The German Football Leagues: Who goes up and down and why

The German football league structure has changed many times since it was created at the beginning of the last century.  This is mainly because of the huge historical and political events that have taken place in Germany over the last 120 years but is also due to efforts to make football more competitive, entertaining and profitable.

It does, however,  make things a bit complicated for the occasional visitor. This is how football it is at the moment.

Bundesliga

The current top tier in German football consists of 18 clubs who play each other twice in a season on 34 match days.  The games for any given match day are spread across the weekend from Friday evening. Tickets for big games between two top teams, or for heated local derbies are likely to sell out before the exact day and time are confirmed.  This makes planning for the occasional visitor a bit tricky.

There is a winter break between the first and second halves of the season and there is no football from mid-December to mid-January.  The two halves are called the Hinrunde and Rückrunde.

The last two teams are automatically relegated and the third to last plays two games (home and away) against the third from the top of Bundesliga 2.  These relegation/promotion playoffs can be really exciting for the neutral and agonising for fans. The game at the end of the 2015/15 season between Hamburger SV and Karlsruher SC is a great example.  Trailing 1-0 in the second game and 3-2 on aggregate, Hamburg seemed destined for relegation.  A last minute goal for Hamburg from a free kick took the game into extra time.  With four minutes remaining Hamburg scored again to edge ahead for the first time in both games.  There was to be one more twist when Karlsruhe were awarded a penalty for handball two minutes into stoppage time. Hamburg keeper René Adler saved the spot kick and Hamburg emerged unlikely winners.

2. Bundesliga

The second tier also consists of 18 clubs who play each other twice in a season.  Games for a given match day are also spread across a weekend.

As in the 1 Bundesliga, the last two teams are automatically relegated, and the third from last plays third from the top of 3 Bundesliga home and away.

Many historic and well-known teams play in the 2 Bundesliga and games can be just as exciting and passionate as those in the higher division.  Average attendances in 2017/18 was 17,584 and seven clubs had an average of over 20,000. My personal list of teams well worth a visit would include VfL Bochum, Union Berlin and FC St Pauli.

3. Liga

The third tier consists of 20 clubs who play each other twice. Reserve teams from the upper two divisions can compete in this league. 

The last three teams are automatically relegated to one of the regional leagues.

Average attendance in the 3 Bundesliga last year was 6,181, but three teams had an average of over 10,000. If you go to see one of the teams chasing promotion, or to a local derby, you are still likely to experience the highly charged atmosphere of the higher divisions. For example, on 18 April 2015 over 25,000 fans saw Armenia Bielefeld come back from a goal down to beat local rivals Preußen Münster 2-1 and maintain their drive for promotion.

You can have a fantastic experience at third division grounds. Tickets are cheaper and easier to come by. You will have no problem getting a standing place. Transport to and from the grounds is quicker and much less crowded. And you will get a really friendly welcome.

Regionalligen

There are 55 semi-professional teams organised into five regional leagues :

  • Regionalliga Nord
  • Regionalliga Nordost
  • Regionalliga West
  • Regionalliga Südwest
  • Regionalliga Bayern

The winners compete for three promotion places into Bundesliga 3.

Reserve teams from the top two divisions are allowed to compete in these leagues.

Attendance at these games is considerably lower than in the higher tiers, but a number of clubs still have a strong fan base and can attract large crowds. Regionalliga West, for example, is home to former greats like Rot Weiß Essen, Alemannia Aachen and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen.

Oberligen

The next tier down consists of 10 amateur leagues called Oberliga which feed into the regional leagues.

Level 6 and below

Below the Oberligen, the state football associations have their own leagues.