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 the 2008–09 season, replacing the Regionalliga, which had previously served as the third-tier in the country. In Germany, the 3. Liga is also the highest division that a club's reserve team can play in.

History

On 8 September 2006, the German Football Association, the DFB, announced the formation of the 3. Liga. It was originally anticipated that the league's name would be 3. Bundesliga, but the DFB chose 3. Liga instead, as the league will be directly administered by the DFB, not by the German Football League DFL who runs both Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.
The first match of the 3. Liga was played on 25 July 2008 between Rot-Weiß Erfurt and Dynamo Dresden at the Steigerwaldstadion in Erfurt. Dynamo Dresden won the match 1–0, with Halil Savran scoring the only goal in the closing stages of the first half.

Financial situation

From its foundation in 2008 to 2013, the league operated at a financial loss, with a record deficit of €20.9 million in 2012–13. The 2013–14 season saw the league make a profit for the first time, of €4.9 million. The league earned €164.5 million, well behind the two Bundesligas above it, but also well ahead of other professional sports leagues in Germany. The Deutsche Eishockey Liga followed with €106.1 million and the Basketball Bundesliga and Handball-Bundesliga were each around the €90 million mark. This makes it the third-most economically successful professional league in all German sports.

Clubs

Members of the 2020–21 3. Liga.
TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Dynamo DresdenDresdenRudolf-Harbig-Stadion32,066
MSV DuisburgDuisburgSchauinsland-Reisen-Arena31,500
Hallescher FCHalleErdgas Sportpark15,057
FC IngolstadtIngolstadtAudi Sportpark15,000
1. FC KaiserslauternKaiserslauternFritz-Walter-Stadion49,780
Viktoria KölnCologneSportpark Höhenberg10,001
VfB LübeckLübeckStadion Lohmühle17,849
1. FC MagdeburgMagdeburgMDCC-Arena27,500
Waldhof MannheimMannheimCarl-Benz-Stadion25,667
SV MeppenMeppenHänsch-Arena16,500
1860 MunichMunichGrünwalder Stadion15,000
Bayern Munich IIMunichGrünwalder Stadion15,000
Türkgücü MünchenMunichOlympiastadion
Grünwalder Stadion		69,250
15,000
Hansa RostockRostockOstseestadion29,000
1. FC SaarbrückenSaarbrückenLudwigsparkstadion16,003
KFC UerdingenDüsseldorfMerkur Spiel-Arena54,600
SpVgg UnterhachingUnterhachingSportpark Unterhaching15,053
SC VerlPaderbornBenteler-Arena15,000
Wehen WiesbadenWiesbadenBRITA-Arena12,250
FSV ZwickauZwickauGGZ-Arena Zwickau10,049

Structure

The teams which are not reserve teams of Bundesliga teams among the 20 teams in the league compete for promotion to the 2. Bundesliga, while the four bottom teams are relegated to one of the five Regionalligen: Regionalliga Nord, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga West, Regionalliga Südwest, and Regionalliga Bayern. Until 2018, three were relegated. If, however, a reserve team is playing in the 3. Liga and the respective first team is relegated to the 3. Liga, the reserve team will be demoted to the fifth-level Oberliga regardless of its league position, because reserve teams of 3. Liga clubs are ineligible to play in the Regionalliga.

Qualifying for the 3. Liga

At the end of the 2007–08 season, the two best non-reserve teams from each of the two divisions of the Regionalliga were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The teams ranked third to tenth in both Regionalliga entered the new 3. Liga, joining the four teams relegated from the 2. Bundesliga to form the new 20-team league. Teams finishing 11th or lower in their Regionalliga remained where they were.
On 18 May 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 2. Bundesliga season, four clubs were relegated from the 2. Bundesliga and became charter members of the 3. Liga: Kickers Offenbach, Erzgebirge Aue, SC Paderborn and FC Carl Zeiss Jena.
On 31 May 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 Regionalliga seasons, clubs placing third through tenth in the Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga Süd also qualified for the new 3. Liga.
From the Regionalliga Nord:
From the Regionalliga Süd:
The winner and runner-up in a given season are automatically promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. The third place team enters a home/away playoff against the 16th placed team of the 2. Bundesliga for the right to enter/stay in the 2. Bundesliga. Teams placing in the bottom four are automatically sent to the Regionalliga.
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeStandings
2008–09Union BerlinFortuna DüsseldorfSC Paderborn
2009–10VfL OsnabrückErzgebirge AueFC Ingolstadt
2010–11Eintracht BraunschweigHansa RostockDynamo Dresden
2011–12SV SandhausenVfR AalenJahn Regensburg
2012–13Karlsruher SCArminia BielefeldVfL Osnabrück
2013–141. FC HeidenheimRB LeipzigDarmstadt 98
2014–15Arminia BielefeldMSV DuisburgHolstein Kiel
2015–16Dynamo DresdenErzgebirge AueWürzburger Kickers
2016–17MSV DuisburgHolstein KielJahn Regensburg
2017–181. FC MagdeburgSC PaderbornKarlsruher SC
2018–19VfL OsnabrückKarlsruher SCWehen Wiesbaden
2019–20Bayern Munich IIWürzburger KickersEintracht Braunschweig

