Tiers 1 to 4
Germany
147 clubs in 4 competitions, tiers 1 to 4. 0% of Bundesliga clubs and 0% of all its clubs are controlled from abroad. Tiers 1 to 4: the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga (run by the DFL), the 3. Liga (run by the DFB) and the five Regionalligen (run by the DFB's regional associations). Reserve sides of professional clubs play in the 3. Liga and the Regionalliga. The 50+1 rule keeps the voting majority of a licensed football company with the members' club, with exceptions for Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg and (until 2023) TSG Hoffenheim.
Who owns the clubs, tier by tier
Each bar is one tier, its clubs split by who owns them. Hover a bar for counts; open a tier for its league.
- Owned by its members
- Members in control, investors hold a stake
- Investor in control, the club keeps a stake
- Owned by investors
- Owned by a multi-club group
- Company, owner not identified
- Not yet established
Tier 1
18 clubs
Tier 2
18 clubs
Tier 3
20 clubs
Tier 4
91 clubs
