The Frauen-Regionalliga is the third-tier of German women's association football. The Frauen-Regionalliga is made up of five separate leagues. Until 2017, the champion of each league was promoted to the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga for the next season, so were the winners of two promotion groups in 2018. Since 2021, the Regionalliga Süd champion and two winners of promotion play-offs qualify for next season's 2. Bundesliga.
Mode
In all divisions a season consists of two rounds. A club meets every other club one time in each round, once at home and once away. The number of games thus depends on the number of teams in the division, ranging from ten in the south to fourteen in the west. The season typically starts in August or September, with the first round finishing in December. The second round then starts in February and ends in May or June. Occasionally the first games of the second round are held in December, though.
The final standings are determined by points a club has gained during a season. A win is worth 3 points, a draw 1, and a loss 0. The tiebreakers are in descending order goal difference, goals for, and head-to-head results. If the tie cannot be broken a tiebreaking game is held.
Until the end of the 2016–17 season the divisional champions were promoted the 2nd Bundesliga. After the 2017–18 season, two groups of four teams played a promotion round in which the group winners were also promoted, as the 2nd Bundesliga contracted to one division for the following season. Since 2018–19, the three winners of two-legged matches earn promotion. If a division champion declines to participate in the play-offs, its intended opponent is promoted instead and if the champion, especially a reserve team of a 2nd Bundesliga club, is ineligible, the next-placed, eligible club accedes to the promotion round. If the play-off winner declines or is refused promotion, the loser qualifies automatically for the 2nd Bundesliga in the next season and if the play-off loser also declines or is denied, no team is promoted and the number of relegations from the 2nd Bundesliga is reduced. There is no rule to which division of the 2nd Bundesliga a team is allocated and the German Football Association decides that from season to season. The number of teams relegated to the third tier depends on the clubs relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga. In a season no clubs might be relegated to a specific division of the Regionalliga while another division receives three new teams due to relegation. Promotion and relegation between the Regionalliga and the league beneath serves as a cushion to keep the divisions of the Regionalliga at the size they are supposed to have.
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord is the highest regional division in northern Germany. Teams belonging to one of the regional football associations of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, or Bremen compete in the league. The division comprises fourteen teams.
History
Until 1986 the highest leagues in northern Germany were the Landesligas, one each for Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein. The champions of these divisions automatically qualified for the national championship. When in 1986 the Oberliga Nord was established the best teams from each regional association were admitted to the new league. Although the best team from each association still qualified for the national championship this was determined by the final standings of the Oberliga Nord.
When in 1990 the Frauen-Bundesliga was incepted the Regionalliga automatically moved to the second tier. The best teams from the Regionalliga qualified for the Bundesliga Nord in its first season. Afterwards the champions of the division had to play against teams from the Regionalliga West and Nordost for promotion to the Bundesliga Nord. Since 1997 teams thus qualify for the unified Bundesliga. In 1994 the name of the league was changed to Regionalliga, but the change incurred no further consequences. With the introduction of the 2nd Bundesliga in 2004 the Regionalliga Nord moved to the third tier.
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost is the highest regional division in north-eastern Germany. Teams belonging to one of the regional football associations of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, or Thuringia compete in the league. The division comprises twelve teams.