| Landesliga | |
| Country: | Germany |
| State: | 15 states |
| Organisers: | State associations of the DFB |
| Leagues: | 67 |
| Promotion: | Oberliga |
| Relegation: | Various |
| Levels: | Level 6, 7 and 8 |
The Landesliga (English: Football State League) is a tier of football in some states of the German football league system.
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]
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 | |
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 | Verbandsliga Baden | Kreisliga | ||
| Landesliga Südbaden 1 Landesliga Südbaden 2 Landesliga Südbaden 3 | 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 | Landesklasse | ||
| Landesliga Brandenburg-Nord Landesliga Brandenburg-Süd | Brandenburg | |||
| Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Nord Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Mitte Landesliga Sachsen-Anhalt-Süd | Saxony-Anhalt | |||
| Landesliga Berlin 1 Landesliga Berlin 2 | Berlin | Bezirksliga | ||
| Landesklasse Mitte Landesklasse Nord Landesklasse Ost Landesklasse West | Saxony | Kreisoberliga | ||
| Landesklasse Thüringen 1 Landesklasse Thüringen 2 Landesklasse Thüringen 3 | Thuringia | |||
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 | |||