Liga) determines the teams that are promoted each season from the Regionalliga, the fourth tier of German football, to the third-tier 3.

For the first four seasons (2008–09 until 2011–12), the champions of the Regionalliga Nord, West, and Süd were promoted directly to the 3.

After the Regionalliga reform, which took effect starting with the 2012–13 season, the number of leagues was expanded to five.

[1] The five league champions and the runners-up of the Regionalliga with the whose region has the most clubs and members in the German Football Association (currently Südwest) now participate in an end-of-season play-off competition to determine the three teams which are promoted.

A third team to be promoted is drawn from the three champions of the Regionalliga Nord, West, and Bayern.

Another direct promotion place is assigned according to a rotation principle among the Regionalliga Nord, Nordost, and Bayern champions.

The representatives from the remaining two Regionalligen determine the fourth promoted club in two-legged playoffs.

The third league to receive another direct promotion was drawn between the Regionalliga Nord, West, and Bayern on 27 April 2018.

[15] As Bavaria suspended all football competitions in March 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, the leading team in the Regionalliga Bayern during the suspension, Türkgücü München, was promoted by registration before the 2019–20 season's resumption.

[17][18] The pairing order for the 2019–20 promotion play-offs was determined by a draw held on 12 June 2020.

Due to the abovementioned suspension of football in Germany during the coronavirus pandemic, the Bavarian state football association agreed, and most of the state's Regionalliga clubs voted, to extend the 2019–20 season beyond September 2020 and continue without Türkgücü München, which meant the association had to cancel the 2020–21 season.

However, since Energie Cottbus qualified for the final of the 2022–23 Brandenburg Cup, the matches were rescheduled to 7 and 11 June.

[25] The order of the legs was determined by a draw during the DFB's match committee meeting in June 2023.

Liga in the 2008–09 season, Borussia Dortmund II (2009 and 2012) and Holstein Kiel (2009 and 2013) have both been promoted twice from the Regionalliga.

VfL Wolfsburg II (2014 and 2016), SV Elversberg (2016 and 2017), and Waldhof Mannheim (2016 and 2017) have all failed twice in the promotion play-offs.

Two of the occasions saw a winner after the extra period, while two matches were decided by a penalty shoot-out after no additional goals were scored.