded on 6 September 1924, and since 1970 has consistently played in the higher echelons of amateur football. The club was promoted to the profe ...
, SC Wiedenbrück 2000, SV Rödinghausen, Westfalia Rhynern and
SG Wattenscheid 09 SG Wattenscheid 09 is a Football in Germany, German association football club located in Wattenscheid, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club claimed an official founding date of 18 September 1909 as Ballspiel-Verein Wattenscheid out of the me ...
(''all
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
'').


Southwestern Germany


Rhineland

The
Rhineland Football Association The Rhineland Football Association (german: Fussball-Verband Rheinland), the ''FVR'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the northern part of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
, covering its northern part, and starts at level six of the German league system with the Rheinlandliga on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are FV Engers 07. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar. Below the state association league system nine district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 70 divisions having 916 teams. Additionally, six teams play above the state association league system:
TuS Koblenz TuS Koblenz is a German association football club, located in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Fussball Club Deutschland Neuendorf, which was formed in 1911, is viewed as the foundation of the modern club. History Nazi era (1933–1945) The or ...
(''
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
''), FV Engers 07, FC Karbach, TuS Rot-Weiss Koblenz, FSV Salmrohr and Eintracht Trier (''all Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar'').


Southwest

The
South West German Football Association The South West German Football Association (german: Südwestdeutscher Fussball-Verband), the ''SWFV'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the southern part of the state of Rhineland-Palati ...
league system is one of two state association league systems in the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
, covering its southern part, and starts at level six of the German league system with the
Verbandsliga Südwest The Verbandsliga Südwest is a German amateur football division administered by the Southwest German Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Southwestern state association, the Verbandslig ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are FV Dudenhofen. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar. Below the state association league system 10 district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 67 divisions having 1,042 teams. Additionally, 14 teams play above the state association league system: 1. FSV Mainz 05 (''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''),
1. FC Kaiserslautern 1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern () or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to football, the club also operates in sev ...
(''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''),
Wormatia Worms VfR Wormatia 08 Worms is a German association football club that plays in Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate. The club and its historical predecessors were regular participants in regional first-division football competition until the formation of the ...
, 1. FSV Mainz 05 II and TSV Schott Mainz (''all
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
''), SV Morlautern, SC 07 Idar-Oberstein, 1. FC Kaiserslautern II, FK Pirmasens, TSG Pfeddersheim, SV Gonsenheim, TuS Mechtersheim,
Arminia Ludwigshafen Arminia Ludwigshafen is a German association football club from the Rheingönheim of the city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Rhineland-Palatinate. History The club was founded 1 September 1903 as ''1. FC Arminia Rheingönheim'' and enjoyed some succ ...
and FV Dudenhofen (''all Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar'').


Saarland

The
Saarland Football Association The Saarland Football Association (german: Saarländischer Fussball-Verband), the ''SFV'', is one of 21 state organisations of the German Football Association, the ''DFB'', and covers the state of Saarland.Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
and starts at level six of the German league system with the Saarlandliga on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are FV Eppelborn. The champions are directly promoted to Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar. Below the state association league system four district associations work as feeders to the Bezirksliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 40 divisions having 587 teams. Additionally, nine teams play above the state association league system:
1. FC Saarbrücken 1. FC Saarbrücken (german: 1. Fußball-Club Saarbrücken e. V.) is a football club based in Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club plays in the 3. Liga, which is the third tier of football in Germany. The club began its existence as the football de ...
, SV Röchling Völklingen and SV Elversberg (''all
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
''), SV Saar 05 Saarbrücken, FC Hertha Wiesbach, FSV Jägersburg, FV Diefflen, FV Eppelborn and
FC 08 Homburg Fußball-Club 08 Homburg or simply FC Homburg is a German association football club based in Homburg, Saarland, that competes in the Regionalliga Südwest. The club was founded on 15 June 1908 as ''Fussball Club Homburg'' by a group of seventeen ...
(''all Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar'').


