The Landesliga (English: Football State League) is a tier of football in some states of the German football league system.

Landesliga
Regional Soccer Associations in Germany
Organising bodiesState associations of the DFB
CountryGermany
State15 states
Leagues67
Level on pyramidLevel 6, 7 and 8
Promotion toOberliga
Relegation toVarious

In Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Hamburg, the Landesligas are set right below the Oberliga and therefore are the sixth tier. The reason for this is that Bavaria, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Bremen are the only places in Germany where the Oberliga, the State, and the Verband are geographically the same, while the other two states simply chose to call their leagues Landesligas when establishing them in 1990. In the Middle Rhine and Lower Rhine regions of North Rhine-Westphalia it is also, since 2012, the sixth tier.

In Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate (southwestern part only), North Rhine-Westphalia (Westphalia), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, and Berlin, the Landesliga is the seventh tier, below the Verbandsliga. In the Saarland, the Landesligas are set as the eighth tier.[1][2][3]

Typically, in each Bundesland, the Landesligas are divided into different Staffeln or "divisions". In Bavaria, the Landesliga is divided into five divisions, South-West, South-East, Central, North-West, and North-East. In Saxony, Bremen, and Thuringia, the Landesliga is in a single division format. In Hamburg, it consists of two divisions.[2]

In 2017, Schleswig-Holstein introduced Landesligas at the sixth tier,[4] leaving Hesse as the only German state not to have Landesligas. The Rheinland region of Rhineland-Palatinate also operates without such a league.[2]

In Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia the league below the Landesligas is the Landesklasse (English: State Class).[2] Also in 2017, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania reduced the number of Landesligas and Landesklasses to 2 and 4 divisions respectively,[5] but temporarily reverted them to 3 and 5 divisions for two seasons in 2020.[6]

Leagues

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The Landesligas: Tier six (red) seven (yellow) and eight (blue) leagues. White denotes areas without Landesligas.

Tier-VI Landesligas

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Of the 69 Landesligas in Germany 20 are set at tier six of the German football league system, these being:[2]

League State Region Promotion to Relegation to
Sachsenliga Saxony NOFV-Oberliga Süd Landesklasse Mitte
Landesklasse Nord
Landesklasse Süd
Landesklasse West
Thüringenliga Thuringia Landesklasse Nord
Landesklasse Ost
Landesklasse Süd
Landesliga Bayern-Südwest Bavaria Southwest Bayernliga Bezirksliga
Landesliga Bayern-Südost Southeast
Landesliga Bayern-Mitte Central
Landesliga Bayern-Nordwest Northwest
Landesliga Bayern-Nordost Northeast
Landesliga Bremen Bremen Bremen-Liga Bezirksliga Bremen
Bezirksliga Bremerhaven
Landesliga Hamburg-Hammonia Hamburg Oberliga Hamburg Bezirksliga Nord
Bezirksliga Ost
Bezirksliga Süd
Bezirksliga West
Landesliga Hamburg-Hansa
Landesliga Niederrhein 1
Landesliga Niederrhein 2
Landesliga Niederrhein 3
North Rhine-Westphalia Lower Rhine Oberliga Niederrhein Bezirksliga
Landesliga Mittelrhein 1
Landesliga Mittelrhein 2
Middle Rhine Oberliga Mittelrhein
Landesliga Braunschweig Lower Saxony Braunschweig Niedersachsenliga Bezirksliga Braunschweig 1
Bezirksliga Braunschweig 2
Bezirksliga Braunschweig 3
Bezirksliga Braunschweig 4
Landesliga Hannover Hannover Bezirksliga Hannover 1
Bezirksliga Hannover 2
Bezirksliga Hannover 3
Bezirksliga Hannover 4
Landesliga Lüneburg Lüneburg Bezirksliga Lüneburg 1
Bezirksliga Lüneburg 2
Bezirksliga Lüneburg 3
Bezirksliga Lüneburg 4
Landesliga Weser-Ems Weser-Ems Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 1
Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 2
Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 3
Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 4
Bezirksliga Weser-Ems 5
Landesliga Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig
Mitte
Holstein
Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein Verbandsliga Nord
Verbandsliga Ost
Verbandsliga Süd-West
Verbandsliga Süd-Ost
Verbandsliga West
  • The Landesligas of Thuringia and Saxony are unique in their naming as every other league in Germany of this standing carries the name Verbandsliga. This was done so simply by choice of the local football associations in Saxony and Thuringia and the name could be changed to Verbandsliga if they wish to do so. Bavaria does not have this option however, since its Landesligas are not the highest leagues in the Verband. This position is held by the Oberligas in this state.

