The Promotion to the Bundesliga () is an end-of-season competition, held annually to determine the clubs that are promoted from the Regionalligas, later the 2. Bundesliga to the Bundesliga. Originally, it was necessary because there were more second division champions than promotion spots available. From 1974 onwards, it involves only two clubs who determine the third possible promotion spot to the Bundesliga.

Leagues 1963–74 When the Bundesliga was formed in 1963, the German Football Association established five regional second divisions below it, the Regionalligas, these being: Regionalliga Süd Regionalliga Südwest Regionalliga West Regionalliga Berlin Regionalliga Nord

Because the boundaries of these five leagues went along historical lines, determined by the boundaries of the five German sub-federations, the playing strength of the leagues was not equal. To determine the two teams to be promoted to the Bundesliga each season, a promotion round was held. The number of teams from each Regionalliga qualified for this event was not equal, for the above-mentioned reason.

From 1963, the first two teams in each Regionalliga was qualified for the promotion round, except from Berlin, who would only send the champions. To reduce the number of clubs from nine to eight, a home-and-away decider was played between two of the runners-ups. The origin of the two teams in this altered annually. The eight teams would then play a home-and-away round in two groups of four with the winners qualified for the Bundesliga. Teams from the same Regionalliga would not play in the same group. This system was in place till 1966.

From 1967, the groups were expanded to five clubs and all five Regionalligas send their runners-up to the competition. Otherwise, the modus remained unchanged. This system remained in place until 1974, when the Regionalligas were disbanded.

1974–81 In 1974, the five Regionalligas were replaced by two 2. Bundesligas, those being: 2. Bundesliga Süd 2. Bundesliga Nord

The two league champions would now be directly promoted to the Bundesliga while the two runners-up played a home-and-away round to determine the third promoted team. This system remained in place until the single 2. Bundesliga replaced the two leagues.

1981–91 With the introduction of the single-division 2. Bundesliga in 1981, a promotion round would have become unnecessary as the top-three teams could have been directly promoted. Instead, only the top two teams achieved direct promotion. The third-placed club had to play the 16th placed club from the Bundesliga in a home-and-away round for the last spot in the first division. This series was played until 1991.

With the German reunion in 1991 and the influx of clubs from the former DDR-Oberliga, the promotion round between the two clubs was stopped. In the 1990–91 season, five clubs were promoted to the Bundesliga, three from the west and two from the east.

1991–92 As a transition season due to the integration of the East German clubs, only two clubs were promoted from the second to the first division. Also, the 2. Bundesliga was split into two regional groups for this season.

1992–2008 In this era, the top three teams of the 2. Bundesliga were directly promoted to the Bundesliga.

2008–present From 2009, the promotion series between the 16th-placed Bundesliga club and the third-placed 2. Bundesliga team was reestablished. The Bundesliga follows its own past example as well as the one set by the English Premier League, French Ligue 1, and Italian Serie A, where these games are in place too and quite popular.

Promoted teams 1963–74 Season First Second Third1963–64Hannover 96Borussia Neunkirchen—1964–65Bayern MunichBorussia MönchengladbachTasmania Berlin1965–66Fortuna DüsseldorfRot-Weiss Essen—1966–67Alemannia AachenBorussia Neunkirchen (2)—1967–68Kickers OffenbachHertha BSC—1968–69Rot-Weiss Essen (2)Rot-Weiß Oberhausen—1969–70Arminia BielefeldKickers Offenbach (2)—1970–71VfL BochumFortuna Düsseldorf (2)—1971–72Wuppertaler SVKickers Offenbach (3)—1972–73Rot-Weiss Essen (3)Fortuna Köln—1973–74Eintracht BraunschweigTennis Borussia Berlin— In 1965, Tasmania Berlin was promoted to replace Hertha BSC in the league, without having qualified for it.