Southern Germany


Hesse

The Hessian Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
and starts at level five of the German league system with the
Hessenliga The Hessenliga (until 2008 ''Oberliga Hessen'') is the highest football league in the state of Hesse and the Hessian football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system. ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are SC Hessen Dreieich (not promoted). The champions are directly promoted to
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
. Below the state association league system six county associations and following them 32 district associations work as feeders to the Verbandsliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 165 divisions having 2,526 teams. Additionally, eight teams play above the state association league system:
Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
(''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), SV Darmstadt 98 (''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), SV Wehen-Wiesbaden (''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''),
FSV Frankfurt Fußballsportverein Frankfurt 1899 e.V., commonly known as simply FSV Frankfurt, is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. FSV Frankfurt also fielded a rather successfu ...
, KSV Hessen Kassel,
Kickers Offenbach Offenbacher Kickers, also known as Kickers Offenbach, is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left established local clubs ...
, TSV Steinbach and TSV Eintracht Stadtallendorf (''all
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
'').


Baden

The Baden Football Association league system is one of three state association league systems in the state of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, covering its northwestern part, and starts at level six of the German league system with the
Verbandsliga Nordbaden The Verbandsliga Nordbaden is a German amateur football division administered by the Baden Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Baden state association, the Verbandsliga is currently a ...
on top. The current (2021–22 season) champions are ATSV Mutschelbach. The champions are directly promoted to
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
, whereas the runner-up enters a promotion playoff along with the
Verbandsliga Südbaden The Verbandsliga Südbaden is a German amateur football division administered by the South Badenese Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the South Baden state association, the Verbandslig ...
runner-up and the
Verbandsliga Württemberg The Verbandsliga Württemberg is a German amateur football division administered by the Württemberg Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Württemberg state association, the Verbandsli ...
runner-up for one additional promotion. Below the state association league system nine district associations league systems work as feeders to the Landesliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 57 divisions having 818 teams. Additionally, 13 teams play above the state association league system: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), SV Sandhausen (''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''),
Karlsruher SC Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...
(''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), 1899 Hoffenheim II, SV Waldhof Mannheim and FC Astoria Walldorf (''all
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
''), Karlsruher SC II, FC Nöttingen, 1. CfR Pforzheim, SV Sandhausen II, SV Spielberg, FC Astoria Walldorf II and TSG Weinheim (''all
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
'').


South Baden

The South Baden Football Association league system is one of three state association league systems in the state of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, covering its southwestern part, and starts at level six of the German league system with the
Verbandsliga Südbaden The Verbandsliga Südbaden is a German amateur football division administered by the South Badenese Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the South Baden state association, the Verbandslig ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are
FC 08 Villingen FC 08 Villingen is a German association football club based in Villingen-Schwenningen, Baden-Württemberg. The association was founded on 1 October 1908 and over time absorbed other local clubs including ''Germania'', ''Alemania'' and ''Phönix ...
. The champions are directly promoted to
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
, whereas the runner-up enters a promotion playoff along with the Verbandsliga Baden runner-up and the
Verbandsliga Württemberg The Verbandsliga Württemberg is a German amateur football division administered by the Württemberg Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Württemberg state association, the Verbandsli ...
runner-up for one additional promotion. Below the state association league system six county associations work as feeders to the Landesliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 81 divisions having 1,146 teams. Additionally, six teams play above the state association league system:
SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...
(''
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''), SC Freiburg II (''
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
''),
Bahlinger SC Bahlinger SC is a German association football club from the Kaiserstuhl town of Bahlingen, Baden-Württemberg. History The club was founded 16 June 1929 as ''FC Bahlingen'' and merged with ''TV Bahlingen'' in 1946 to form the present-day side ...
, TSG Balingen, SV Oberachern and
FC 08 Villingen FC 08 Villingen is a German association football club based in Villingen-Schwenningen, Baden-Württemberg. The association was founded on 1 October 1908 and over time absorbed other local clubs including ''Germania'', ''Alemania'' and ''Phönix ...
(''all
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
'').


