The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany as well as West Berlin.

It is one of five leagues at the fourth tier, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga Südwest, Regionalliga Nord and the Regionalliga West. From 1994 to 2000 it was part of the third tier, until the first of many re-structurings of the league system. The last of these occurred in 2012, which saw the Regionalliga Nordost reinstated.

When the league was discontinued in 2000, the top seven clubs in the league went to the two remaining Regionalligas, five to the north and two to the south, these being the two clubs from the state of Thuringia. The other eleven league teams were relegated to the NOFV-Oberligas.

To the Regionalliga Nord:

• 1. FC Union Berlin
• Dresdner SC
• Erzgebirge Aue
• SV Babelsberg 03
• Sachsen Leipzig

To the Regionalliga Süd:

• Carl Zeiss Jena
• Rot-Weiß Erfurt

In October 2010, another reform of the Regionalligas was agreed. The number of leagues was again expanded to five. The defunct Regionalliga Nordost was reestablished and a Regionalliga Bayern was established. Also, the Regionalliga West lost the clubs from the south west to a new league, formed out of those clubs and clubs from Regionalliga Süd outside Bavaria. The new system came into operation at the beginning of the 2012–13 season. The number of reserve teams per Regionalliga was limited to seven.^[1]

The five league champions, plus the runner-up of the Regionalliga Süd/Südwest, entered play-offs for the three promotion spots. The new leagues consisted of up to 22 clubs in their inaugural season, but were then reduced to between 16 and 18 clubs. The Regionalligas are not administered by the DFB, but rather by the regional football associations. The reorganisation of the Regionalligas, so soon after the last changes in 2008, became necessary because of a large number of insolvencies. These were caused by a lack of media interest in the leagues, large expenses and infrastructure demands.^[2]

As four teams were relegated from the 3rd Liga starting at the end of the 2018–19 season, the champions of the Regionalliga Nordost (Chemnitzer FC), the Regionalliga Südwest and the Regionalliga West were promoted directly to the 3. Liga.^[3] The remaining two champions, from the Regionalliga Bayern and Nord, played a two-legged promotion play-off for the last promotion spot. In 2020, the three direct promotion spots will go to the champions of the Regionalliga Südwest, Regionalliga Bayern and Regionalliga Nord, and the champions of the Regionalliga Nordost and Regionalliga West will participate in the play-off. This format was installed initially as a temporary solution until the DFB-Bundestag was unsuccessful on a format that could have enabled all Regionalliga champions to be promoted.^[4] In September 2019, the Bundestag delegates voted to grant the Südwest and West champions two direct promotions indefinitely starting in 2021. A third direct promotion place will be assigned according to a rotation principle among the Regionalliga Nord, Nordost and Bavarian champions. The representatives from the two remaining Regionalligen will determine the fourth promoted club in two-legged playoffs.^[5]

The winners and runners-up of the league:

Source: "Regionalliga Nordost". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved 19 March 2008.

• Promoted teams in bold.

The top goalscorers and spectator statistics for the league since it reformed in 2012:

The following clubs have played in the league and achieved the following final positions:

• ¹ Wacker Nordhausen withdrew for financial reasons at the end of the 2019–20 season.^[26]
• ² Rot-Weiß Erfurt declared insolvency during the 2019–20 season and was automatically relegated.^[27]
• ³ RB Leipzig II was withdrawn from competition at the end of the 2016–17 season.
• ⁴ FC Schönberg withdrew from the league also for financial reasons at the end of the 2016–17 season.^[28]
• ⁵ 1. FC Union Berlin II was withdrawn from competition at the end of the 2014–15 season.
• ⁶ VFC Plauen also declared insolvency during the 2014–15 season and was automatically relegated.^[29]