1974–81 Season South North Third 1974–75 Karlsruher SC Hannover 96 (2) Bayer Uerdingen 1975–76 1. FC Saarbrücken Tennis Borussia Berlin (2) Borussia Dortmund 1976–77 VfB Stuttgart FC St. Pauli 1860 Munich 1977–78 Darmstadt 98 Arminia Bielefeld (2) 1. FC Nürnberg 1978–79 1860 Munich (2) Bayer Leverkusen Bayer Uerdingen (2) 1979–80 1. FC Nürnberg (2) Arminia Bielefeld (3) Karlsruher SC (2) 1980–81 Darmstadt 98 (2) Werder Bremen Eintracht Braunschweig (2)

1981–90 Season First Second Third 1981–82 Schalke 04 Hertha BSC (2) — 1982–83 Waldhof Mannheim Kickers Offenbach (4) Bayer Uerdingen (3) 1983–84 Karlsruher SC (3) Schalke 04 (2) — 1984–85 1. FC Nürnberg (3) Hannover 96 (3) 1. FC Saarbrücken (2) 1985–86 FC Homburg Blau-Weiß Berlin — 1986–87 Hannover 96 (4) Karlsruher SC (4) — 1987–88 Stuttgarter Kickers FC St. Pauli (2) — 1988–89 Fortuna Düsseldorf (3) FC Homburg (2) — 1989–90 Hertha BSC (2) SG Wattenscheid —

1990–91 Season First Second Third East First East Second 1990–91 Schalke 04 (3) MSV Duisburg Stuttgarter Kickers (2) Hansa Rostock Dynamo Dresden

1991–92 Season South North 1991–92 1. FC Saarbrücken (3) Bayer Uerdingen (4)

1992–present Season First Second Third 1992–93 SC Freiburg MSV Duisburg (2) VfB Leipzig 1993–94 VfL Bochum (2) Bayer Uerdingen (5) 1860 Munich (3) 1994–95 Hansa Rostock (2) FC St. Pauli (3) Fortuna Düsseldorf (4) 1995–96 VfL Bochum (3) Arminia Bielefeld (4) MSV Duisburg (3) 1996–97 1. FC Kaiserslautern VfL Wolfsburg Hertha BSC (3) 1997–98 Eintracht Frankfurt SC Freiburg (2) 1. FC Nürnberg (4) 1998–99 Arminia Bielefeld (5) SpVgg Unterhaching SSV Ulm 1999–2000 1. FC Köln VfL Bochum (4) Energie Cottbus 2000–01 1. FC Nürnberg (5) Borussia Mönchengladbach (2) FC St. Pauli (4) 2001–02 Hannover 96 (5) Arminia Bielefeld (6) VfL Bochum (5) 2002–03 SC Freiburg (3) 1. FC Köln (2) Eintracht Frankfurt (2) 2003–04 1. FC Nürnberg (6) Arminia Bielefeld (7) Mainz 05 2004–05 1. FC Köln (3) MSV Duisburg (4) Eintracht Frankfurt (3) 2005–06 VfL Bochum (6) Alemannia Aachen (2) Energie Cottbus (2) 2006–07 Karlsruher SC (5) Hansa Rostock (3) MSV Duisburg (5) 2007–08 Borussia Mönchengladbach (3) TSG Hoffenheim 1. FC Köln (4) 2008–09 SC Freiburg (4) Mainz 05 (2) 1. FC Nürnberg (7) 2009–10 1. FC Kaiserslautern (2) FC St. Pauli (5) — 2010–11 Hertha BSC (4) FC Augsburg — 2011–12 Greuther Fürth Eintracht Frankfurt (4) Fortuna Düsseldorf (5) 2012–13 Hertha BSC (5) Eintracht Braunschweig (3) — 2013–14 1. FC Köln (4) SC Paderborn — 2014–15 FC Ingolstadt Darmstadt 98 (3) — 2015–16 SC Freiburg (5) RB Leipzig — 2016–17 VfB Stuttgart (2) Hannover 96 (6) — 2017–18 Fortuna Düsseldorf (6) 1. FC Nürnberg (8) — 2018–19 1. FC Köln (5) SC Paderborn (2) Union Berlin 2019–20 Arminia Bielefeld (8) VfB Stuttgart (3) — 2020–21 VfL Bochum (7) Greuther Fürth (2) — 2021–22 Schalke 04 (4) Werder Bremen (2) — 2022–23 1. FC Heidenheim Darmstadt 98 (4) — 2023–24 FC St. Pauli (6) Holstein Kiel — 2024–25 1. FC Köln (6) Hamburger SV — 2025–26 Schalke 04 (5) SV Elversberg SC Paderborn (3)

Number in brackets behind club denotes the number of promotion when there was more than one.

