Regional league reform 2025: Uhlig demands promotion for all champions!

Regional league reform 2025: Uhlig demands promotion for all champions!

A fundamental promotion reform is being discussed in the Regionalliga West, which could turn football in this league on its head. Marcus Uhlig, the managing director of Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, is a keen supporter of the “Promotion Reform 2025 – Masters Must Promote” initiative. This was launched by clubs in the East to draw attention to the unequal distribution of promotion places, especially in the Regionalliga East. While the champions from the teams in the west and southwest are promoted directly, the clubs from the north, northeast and Bavaria often only have the option of relegation play, which causes a lot of difficulties. [[ksta.de]](https://www.ksta.de/sport/rot-weiss-oberhausen-chef-marcus-uhlig-im-interview-wir-wollen-das-produkt-regionalliga-komplett-neu-denken-1103567) reports that Uhlig is calling for a concrete roadmap for the reform, which should make it possible for the 2027/28 season to be fairer conditions to start.

A centralized reform of the regional leagues is under discussion, in which the current five leagues will be reduced to four (North, East, South, West). This could help level the playing field and create fairer opportunities for advancement. A problem that is often mentioned is the second teams of professional clubs, which can intervene in the league and distort competition. Uhlig is bringing two approaches into play: a complete league for second teams, as is the case in English football, or a common financial compensation for clubs whose amateur teams are disadvantaged by the presence of professional players. These issues are not only a means of pressure for positive change, but also directly affect fairness in amateur football.

Purpose of the new working group

To further clarify and work on this reform, the DFB has set up a new working group in which presidents of the regional and state associations are taking part. Like that too dfb.de reported, all regional league sponsors have already signaled their willingness to actively participate in this group. There is a broad consensus that champion teams from all regional leagues should be promoted to the 3rd league. At the moment there are still only four promoted teams from the five regional leagues, which leads to frustration among many clubs, such as FC Eilenburg and Kickers Emden, who are demanding more justice.

The first steps towards establishing the working group have already been initiated and should be organized by the end of September 2025. The support from 1. FC Union Berlin as well as other clubs from the Bundesliga and 2nd league is also clear, including FC Schalke 04, which is also affected by the current promotion conditions.

Challenges and resistance

Despite the broad support, there are also concerns, particularly from the clubs in the Regionalliga Südwest, who fear that the reform will put them at a disadvantage. There are also discussions about how to deal with the second teams of professional clubs in the future. The working group will devote intensive attention to these issues in order to reach a solution that is acceptable to all parties involved. It remains to be seen whether the leagues will ultimately be closed for second teams.

Further developments surrounding the promotion reform in the regional league are likely to be decisive until the meeting of the DFB Bundestag on November 7, 2025. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf appears willing to talk and open, but not all voices within the DFB can be won over for changes, which makes the reform process even more difficult. This topic remains exciting and is being followed like a hawk by fans and clubs.