2nd Bundesliga (football)
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| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Bundesliga |
| Relegation to | 3. Liga |
| Domestic cup(s) | DFB-Pokal |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Europa League (via domestic cups) |
| Current champions |
SC Freiburg (2015–16) |
| Most championships | 1. FC Nürnberg, SC Freiburg (4 titles) |
| Website | www |
 2016–17 2. Bundesliga
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The 2. Bundesliga (Zweite Bundesliga, [ˈt͡svaɪ̯tə ˈbʊndəsliːɡa]) is the second division of professional football in Germany. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below the Bundesliga and above the 3. Liga in the German football league system. All of the 2. Bundesliga clubs qualify for the DFB-Pokal, the annual German Cup competition. A total of 125 clubs have competed in the 2. Bundesliga since its foundation.
The decision to establish the league as the second level of football in West Germany was taken in May 1973. The league started operating in August 1974, then with two divisions of 20 clubs. It was reduced to a single division in 1981. From the 1991–92 season onwards clubs from former East Germany started participating in the league, briefly expanding it to two divisions again. It returned to a single division format again at the end of that season and has had 18 clubs as its strength since 1994. Two clubs from the 2. Bundesliga are directly promoted to the Bundesliga, while a third promoted club has been determined through play-offs from 1974 to 1991 and again since 2008. Between 1991 and 2008 the third-placed club in the league was directly promoted. The bottom clubs in the league are relegated to the third division which has been, from 1974 to 1994 the Oberliga, from 1994 to 2008 the Regionalliga and since 2008 the 3. Liga. The number of relegated clubs has fluctuated over the years. Since 2008 two clubs are directly relegated while the third-last team has the opportunity to defend its league place in play-offs against the third placed team of the 3. Liga.
1. FC Nürnberg holds the record number of championships in the league with four. The club also holds the record for number of promotions from the 2. Bundesliga to the Bundesliga, seven.
For the 2015–16 season, an average of 19,176 spectators watched 2. Bundesliga matches, making the 2. Bundesliga the world's most-watched secondary football league.
The decision to establish the 2. Bundesliga as a fully professional league below the Bundesliga was made at the annual convention of the German Football Association, the DFB, in Frankfurt on 30 June 1973. The league replaced the five Regionalligas that were at this level from 1963 to 1974. Each Regionalliga had a set quota of clubs that could qualify for the new league with the Regionalliga Süd receiving thirteen spots, the Regionalliga West twelve, the Regionalliga Nord and Regionalliga Südwest seven and the Regionalliga Berlin one. The qualified teams were established through a ranking that took the last five seasons of the Regionalliga into account.
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