Tier VII-Landesligas

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Apart from the above-mentioned states, Landesligas also exist in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate (in the southwest part only), North Rhine-Westphalia (Westphalia), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and as Landesklasse, in Saxony and Thuringia as tier seven leagues, below the Verbandsligas:[2]

Leagues State Region Promotion to Relegation to
Landesliga Württemberg 1
Landesliga Württemberg 2
Landesliga Württemberg 3
Landesliga Württemberg 4
Baden-Württemberg Württemberg Verbandsliga Württemberg Bezirksliga
Landesliga Mittelbaden
Landesliga Odenwald
Landesliga Rhein/Neckar
Baden (North) Verbandsliga Baden Kreisliga
Landesliga Südbaden 1
Landesliga Südbaden 2
Landesliga Südbaden 3
Baden (South) Verbandsliga Südbaden Bezirksliga
Landesliga Südwest Ost
Landesliga Südwest West
Rhineland-Palatinate Southwest Verbandsliga Südwest
Landesliga Westfalen 1
Landesliga Westfalen 2
Landesliga Westfalen 3
Landesliga Westfalen 4
North Rhine-Westphalia Westphalia Westfalenliga 1
Westfalenliga 2
Landesliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern-Ost
Landesliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern-West
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landesklasse
Landesliga Brandenburg-Nord
Landesliga Brandenburg-Süd
Brandenburg Brandenburg-Liga
Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Nord
Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Mitte
Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Süd
Saxony-Anhalt Verbandsliga Sachsen-Anhalt
Landesliga Berlin 1
Landesliga Berlin 2
Berlin Berlin-Liga Bezirksliga
Landesklasse Mitte
Landesklasse Nord
Landesklasse Ost
Landesklasse West
Saxony Sachsenliga Kreisoberliga
Landesklasse Thüringen 1
Landesklasse Thüringen 2
Landesklasse Thüringen 3
Thuringia Thüringenliga

Tier VIII-Landesligas

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Uniquely, the Saarland has the Landesligas as the eighth tier of its league system; in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Saxony-Anhalt the equivalent tier is Landesklasse.[2]

Leagues State Region Promotion to Relegation to
Landesliga Nord
Landesliga Ost
Landesliga Süd
Landesliga West
Saarland Verbandsliga Saarland Nordost
Verbandsliga Saarland Südwest
Bezirksliga
Landesklasse Nord
Landesklasse Ost
Landesklasse Süd
Landesklasse West
Brandenburg Landesliga Kreisoberliga
Landesklasse 1
Landesklasse 2
Landesklasse 3
Landesklasse 4
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Landesklasse 1
Landesklasse 2
Landesklasse 3
Landesklasse 4
Landesklasse 5
Landesklasse 6
Landesklasse 7
Saxony-Anhalt

References

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  1. ^ Das deutsche Fußball-Archiv (in German) Historical German domestic league tables
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Fussball.de - Ergebnisse(in German) Tables and results of all German football leagues Archived 7 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Amateurligen (in German) The German amateur leagues at kicker.de
  4. ^ "Neue Ligenstruktur und Verjüngung" [New league structure and rejuvenation]. fupa.net (in German). 31 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Reform für neue Struktur steht" [Reform for new structure goes on]. fupa.net (in German). 7 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Flexible Lösung: Staffeln für den Herren-Spielbetrieb 2020/2021 stehen fest". Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State FA. 1 July 2020.
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