Clubs taking part in the promotion round Participating clubs (1963–74) The southern clubs: Season RL Süd (1st) RL Süd (2nd) RL Südwest (1st) RL Südwest (2nd) 1963–64 Hessen Kassel Bayern Munich Borussia Neunkirchen FK Pirmasens 1964–65 Bayern Munich SSV Reutlingen 1. FC Saarbrücken Wormatia Worms 1965–66 Schweinfurt 05 Kickers Offenbach FK Pirmasens 1. FC Saarbrücken 1966–67 Kickers Offenbach Bayern Hof Borussia Neunkirchen 1. FC Saarbrücken 1967–68 Bayern Hof Kickers Offenbach SV Alsenborn TuS Neuendorf 1968–69 Karlsruher SC Freiburger FC SV Alsenborn TuS Neuendorf 1969–70 Kickers Offenbach Karlsruher SC SV Alsenborn FK Pirmasens 1970–71 1. FC Nürnberg Karlsruher SC Borussia Neunkirchen FK Pirmasens 1971–72 Kickers Offenbach Bayern Hof Borussia Neunkirchen Röchling Völklingen 1972–73 Darmstadt 98 Karlsruher SC Mainz 05 Röchling Völklingen 1973–74 FC Augsburg 1. FC Nürnberg Borussia Neunkirchen 1. FC Saarbrücken

The northern clubs: Season RL West (1st) RL West (2nd) RL Nord (1st) RL Nord (2nd) RL Berlin (1st) RL Berlin (2nd) 1963–64 Alemannia Aachen Wuppertaler SV FC St. Pauli Hannover 96 Tasmania Berlin — 1964–65 Borussia Mönchengladbach Alemannia Aachen Holstein Kiel FC St. Pauli Tennis Borussia Berlin — 1965–66 Fortuna Düsseldorf Rot-Weiss Essen FC St. Pauli SC Göttingen Hertha BSC — 1966–67 Alemannia Aachen Schwarz-Weiß Essen Arminia Hannover SC Göttingen Hertha BSC Tennis Borussia Berlin 1967–68 Bayer Leverkusen Rot-Weiss Essen Arminia Hannover SC Göttingen Hertha BSC Tennis Borussia Berlin 1968–69 Rot-Weiß Oberhausen Rot-Weiss Essen VfL Osnabrück VfB Lübeck Hertha Zehlendorf Tasmania Berlin 1969–70 VfL Bochum Arminia Bielefeld VfL Osnabrück VfL Wolfsburg Hertha Zehlendorf Tennis Borussia Berlin 1970–71 VfL Bochum Fortuna Düsseldorf VfL Osnabrück FC St. Pauli Tasmania Berlin Wacker Berlin 1971–72 Wuppertaler SV Rot-Weiss Essen FC St. Pauli VfL Osnabrück Wacker Berlin Tasmania Berlin 1972–73 Rot-Weiss Essen Fortuna Köln FC St. Pauli VfL Osnabrück Blau-Weiß Berlin Wacker Berlin 1973–74 SG Wattenscheid Rot-Weiß Oberhausen Eintracht Braunschweig FC St. Pauli Tennis Borussia Berlin Wacker Berlin Bold denotes promoted team. In 1964, Wuppertaler SV lost to FK Pirmasens 1–2 and 0–2 in the qualifying, missing out on the promotion round. In 1965, FC St.Pauli lost to SSV Reutlingen 1–0 and 1–4 aet in the qualifying, missing out on the promotion round. In 1966, SC Göttingen 05 lost to 1. FC Saarbrücken 0–3 and 0–4 in the qualifying, missing out on the promotion round.

North-South promotion games (1974–1981) 1974–75

1975–76

1976–77

1977–78

1978–79

1979–80

1980–81

Bundesliga versus 2. Bundesliga (1981–91) 1981–82

1982–83

1983–84

1984–85

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

Bundesliga versus 2. Bundesliga (2008–present) 2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

2012–13

2013–14

2014–15

2015–16

2016–17

2017–18

2018–19

2019–20

2020–21

2021–22

2022–23

2023–24

2024–25

2025–26

Key Winner in bold. Symbol Key Bundesliga – 16th-placed team 2. Bundesliga – 3rd-placed team 2. Bundesliga North – 2nd-placed team 2. Bundesliga South – 2nd-placed team

See also Promotion to the 2. Bundesliga Promotion to the 3. Liga

References

Sources Deutsche Liga Chronik seit 1945 Historic tables of German football (First, Second and Third Division), publisher: DSFS, published: 2006 kicker Almanach 1990 Yearbook of German football, publisher: kicker, published: 1989,

External links Official Bundesliga website