Württemberg

The Württembergian Football Association league system is one of three state association league systems in the state of
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, covering its southwestern part, and starts at level six of the German league system with the
Verbandsliga Württemberg The Verbandsliga Württemberg is a German amateur football division administered by the Württemberg Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the Württemberg state association, the Verbandsli ...
on top. The current (2016–17 season) champions are SGV Freiberg. The champions are directly promoted to
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
, whereas the runner-up enters a promotion playoff along with the Verbandsliga Baden runner-up and the
Verbandsliga Südbaden The Verbandsliga Südbaden is a German amateur football division administered by the South Badenese Football Association, one of the 21 German state football associations. Being the top flight of the South Baden state association, the Verbandslig ...
runner-up for one additional promotion. Below the state association league system 16 county associations work as feeders to the Landesliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 146 divisions having 2,053 teams. Additionally, 13 teams play above the state association league system:
VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
(''Bundesliga''), 1. FC Heidenheim (''
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''),
VfR Aalen Verein für Rasenspiele 1921 Aalen e.V., known simply as VfR Aalen, is a German football club based in Aalen, Baden-Württemberg. The football team is part of a larger sports club which also offers its members gymnastics, table tennis, and cheer ...
and
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (german: Sportgemeinschaft Sonnenhof Großaspach e.V.), commonly known as Sonnenhof Großaspach, is a German professional football club based in Aspach, Baden-Württemberg. The club play in the Regionalliga Südwest, whi ...
(''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
''), VfB Stuttgart II,
Stuttgarter Kickers Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers. History In its early years the club had a decent local squad that played in the Südk ...
and
SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball SSV Ulm 1846 is a German football club from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. The modern-day football department, officially playing as SSV Ulm 1846 Fussball, was formed on 9 March 2009 when the department separated from SSV Ulm 1846. The club's great ...
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Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
''), TSG Backnang 1919, FSV 08 Bissingen, SGV Freiberg, SV Göppingen,
Neckarsulmer SU Neckarsulmer SU is a German sports club from the town of Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg. The football club's greatest success has been promotion to the tier five Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 2016 and participation in the first round of the 20 ...
and SSV Reutlingen 05 (''all
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German foot ...
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Bavaria

The Bavarian Football Association league system is the state association league system in the state of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
and starts at level four of the league system with the
Regionalliga Bayern The Regionalliga Bayern, ( en, Regional league Bavaria), is the highest association football league in the state of Bavaria (german: Bayern) and the Bavarian football league system. It is one of five Regionalligas in German football, the fourth tie ...
on top. The champions enter a promotion playoff along with the
Regionalliga Nord The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
champions, the
Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...
champions, the
Regionalliga Südwest The Regionalliga Südwest ( en, Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together wit ...
champions and runner-up and the
Regionalliga West The Regionalliga West is a German semi-professional football division administered by the Western German Football Association based in Duisburg. It is one of the five German regional football associations. Being the single flight of the Western ...
champions for three promotions to the
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
. The current (2016–17 season) champions are
SpVgg Unterhaching Spielvereinigung Unterhaching () is a German sports club in Unterhaching, a semi-rural municipality on the southern outskirts of the Bavarian capital Munich. The club is widely known for playing in the first-division association football league ...
. Below the state association league system seven county associations and following them 24 district associations work as feeders to the Landesliga. In the 2016–17 season, the full system comprises 442 divisions having 6,054 teams.Bayern: full official results and tables
 Additionally, nine teams play above the state association league system: FC Bayern Munich and
FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
(''all
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
''),
SpVgg Greuther Fürth Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth (), commonly known as Greuther Fürth (), is a German football club based in Fürth, Bavaria. They play in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German football league system, following relegation from the B ...
, FC Ingolstadt, SSV Jahn Regensburg and 1. FC Nürnberg (''all
2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
''), SpVgg Unterhaching,
TSV 1860 Munich , commonly known as TSV 1860 München (; lettered as ) or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's football team currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football. 1860 Munich was one of the founding members o ...
and Würzburger Kickers (all ''
3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for th ...
'').


See also

*
Football in Germany Football (or "soccer") is the most popular sport in Germany. The German Football Association (german: Deutscher Fußball-Bund, link=no or ) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members (roughly eight percent of the popul ...
* German women's football league system * Women's football in Germany


References


External links

*
3. Liga official website




- German football league tables, records & statistics database. {{DEFAULTSORT:German Football League System 1