Up to and including the 2018–19 season the top goal scorers, attendance statistics and records for the league are:

Attendance

Top scorers

Records

As of 29 May 2019
Highest win7–0FC Carl Zeiss Jena 0 – 7 1. FC Saarbrücken
Most goals in a game10Eintracht Braunschweig 5 – 5 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Most league appearances332Tim Danneberg
Most goals scored136Anton Fink

Placings in the 3. Liga

The following clubs have played in the league and achieved the following final positions:
Club09101112131415161718192021
Union Berlin12B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2BBB
Fortuna Düsseldorf22B2B2BB2B2B2B2B2BBB2B
SV Sandhausen8141212B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B
1. FC Heidenheim694512B2B2B2B2B2B2B
RB Leipzig22B2BBBBBB
Darmstadt 981141832BBB2B2B2B2B
Arminia BielefeldB2B2B1322B12B2B2B2B2BB
Dynamo Dresden91232B2B2B612B2B2B2Bx
Erzgebirge Aue1222B2B2B2B2B22B2B2B2B2B
Holstein Kiel191631422B2B2B2B
Jahn Regensburg1516832B112032B2B2B2B
SC Paderborn32B2B2B2B2BB2B1822BB2B
VfL Osnabrück2B12B73511561712B2B
Karlsruher SCB2B2B2B12B2B2B2B322B2B
Wehen Wiesbaden2B15416749167432Bx
FC Ingolstadt2B32B2B2B2B2BBB2B2B4x
1. FC Magdeburg4412B14x
MSV Duisburg2B2B2B2B2B722B12B2B5x
Hallescher FC10910131313415x
Würzburger Kickers32B5522B
Hansa Rostock2B2B22B1213171015666x
FSV Zwickau515716x
Preußen Münster124689910818
1. FC Kaiserslautern2B2BBB2B2B2B2B2B2B910x
SpVgg Unterhaching41114159171991011x
KFC Uerdingen1113x
TSV 1860 Munich2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B128x
SV Meppen7137x
FC Carl Zeiss Jena1651518111420
Sonnenhof Großaspach15710141519
Eintracht Braunschweig13412B2BB2B2B2B2B1632B
Chemnitzer FC96125681917x
Bayern Munich II58191x
FC Viktoria Köln12x
SV Waldhof Mannheim9x
Energie CottbusB2B2B2B2B2B71917
Sportfreunde Lotte121618
Fortuna Köln141116819
VfR Aalen191622B2B2B15111220
Werder Bremen II17131820171718
Rot-Weiß Erfurt1095513101281420
Mainz 05 II161219
FSV Frankfurt2B2B2B2B2B2B2B2B20
Stuttgarter Kickers20178418
VfB Stuttgart II1110101114151320
Borussia Dortmund II18161418
SV Elversberg18
Wacker Burghausen1817176819
1. FC Saarbrücken6101120x
VfB Lübeckx
SC Verlx
Türkgücü Münchenx
Kickers Offenbach1777815
SV Babelsberg 03131719
Alemannia Aachen2B2B2B2B20
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen2B2B2B19
TuS Koblenz32B2B11
Rot Weiss Ahlen42B2B20
Wuppertaler SV1420
Kickers Emden56

Promotion rounds

To the 2. Bundesliga

At the end of the regular season the third placed team in the 3. Liga play the 16th placed team in the 2. Bundesliga over two matches. The overall winner plays in the 2. Bundesliga in the following season, and the loser in the 3. Liga.
;2008–09

To the 3. Liga

From the 2012–13 to 2017–18 seasons, the champions of the five Regionalligas and the runners-up of the Regionalliga Südwest entered an end-of-the season play-off to determine the three teams promoted to the 3. Liga. From the 2018–19 season, three out of those five champions take direct promotion, leaving the remaining two to contest the play-off for the fourth promotion.

Key

SymbolKey
2. Bundesliga — 16th placed team
3. Liga — 3rd placed team
Regionalliga Bayern
Regionalliga Nord
Regionalliga Nordost
Regionalliga Südwest — Champions
Regionalliga Südwest — Runners-up
Regionalliga West