# 2. Bundesliga
The **2. Bundesliga** ([Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga) 2) is the second division of professional men's football in Germany, organized by the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and contested by 18 clubs playing a home-and-away season of 34 matchdays. It sits directly below the Bundesliga and above the 3. Liga, with promotion to and relegation from the top flight decided each season.[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/10-things-on-the-bundesliga) • [2](https://profootball.fifa.com/pluginfile.php/1761/mod_resource/content/1/Comparative%20Analysis%20of%20second%20and%20third%20division%20%28FINAL%20-%2031.08.2021%29_compressed.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974, as a professional second tier with a north and a south division of 20 teams each[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/10-things-on-the-bundesliga) |
| Current format | Single division of 18 clubs since 1994; 34 matchdays per season[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/10-things-on-the-bundesliga) |
| Promotion | Top two clubs go up automatically; the third-placed club plays a two-legged play-off against the 16th-placed Bundesliga club[3](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/how-does-promotion-and-relegation-work-in-the-bundesliga-10645) |
| Relegation | Bottom two clubs drop to the 3. Liga; the 16th-placed club contests a play-off[4](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/second-division-permutations-promotion-relegation-schalke-37008) |
| Attendance | In 2023/24 its average attendance per match was slightly below Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga and ahead of French Ligue 1[5](https://report.bundesliga.de/2324/en/current-figures/spectator-report.html) |
| Club finances | Average revenue of €67.141 million per club in 2024/25; top-six clubs earned 113% of the average, bottom-six clubs 78%[6](https://report.bundesliga.de/2425/de/wirtschaftsreport/wirtschaftliche-kennzahlen/2-bundesliga/clusterbildung-nach-tabellenplatz.html) |
| Records | Simon Terodde holds the league's career goals record; Friedhelm Funkel has the record for getting teams promoted[7](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/germany-second-division-records-goals-promotion-relegation-players-clubs-16921) |
## History
A professional second tier was introduced in 1974, known as Bundesliga 2. It reduced the previous level of five second-tier leagues to two, running a north and a south division of 20 teams each. In 1981 the two divisions merged into a single division of 20 clubs. The league grew to 24 teams to accommodate [German reunification](https://www.edgepedia.org/german-reunification), before settling at 18 teams from 1994.[1](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/10-things-on-the-bundesliga)
The league completed its 52nd season in 2025/26.[7](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/germany-second-division-records-goals-promotion-relegation-players-clubs-16921) Since the 2001/02 season the League Association (DFL) has hosted the games in both professional leagues and determined promoted and relegated clubs.[8](https://www.dfb.de/fileadmin/_dfbdam/61175-DFB_A-Z_UK_lowRes.pdf)
## Competition format
The season follows a traditional home-and-away format. The top two clubs are promoted directly to the Bundesliga. The club finishing 16th in the Bundesliga and the third-placed club in Bundesliga 2 contest a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off, known in German simply as the Relegation.[3](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/how-does-promotion-and-relegation-work-in-the-bundesliga-10645)
At the bottom, the two lowest-placed clubs are relegated directly to the 3. Liga, and the 16th-placed club plays a two-legged relegation play-off against a third-tier side.[4](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/second-division-permutations-promotion-relegation-schalke-37008) The 2025/26 season opened on 1 August 2025, three weeks before the Bundesliga.[9](https://media.dfl.de/sites/3/2025/04/DFL-28-2024-Calendar-for-the-2025-26-season.pdf)
## The 2025/26 season
Schalke 04 secured promotion to the Bundesliga by beating [Fortuna Düsseldorf](https://www.edgepedia.org/fortuna-dusseldorf) at home on Matchday 32, and were confirmed as champions the following day after [Paderborn](https://www.edgepedia.org/paderborn) failed to beat [Elversberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/elversberg).[4](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/second-division-permutations-promotion-relegation-schalke-37008) Elversberg, Hannover 96, and Paderborn went into the final matchday level on 59 points; Elversberg beat relegated Preußen Münster 3-0 to secure the club's maiden promotion to the Bundesliga.[4](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/second-division-permutations-promotion-relegation-schalke-37008)
Paderborn finished third after a 2-0 win over [Darmstadt](https://www.edgepedia.org/darmstadt) and faced [Wolfsburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolfsburg) in the play-off. At the other end, [Dynamo Dresden](https://www.edgepedia.org/dynamo-dresden) and Magdeburg were safe in 16th place or higher before the final round, and were joined in safety by Arminia Bielefeld, who won 6-1 against Hertha Berlin, and Eintracht Braunschweig. Greuther Fürth, needing a three-goal win over Fortuna Düsseldorf to escape direct relegation, achieved it and advanced to the play-off against Rot-Weiss Essen of the 3. Liga, while Fortuna and Münster went down. Osnabrück, champions of the 3. Liga, and Energie Cottbus were promoted into the division for the following season.[4](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/second-division-permutations-promotion-relegation-schalke-37008)
## Attendance and economics
The league draws exceptionally large crowds for a second division. UEFA's European Club Talent and Competition Landscape report highlights the extraordinary attendance figures of the English Championship and Germany's 2. Bundesliga, and notes that some of the best-supported clubs in Germany, including [FC Schalke 04](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-schalke-04), [Hamburger SV](https://www.edgepedia.org/hamburger-sv), and Hertha BSC Berlin, have in recent seasons been relegated from the first division, concentrating large fan bases in the second tier.[10](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0292-1c2a6cd356a3-b15a4601a345-1000/european_club_talent_and_competition_landscape_2024_compressed.pdf) In 2023/24, Bundesliga 2 recorded an average attendance only slightly lower than the leagues of Italy and Spain and had already overtaken French Ligue 1.[5](https://report.bundesliga.de/2324/en/current-figures/spectator-report.html)
**Club finances.** The DFL Economic Report for 2024/25 puts average revenue per 2. Bundesliga license-holder at €67.141 million, against average expenditure of €65.504 million. The six clubs in the top third of the table earned 113% of the average and spent 113%; the bottom third earned 78% and spent 77%. The report notes that the top-third clubs recorded only marginally more revenue and expenditure than the calculated average club, indicating a comparatively flat financial distribution across the division.[6](https://report.bundesliga.de/2425/de/wirtschaftsreport/wirtschaftliche-kennzahlen/2-bundesliga/clusterbildung-nach-tabellenplatz.html)
## Competitive balance
A study by the Mannheim Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) found that over the two decades before 2016, both the 1st Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga suffered a decline in competitive balance. The key factor identified was a change in players' mobility, which concentrated top-performing players in extraordinarily good and financially strong teams; these teams win more games, reducing the level of competition. The analysis was based on 1st and 2nd Bundesliga matches and DFB Cup matches.[11](https://www.zew.de/en/press/latest-press-releases/greater-polarisation-and-less-competition-in-the-german-bundesliga)
## Records
Simon Terodde holds the record for most goals in Bundesliga 2, and Friedhelm Funkel is the coach with the record for getting a team promoted to the top flight.[7](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/germany-second-division-records-goals-promotion-relegation-players-clubs-16921) In the 2023/24 season, 1. FC [Magdeburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/magdeburg) became the first team in Bundesliga 2 history to win a match despite conceding four times, in the highest-scoring game of that season.[12](https://report.dfl.de/2324/en/_assets/downloads/entire-dfl-er24.pdf?h=A_upAm1X)
## References
1. [10 things on the Bundesliga, Bundesliga.com](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/10-things-on-the-bundesliga)
2. [Comparative Analysis of Second and Third Divisions, FIFA Pro Football / German Football Association](https://profootball.fifa.com/pluginfile.php/1761/mod_resource/content/1/Comparative%20Analysis%20of%20second%20and%20third%20division%20%28FINAL%20-%2031.08.2021%29_compressed.pdf)
3. [How does promotion and relegation work in the Bundesliga?, Bundesliga.com](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/how-does-promotion-and-relegation-work-in-the-bundesliga-10645)
4. [Bundesliga 2 promotion race and relegation battle: Who secured promotion and who went down?, Bundesliga.com](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/second-division-permutations-promotion-relegation-schalke-37008)
5. [Spectator Report 2023-24, DFL Economic Report](https://report.bundesliga.de/2324/en/current-figures/spectator-report.html)
6. [Clusterbildung nach Tabellenplatz, 2. Bundesliga, DFL-Wirtschaftsreport 24/25](https://report.bundesliga.de/2425/de/wirtschaftsreport/wirtschaftliche-kennzahlen/2-bundesliga/clusterbildung-nach-tabellenplatz.html)
7. [Bundesliga 2 records: goals, promotion and relegation for players and clubs, Bundesliga.com](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/germany-second-division-records-goals-promotion-relegation-players-clubs-16921)
8. [DFB A-Z: Deutsche Fußball-Liga, German Football Association](https://www.dfb.de/fileadmin/_dfbdam/61175-DFB_A-Z_UK_lowRes.pdf)
9. [Calendar for the 2025-26 season, DFL](https://media.dfl.de/sites/3/2025/04/DFL-28-2024-Calendar-for-the-2025-26-season.pdf)
10. [European Club Talent and Competition Landscape 2024, UEFA](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0292-1c2a6cd356a3-b15a4601a345-1000/european_club_talent_and_competition_landscape_2024_compressed.pdf)
11. [Greater Polarisation and Less Competition in the German Bundesliga, ZEW](https://www.zew.de/en/press/latest-press-releases/greater-polarisation-and-less-competition-in-the-german-bundesliga)
12. [DFL Economic Report 23-24, German Licensed Football](https://report.dfl.de/2324/en/_assets/downloads/entire-dfl-er24.pdf?h=A_upAm1X)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › Domestic leagues and league seasons › Major continental European leagues › 2. Bundesliga (men's German second tier)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license