Relegation to the German Bundesliga

As Relegation to the German Bundesliga in are German league football the relegation matches for Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga respectively.

Relegation in the Bundesliga means (since 2008/09 ) the staging of two games between the third-last team in the Bundesliga and the third-placed team in the 2nd Bundesliga. The aim is to use a direct comparison to determine which of the two teams will receive a place in the Bundesliga in the following season (i.e. either maintain or advance). The loser receives a place in the 2nd Bundesliga (i.e. remains or is relegated).

history

FC St. Pauli against Stuttgarter Kickers in the third and decisive relegation game on Schalke (1991)

The term relegation has become popular in Germany since 1982. It came about after the introduction of the single-track 2. Bundesliga in connection with promotion to the Bundesliga . In the years 1964 to 1974, the first and second in the regional leagues (ten teams in total) had identified two promoted teams in promotion rounds. 1975 to 1981 the champions of the 2nd Bundesliga North and South were promoted; for the third promotion place so-called promotion games of the two league runners-up were played.

From 1982 to 1991 play-offs were played between the sixteenth (and thus third from bottom) of the Bundesliga and the third of the single-track 2. Bundesliga, basically in the first and second leg. In 1986, 1988 and 1991, the third game was a playoff. In 1988 - after both SV Darmstadt 98 and SV Waldhof Mannheim had n't scored a single goal in the playoff even after extra time - there was a penalty shoot-out for the only time .

These play-offs, which were played from 1982 to 1991, were called "relegation games". The games were relegation games for the third from bottom of the Bundesliga and promotion games for the third from the 2nd Bundesliga. On October 9, 2007, the DFL decided to reintroduce these games from the 2008/09 season. The same rule has been in effect for the 2nd Bundesliga and 3rd League since the 2008/09 season .

If you look at both periods in which the relegation to the Bundesliga was held, it can be seen that there are currently three teams that have played three times in relegation games: 1. FC Nuremberg, 1. FC Saarbrücken and Eintracht Frankfurt. Only Eintracht Frankfurt was able to win all three relegations; Saarbrücken only won once. Across all leagues, 1. FC Nürnberg is the only team to have played a total of four relegations and won three of them (two for the 1st Bundesliga and one for the 2nd Bundesliga).

Relegation matches

1982 to 1991 for the Bundesliga

date	Second division	total	First division	First leg	Return leg	3rd game
1982	Kickers Offenbach	1: 3	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	0: 1	1: 2
1983	Bayer 05 Uerdingen	4: 2	FC Schalke 04	3: 1	1: 1
1984	MSV Duisburg	1: 6	Eintracht Frankfurt	0: 5	1: 1
1985	1. FC Saarbrücken	3: 1	Arminia Bielefeld	2-0	1: 1
1986	SC Fortuna Cologne	3: 3	Borussia Dortmund	2-0	1: 3	10: 8 1
1987	FC St. Pauli	3: 4	FC 08 Homburg	21: 3 2	22: 1 2
1988	SV Darmstadt 98	4: 4	SV Waldhof Mannheim	3: 2	1: 2	30: 0 a.d. 3 (4: 5 in good condition)
1989	1. FC Saarbrücken	2: 3	Eintracht Frankfurt	20: 2 2	22: 1 2
1990	1. FC Saarbrücken	1: 2	VfL Bochum	0: 1	1: 1
1991	Stuttgart Kickers	2: 2	FC St. Pauli	21: 1 2	21: 1 2	4th3: 1 4

¹ The game took place in Düsseldorf.

²The first leg was exceptionally the home game of the first division team. The second leg took place in the stadium of the second division team.

³ The game took place in Saarbrücken.

^4th The game took place in Gelsenkirchen.

The first division team won the duel seven times and was allowed to remain in the top division, but the team from the 2nd Bundesliga won three of the ten relegation duels - there were three promoted and relegated teams in those years.

1. FC Saarbrücken took part in the relegation games three times, two clubs (Eintracht Frankfurt, FC St. Pauli) twice, all the others only once.

Regulation since 2009

In German professional football there have been relegation games for promotion and relegation since the 2008/09 season . The third from bottom of the Bundesliga and the third from the 2nd Bundesliga play two playoffs for a place in the higher division. The team that has more play-free days before the first leg according to the schedule of the past season has home rights. This is intended to give the team, which is disadvantaged by a shorter break between the last competitive game and the relegation first leg, a possible advantage through home rights in the second leg. Since 2009, the first division team has always had home rights in the first leg, as the last matchday of the 1st Bundesliga takes place before the last matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga. If there is an equal number of free days between the end of the league and the relegation first leg, the lot will decide.

In relegation games between second and third division teams, the third division team usually has home rights initially. The 2019/20 season was an exception: Since the season of the 3rd division ended later in this case, the second division team initially had home rights.

There is no longer a third playoff, as provided for in the previous regulation (until 1991), but the away goals rule applies : If the number of goals is the same after the first and second leg, the team that scored more goals away wins . If no decision has been made in the second leg after 90 minutes, there are two extra 15 minutes. If there is still no winner, a penalty shoot-out takes place.

To the Bundesliga

Of the twelve previous relegation rounds, nine fell in favor of the first division side and three in favor of the second division side. 1. FC Nürnberg took part for the third time in 2016. Hamburger SV and VfL Wolfsburg have participated twice so far.

date	First division	total	Second division	First leg	Return leg
2009	Energy Cottbus	0: 5	1. FC Nuremberg	0: 3	0: 2
2010	1. FC Nuremberg	3-0	FC Augsburg	1-0	2-0
2011	Borussia Monchengladbach	2: 1	VfL Bochum	1-0	1: 1
2012	Hertha BSC	3: 4	Fortuna Dusseldorf	1: 2	2: 2
2013	TSG 1899 Hoffenheim	5: 2	1. FC Kaiserslautern	3: 1	2: 1
2014	Hamburger SV	(a) 1: 1 ( a )	SpVgg Greuther Fürth	0-0	1: 1
2015	Hamburger SV	3: 2	Karlsruher SC	1: 1	2: 1 a.d.
2016	Eintracht Frankfurt	2: 1	1. FC Nuremberg	1: 1	1-0
2017	VfL Wolfsburg	2-0	Eintracht Braunschweig	1-0	1-0
2018	VfL Wolfsburg	4: 1	Holstein Kiel	3: 1	1-0
2019	VfB Stuttgart	(a) 2: 2 ( a )	1. FC Union Berlin	2: 2	0-0
2020	Werder Bremen	(a) 2: 2 ( a )	1. FC Heidenheim	0-0	2: 2

To the 2nd Bundesliga

Of the twelve previous rounds, eight ended in favor of the third division side and four in favor of the second division side. VfL Osnabrück and FC Ingolstadt 04 have each participated three times, Dynamo Dresden, Karlsruher SC and TSV 1860 Munich twice each.

date	Third division	total	Second division	First leg	Return leg
2009	SC Paderborn 07	2-0	VfL Osnabrück	1-0	1-0
2010	FC Ingolstadt 04	3-0	Hansa Rostock	1-0	2-0
2011	Dynamo Dresden	4: 2	VfL Osnabrück	1: 1	3: 1 a.d.
2012	SSV Jahn Regensburg	(a) 3: 3 ( a )	Karlsruher SC	1: 1	2: 2
2013	VfL Osnabrück	1: 2	Dynamo Dresden	1-0	0: 2
2014	SV Darmstadt 98	(a) 5: 5 ( a )	Arminia Bielefeld	1: 3	4: 2 a.d.
2015	Holstein Kiel	1: 2	TSV 1860 Munich	0-0	1: 2
2016	Würzburger Kickers	4: 1	MSV Duisburg	2-0	2: 1
2017	SSV Jahn Regensburg	3: 1	TSV 1860 Munich	1: 1	2-0
2018	Karlsruher SC	1: 3	FC Erzgebirge Aue	0-0	1: 3
2019	SV Wehen Wiesbaden	(a) 4: 4 ( a )	FC Ingolstadt 04	1: 2	3: 2
2020	FC Ingolstadt 04	(a) 3: 3 ( a )	1. FC Nuremberg	10: 2 1	13: 1 1

¹The first leg was exceptionally the home game of the second division due to the later end of the third division.
0.The second leg took place in the stadium of the third division team.

See also

• Promotion to the Bundesliga
• Promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga
• Promotion to the 3rd soccer league

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Exciting conclusion: The relegation. In: DFL German Football League GmbH - dfl.de. Retrieved March 11, 2019 . 
2. ↑ DFL: Spielordnung (SpOL) Bundesliga. (PDF) July 1, 2018, accessed on July 6, 2020 . 
3. ↑ DFB: rules of play. (PDF) November 2018, accessed on July 6, 2020 .