List of clubs in the 2. Bundesliga

This is a '''list of clubs in the 2. Bundesliga''', including all clubs and their final placings from 1974–75 to 2022–23. The league is the second-highest football league in Germany and the German football league system. It replaced the Regionalligas as the second division in Germany in 1974. Initially played in a two-division format, north and south, it was merged into a single division in 1981 and has remained at this format ever since with the exception of the 1991–92 season, when the league was briefly split again to accommodate the influx of clubs from the former East Germany.

Overview
After the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 the second division was initially formed by five Regionalligas with a promotion round at the end. In 1974 this system was changed to two regional divisions which were named 2. Bundesliga Süd and Nord. This halved the number of second division teams from a nominal number of 40 to 20. In the 1991–92 season the league was briefly split into a northern and southern division of 12 clubs each to allow for the entry of the East German clubs into the league system. Since 1992 the league has always operated as a single division, initially with 20 clubs, later with 18.

List of clubs
The list of clubs of the 2. Bundesliga from its inception to the present season, sorted by the last season a club played in the league:

1974–1981
The placings in the two divisions of the 2. Bundesliga from its interception to the change to a single-division format:

1981–1991
The placings in the 2. Bundesliga from its first season as a single-division league to the last season before the German reunion:

1991–present
The teams are ordered here based on when they were last in the league, starting with the longest promoted teams, current teams, and longest relegated teams. The placings in the 2. Bundesliga from the German reunion to the present season: