The league was formed in 1978 as the highest level of play in the state. Previous to that, the four Amateurligas Nordwürttemberg, Schwarzwald-Bodensee, Südbaden and Nordbaden formed the tier right below the 2nd Bundesliga. The Amateurligas changed their name since into Verbandsliga. The Amateurligas Nordwürttemberg and Schwarzwald-Bodensee merged to form the Verbandsliga Württemberg. The three Verbandsliga's now feed the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg. Until 1994, the winners of the Oberligas had to play-off for the four promotion spots to the 2nd Bundesliga with the other Oberliga winners. In 1994, the Regionalliga Süd was introduced, and the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is automatically promoted to this league. In the inaugural season, five clubs from Baden-Württemberg were qualified for the new league, based on their performance over the last three seasons, these clubs being:
SSV Ulm 1846
SSV Reutlingen
VfR Mannheim
TSF Ditzingen
SpVgg Ludwigsburg
Originally, a sixth place for the Oberliga was available but because the Stuttgarter Kickers, a club from Württemberg, was relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga that year, the club took up this spot. After the reduction of the number of Regionalligas from four to two in 2000, the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg still remained below the Regionalliga Süd, but this reduction meant that the Oberliga champions in that year were not promoted. With the changes in the league system in 2008, there was four clubs from the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg promoted to Regionalliga Süd after the 2007-08 season, nominally the top four teams, however, there was also financial requirements to receive a Regionalliga license. The four clubs were:
The winners of the three Verbandsligas gain automatic promotion to the Oberliga. The runners-up of North Baden then plays the runners-up of South Baden in a home-and-away series. The winner of this games faces the runners-up of Württemberg for the final Oberliga spot. Feeder Leagues to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg
Verbandsliga Württemberg
Verbandsliga Baden
Verbandsliga Südbaden
In the past two clubs which played in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg weren't actually based in the state. TSV Amicitia Viernheim and SpVgg Au/Iller both were in the Oberliga for a number of years. The separation of Nordbaden and Südbaden is not traditional. It results from the end of World War II when North Baden was in the American occupation zone and South Baden in the French. Inter zone travel was difficult then and two separate leagues developed. Until 1950 the clubs from the South Baden and the Schwarzwald-Bodensee regions actually played in the southwest league system, the old Oberliga Südwest, only after that were they integrated into the southern league system, where they geographically belonged. For the 2012-13 season, the Regionalliga Süd was disbanded, and the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg became a feeder league to the new Regionalliga Südwest, together with the Hessenliga and the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar.
League champions
The league champions since 1979:
Source:
In 2014 third placed FC Nöttingen was also promoted after a play-off.
In 2016 runners-up Bahlinger SC was also promoted after a play-off.
In 2016 runners-up FC Nöttingen was also promoted after a play-off.
Founding members of the league
The Oberliga started in 1978 with 20 clubs from four regions. From the Amateurliga Nordwürttemberg:
