3. Liga

3. Liga
Founded 2008
Country Germany
Confederation UEFA
Number of teams 20
Level on pyramid 3
Promotion to 2. Bundesliga
Relegation to
Domestic cup(s) DFB-Pokal
International cup(s) UEFA Europa League
(via winning DFB-Pokal)
Current champions MSV Duisburg (1st title)
(2016–17)
Most championships Eintracht Braunschweig
1. FC Heidenheim
Karlsruher SC
VfL Osnabrück
SV Sandhausen
1. FC Union Berlin
Arminia Bielefeld
Dynamo Dresden
MSV Duisburg
(1 title each)
2017–18 3. Liga

The 3. Liga (German: Dritte Liga when written in full; more explicit: 3. Fußball-Liga), is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the semi-professional Regionalliga, which became the fourth division and initially consisted of three groups of 18 clubs playing separately.[1] In Germany, the 3. Liga is the highest division that a football club's reserve team can play in.

History

3. Liga logo from 2008 to 2014
Special logo used during the 2017–18 season

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, reflecting the fact that the league will be directly administered by the DFB, not by the German Football League DFL (Deutsche Fußball Liga) who runs both Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.[2]

The first match of the 3. Liga was played on 25 July 2008 between FC 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 had been operating on 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, being €4.9 million in the plus. The league earned €164.5 million, well behind the two Bundesligas above it but also well ahead of other professional sports leagues in Germany with the Deutsche Eishockey Liga following with €106.1 million and the Basketball Bundesliga and Handball-Bundesliga sitting around the €90 million mark.[3] This makes it the third-most economically successful professional league in all German sports.[4]

Clubs

Team Location Stadium Capacity
VfR Aalen Aalen Scholz-Arena 14,500
Chemnitzer FC Chemnitz Stadion an der Gellertstraße 18,712
Rot-Weiß Erfurt Erfurt Steigerwaldstadion 18,611
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach Aspach Mechatronik Arena 10,000
Carl Zeiss Jena Jena Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld 12,990
Hallescher FC Halle Erdgas Sportpark 15,057
Karlsruher SC Karlsruhe Wildparkstadion 29,699
Fortuna Köln Cologne Südstadion 14,800
Sportfreunde Lotte Lotte Sportpark am Lotter Kreuz 7,414
1. FC Magdeburg Magdeburg MDCC-Arena 27,500
SV Meppen Meppen Hänsch-Arena 16,500
Preußen Münster Münster Preußenstadion 15,050
VfL Osnabrück Osnabrück Osnatel-Arena 16,667
SC Paderborn Paderborn Benteler Arena 15,000
Hansa Rostock Rostock Ostseestadion 29,000
SpVgg Unterhaching Unterhaching Alpenbauer Sportpark 15,053
SV Wehen Wiesbaden Wiesbaden BRITA-Arena 12,250
Werder Bremen II Bremen Weserstadion Platz 11 5,500
Würzburger Kickers Würzburg Flyeralarm Arena 14,500
FSV Zwickau Zwickau Stadion Zwickau 10,049

Set-up

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 three bottom teams are relegated to one of the five Regionalligen: Regionalliga Nord, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga West, Regionalliga Südwest, and Regionalliga Bayern. 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 relegated to the Regionalliga regardless of its league position.

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, FC Erzgebirge Aue, SC Paderborn 07 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:

Promotion and relegation

The winner and runner-up in a given season is 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 three are automatically sent to the Regionalliga.

Season Champions Runners-up Promotion Playoff Standings
2008–09 1. FC Union Berlin Fortuna Düsseldorf SC Paderborn 07 Table
2009–10 VfL Osnabrück FC Erzgebirge Aue FC Ingolstadt 04 Table
2010–11 Eintracht Braunschweig F.C. Hansa Rostock Dynamo Dresden Table
2011–12 SV Sandhausen VfR Aalen SSV Jahn Regensburg Table
2012–13 Karlsruher SC Arminia Bielefeld VfL Osnabrück Table
2013–14 1. FC Heidenheim RB Leipzig SV Darmstadt 98 Table
2014–15 Arminia Bielefeld MSV Duisburg Holstein Kiel Table
2015–16 Dynamo Dresden FC Erzgebirge Aue Würzburger Kickers Table
2016–17 MSV Duisburg Holstein Kiel SSV Jahn Regensburg Table

League statistics

Up to and including the 2015–16 season the top goal scorers, attendance statistics and records for the league are:

Records

As of 14 May 2016

Highest win 7–0 FC Carl Zeiss Jena 0 – 7 1. FC Saarbrücken (11 August 2010)[23]
Most goals in a game 10 Eintracht Braunschweig 5 – 5 Fortuna Düsseldorf (10 May 2009)[24]
Most league appearances 250 Fabian Stenzel (Rot-Weiß Erfurt, Chemnitzer FC)[25]
Most goals scored 101 Anton Fink (SpVgg Unterhaching, Chemnitzer FC, VfR Aalen)[26]

Placings in the 3. Liga

The following clubs have played in the league and achieved the following final positions:[27]

Club 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
RB Leipzig 2 2B 2B B B
FC Ingolstadt 04 2B 3 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B B B 2B
SV Darmstadt 98 4 14 18 3 2B B B 2B
Eintracht Braunschweig 13 4 1 2B 2B B 2B 2B 2B 2B
1. FC Union Berlin 1 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Dynamo Dresden 9 12 3 2B 2B 2B 6 1 2B 2B
1. FC Heidenheim 6 9 4 5 1 2B 2B 2B 2B
SV Sandhausen 8 14 12 1 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2 2B 2B 2B B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B
Erzgebirge Aue 12 2 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2 2B 2B
Arminia Bielefeld B 2B 2B 13 2 2B 1 2B 2B 2B
MSV Duisburg 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 7 2 2B 1 2B
Holstein Kiel 19 16 3 14 2 2B
SSV Jahn Regensburg 15 16 8 3 2B 11 20 3 2B
Würzburger Kickers 3 2B x
Karlsruher SC B 2B 2B 2B 1 2B 2B 2B 2B x
1. FC Magdeburg 4 4 x
FSV Zwickau 5 x
VfL Osnabrück 2B 1 2B 7 3 5 11 5 6 x
Wehen Wiesbaden 2B 15 4 16 7 4 9 16 7 x
Chemnitzer FC 9 6 12 5 6 8 x
SC Preußen Münster 12 4 6 8 9 9 x
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach 15 7 10 x
VfR Aalen 19 16 2 2B 2B 2B 15 11 x
Sportfreunde Lotte 12 x
Hallescher FC 10 9 10 13 13 x
Rot-Weiß Erfurt 10 9 5 5 13 10 12 8 14 x
Hansa Rostock 2B 2B 2 2B 12 13 17 10 15 x
Fortuna Köln 14 11 16 x
Werder Bremen II 17 13 18 20 17 17 x
SC Paderborn 07 3 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B B 2B 18 x
SV Meppen x
FC Carl Zeiss Jena 16 5 15 18 x
SpVgg Unterhaching 4 11 14 15 9 17 19 x
Mainz 05 II 16 12 19
FSV Frankfurt 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 20
Stuttgarter Kickers 20 17 8 4 18
Energie Cottbus B 2B 2B 2B 2B 2B 7 19
VfB Stuttgart II 11 10 10 11 14 15 13 20
Borussia Dortmund II 18 16 14 18
SV Elversberg 18
SV Wacker Burghausen 18 17 17 6 8 19
1. FC Saarbrücken 6 10 11 20
Kickers Offenbach 4 7 7 7 8 15
SV Babelsberg 03 13 17 19
Alemannia Aachen 2B 2B 2B 2B 20
Rot-Weiß Oberhausen 2B 2B 2B 19
TuS Koblenz3 2B 2B 11
FC Bayern Munich II 5 8 19
Rot Weiss Ahlen2 2B 2B 20
Wuppertaler SV 14 20
Kickers Emden1 6

Notes

Symbol Key
B Bundesliga
2B 2. Bundesliga
1 League champions
# League place
Blank not in 3. Liga

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[29]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
SC Paderborn 07 (3L) 2–0 VfL Osnabrück (2B) 1–0 1–0
2009–10[30]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
FC Ingolstadt 04 (3L) 3–0 F.C. Hansa Rostock (2B) 1–0 2–0
2010–11[31]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Dynamo Dresden (3L) 4–2 VfL Osnabrück (2B) 1–1 3–1 (a.e.t.)
2011–12[32]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Jahn Regensburg (3L) 3–3 (a) Karlsruher SC (2B) 1–1 2–2
2012–13[33]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
VfL Osnabrück (3L) 1–2 Dynamo Dresden (2B) 1–0 0–2
2013–14[34]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
SV Darmstadt 98 (3L) 5–5 (a) Arminia Bielefeld (2B) 1–3 4–2 (a.e.t.)
2014–15[35]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Holstein Kiel (3L) 1–2 TSV 1860 Munich (2B) 0–0 1–2
2015–16[36]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Würzburger Kickers (3L) 4–1 MSV Duisburg (2B) 2–0 2–1
2016–17[37]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Jahn Regensburg (3L) 3–1 TSV 1860 Munich (2B) 1–1 2–0

To the 3. Liga

Since the 2012–13 season, the champions of the five Regionalligas and the runners-up of the Regionalliga Südwest enter an end-of-the season play-off to determine the three teams promoted to the 3. Liga.

2012–13[38]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
RB Leipzig (NO) 4–2 Sportfreunde Lotte (W) 2–0 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Holstein Kiel (N) 4–1 KSV Hessen Kassel (S1) 2–0 2–1
SV 07 Elversberg (S2) 4–3 TSV 1860 München II (B) 3–2 1–1
2013–14[39]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
SC Fortuna Köln (W) 2–2 (a) FC Bayern Munich II (B) 1–0 1–2
TSG Neustrelitz (NO) 1–5 1. FSV Mainz 05 II (S2) 0–2 1–3
SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (S1) 1–0 VfL Wolfsburg II (N) 0–0 1–0
2014–15[40]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
1. FC Saarbrücken (S2) 1–1 Würzburger Kickers (B) 0–1 1–0 (5–6 pen)
1. FC Magdeburg (NO) 4–1 Kickers Offenbach (S1) 1–0 3–1
Werder Bremen II (N) 2–0 Borussia Mönchengladbach II (W) 0–0 2–0 (a.e.t.)
2015–16[41]
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
VfL Wolfsburg II 1–2 Jahn Regensburg 1–0 0–2
SV Elversberg 1–2 FSV Zwickau 1–1 0–1
Sportfreunde Lotte 2–0 Waldhof Mannheim 0–0 2–0
2016–17
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Viktoria Köln 3–3 (a) Carl Zeiss Jena 2–3 1–0
Waldhof Mannheim 0–0 (3–4 p) SV Meppen 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
SpVgg Unterhaching 5–2 SV Elversberg 3–0 2–2

Key

Symbol Key
(2B) 2. Bundesliga — 16th placed team
(3L) 3. Liga — 3rd placed team
(B) Regionalliga Bayern
(N) Regionalliga Nord
(NO) Regionalliga Nordost
(S1) Regionalliga Südwest — Champions
(S2) Regionalliga Südwest — Runners-up
(W) Regionalliga West

References

  1. ↑ "3. Liga: Germany's Newest Professional League". pitchinvasion.net. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "3. Liga Qualifikation Modus" (PDF) (in German). Deutscher Fußball Bund. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "3. Liga erstmals in der Gewinnzone" [Third League in the Winning Zone for the First Time]. weltfussball.de (in German). 1 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Helmut Sandrock: "Die 3. Liga ist europaweit führend"" [Helmut Sandrock: "The 3rd Liga is the European leader"] (in German). German Football Association. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "3. Liga 2008/2009 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "3. Liga 2009/2010 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "3. Liga 2010/2011 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "3. Liga 2011/2012 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "3. Liga 2012/2013 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "3. Liga 2013/2014 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "3. Liga 2014/2015 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "3. Liga 2015/2016 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "3. Liga 2016/2017 .:. Zuschauer .:. Heimspiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  14. ↑ "3. Liga 2008/2009 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "3. Liga 2009/2010 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "3. Liga 2010/2011 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "3. Liga 2011/2012 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  18. ↑ "3. Liga 2012/2013 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "3. Liga 2013/2014 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "3. Liga 2014/2015 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "3. Liga 2015/2016 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  22. ↑ "3. Liga 2016/2017 .:. Torschützenliste" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  23. ↑ "3. Liga .:. Statistik .:. Die höchsten Siege" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  24. ↑ "3. Liga .:. Statistik .:. Die torreichsten Spiele" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  25. ↑ "3. Liga .:. Rekordspieler" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "3. Liga .:. Ewige Torjäger" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  27. ↑ "3. Liga - Spieltag / Tabele" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "Ruhl: "Ein bitterer Tag für den OFC"" (in German). kicker.de. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  29. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2008/2009" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  30. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2009/2010" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  31. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2010/2011" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  32. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2011/2012" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  33. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2012/2013" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  34. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2013/2014" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  35. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2014/2015" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  36. ↑ "Relegation 2. Bundesliga 2015/2016" (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  37. ↑ "Aufstiegsrunde 3. Liga 2016/2017 » Playoffs". Weltfussball.de (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  38. ↑ "Aufstiegsrunde 3. Liga 2012/2013 » Playoffs". Weltfussball.de (in German). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  39. ↑ "Aufstiegsrunde 3. Liga 2013/2014 » Playoffs". Weltfussball.de (in German). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  40. ↑ "Aufstiegsrunde 3. Liga 2014/2015 » Playoffs". Weltfussball.de (in German). Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  41. ↑ "Aufstiegsrunde 3. Liga 2015/2016 » Playoffs". Weltfussball.de (in German). Retrieved 4 May 2016.
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