The line up of new entrants to the 3.Liga is now complete. Each year three of the five Regionalliga send their champions directly into the bottom division of the league structure, while the remaining two play-off for the fourth and final place.
This year 1. FC Saarbrücken, once a founder member of the Bundesliga, were promoted from the Regionalliga Südwest when their season was called off in April. This has been a pretty remarkable season for the team from the Saarland as they became the first team from the fourth tier of German football to reach the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, where they lost to Bayer Leverkusen.
VfB Lübeck finished first in the Regionalliga Nord and will play their first ever season in the 3.Liga next term. The club has come a long way since filing for bankruptcy in 2013 and being relegated to the fifth tier.
Türkgücü München are champions of the Regionalliga Bayern (yes Bavaria is big enough to get its own Regionalliga) so will play in a division next season which will feature no fewer than four teams from Munich alone (TSV 1860, SpVgg Unterhaching and Bayern München II already ply their trade in the 3.Liga)
The final place was confirmed after a two-legged play-off between eastern champions Lok Leipzig and SC Verl was won by the latter on away goals. Verl actually finished second in the Regionalliga West but champions Rodinghausen elected not to to go for promotion to the league above. Consequently SC Verl, whose ground is not big enough for the 3. Liga and so must share nearby SC Paderborn’s stadium, will play their first ever season in professional football.