Overview
- The DFB presidium decided on Friday to submit the Kompassmodell for a vote at an extraordinary Bundestag on 18 December.
- Under the Kompassmodell the Regionalliga would shrink from 90 to 80 clubs and run as four seasonal 20-team divisions whose champions each earn direct promotion to the 3. Liga.
- A separate DFB request would transfer formal responsibility for the fourth tier to the DFB, creating unified organisation, central marketing and common licensing rules.
- The package sets a qualification season in 2027/28 before full implementation in 2028/29 and includes financial guarantees of at least €500,000 per regional association, a minimum payment of €40,000 per club, and a plan to return 90 percent of extra central marketing revenue to clubs.
- Approval is uncertain because the reform needs a two-thirds majority of 257 delegates and key regional bodies, notably in Bavaria and the Southwest, have expressed reservations while a prior reform effort collapsed in late June.