3. Liga

The 3. Liga is Germany’s third-division men’s football league, positioned below the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga in the German football pyramid. Established in 2008, this competition is run by the German Football Association (DFB), replacing the Regionalliga as the country’s third division.

The 3. Liga operates on a summer-to-spring schedule, typically starting in July or August and concluding in May. It comprises 20 teams, with clubs facing each other twice in a double round-robin format. The top performers are promoted to the 2. Bundesliga, while the lowest-ranked teams face relegation to the Regionalliga, with certain stipulations.

The team with the most points is crowned the 3. Liga champion and automatically promoted, alongside the runner-up. The third-place team enters a two-legged promotion playoff against the third-from-bottom 2. Bundesliga team, with the winner earning a place in the second division for the following season. Additionally, the top four teams qualify for the DFB Pokal.

However, reserve teams cannot compete in a higher division than the 3. Liga. As a result, they are ineligible for promotion, playoff participation, or DFB Pokal qualification. If a reserve team finishes in the top three, their spot in promotion or playoff contention goes to the next best-performing club. Despite this, reserve teams can still win the title.

At the bottom end of the table, the lowest four teams are automatically relegated to the Regionalliga (the fourth tier) and replaced by as many clubs from that division. Prior to 2018-19, only three teams would get relegated per season.

Moreover, if a reserve side’s first team is relegated to the third division, the reserve team is automatically demoted, regardless of its standing. Furthermore, they will drop down to the Oberliga, Germany's fifth division, in this scenario as a 3. Liga club’s reserve team cannot compete in the fourth division.

Union Berlin won the inaugural 3. Liga season, clinching the 2008-09 title against Fortuna Düsseldorf. VfL Osnabrück became the first team to win the 3. Liga multiple times, claiming their first title in 2009-10 and their second nearly a decade later. In 2019-20, Bayern Munich II made history as the first reserve team to win the title, accomplishing this on the final day of the season.