Regionalliga
fourth division of men's association football in Germany
A Regionalliga (German pronunciation: [ʁeɡi̯oˈnaːlˌliːɡa], plural Regionalligen) is a regional league in numerous sports governing bodies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, usually located in the upper or middle tiers of the sports leagues.
The term is often associated with the German football league system where it is the fourth tier or one of the three divisions of Regionalliga in Austria, which represent the third tier in that country. Until 1974, Regionalliga was the second tier in Germany. In 1994, it was reintroduced as the third tier. Upon the creation of the new Germany-wide 3. Liga in 2008, it became the fourth tier. While all of the clubs in the top three divisions of German football are professional, the Regionalliga has a mixture of professional and semi-professional clubs.
History of the Regionalligen in Germany
1963–1974
From the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 until the formation of the 2. Bundesliga in 1974, there were five Regionalligen, forming the second tier of German Football:
Regionalliga Nord (covering the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg)
Regionalliga West (covering the state of North Rhine-Westphalia)
Regionalliga Berlin (covering West Berlin)
Regionalliga Südwest (covering the states of Rheinland-Palatinate and Saarland)
Regionalliga Süd (covering the states of Bavaria, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg)
The champions and runners-up of the respective divisions played out two promotion spots to the Bundesliga in two groups after the end of the season.
In 1974, the two 2.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Regionalliga” is fourth division of men's association football in Germany. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Regionalliga, fourth and division, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “fourth division of men's association football in Germany” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2188121. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1974, 1994, 2008 and 1963.
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This entry incorporates text from “Regionalliga” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.