The Oberliga Baden-Württemberg is the highest association football league in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg football league system. It is one of fourteen Oberligas in German football, the fifth tier of the German football league system. Until the introduction of the 3. Liga in 2008 it was the fourth tier of the league system, and until the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994 the third tier.

Overview 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: SC Freiburg II SSV Ulm 1846 Waldhof Mannheim 1. FC Heidenheim 1846

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 were not based in the state. TSV Amicitia Viernheim (Hesse) and SpVgg Au/Iller (Bavaria) 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 (1945–1963) 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: Season Club1978–79SSV Ulm 1846 1979–80VfB Stuttgart II 1980–81SV Sandhausen 1981–82SSV Ulm 1846 1982–83SSV Ulm 1846 1983–84Freiburger FC 1984–85SV Sandhausen 1985–86SSV Ulm 1846 1986–87SV Sandhausen 1987–88FV 09 Weinheim 1988–89SSV Reutlingen 1989–90Karlsruher SC II 1990–911. FC Pforzheim 1991–92SSV Reutlingen 1992–93SSV Ulm 1846 1993–94SSV Ulm 1846 1994–95SV Sandhausen 1995–96Karlsruher SC II 1996–97VfL Kirchheim/Teck 1997–98VfB Stuttgart II 1998–99VfR Aalen 1999–00SV Sandhausen2000–01TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Season Club2001–02SC Pfullendorf2002–03VfB Stuttgart II2003–04FC Nöttingen2004–05Karlsruher SC II2005–06SSV Reutlingen2006–07SV Sandhausen2007–08SC Freiburg II2008–09SG Sonnenhof Großaspach2009–101899 Hoffenheim II2010–11Waldhof Mannheim2011–12SSV Ulm 18462012–13SpVgg Neckarelz2013–14FC Astoria Walldorf2014–15SV Spielberg2015–16SSV Ulm 18462016–17SC Freiburg II2017–18TSG Balingen2018–19Bahlinger SC2019–20VfB Stuttgart II2020–21None2021–22SGV Freiberg2022–23Stuttgarter Kickers2023–24FC 08 Villingen2024–25Sonnenhof Großaspach2025–26VfR Aalen Source: In 2014, the third-placed team FC Nöttingen was also promoted after a play-off. In 2016, the runners-up Bahlinger SC were also promoted after a play-off. In 2016, the runners-up FC Nöttingen were also promoted after a play-off. In 2021, the competition was abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2025, the runners-up TSG Balingen were 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: SSV Ulm 1846 1. Göppinger SV SpVgg Ludwigsburg FC Eislingen SB Heidenheim

From the Amateurliga Schwarzwald-Bodensee: SSV Reutlingen FV Biberach FC Tailfingen FV Ravensburg VfB Friedrichshafen

From the Amateurliga Nordbaden: FV Weinheim 09 SV Sandhausen 1. FC Pforzheim VfR Mannheim SV Neckargerach

From the Amateurliga Südbaden: FC Rastatt 04 FC 08 Villingen SV Kuppenheim DJK Konstanz Offenburger FV

League placings

Club13141516171819202122232425 SSV Ulm 1846 R R 5 1 R R R R R R R 3L 2B VfB Stuttgart II 3L 3L 3L 3L R R R 1 R R R R 3L SC Freiburg II R R R R 1 R R R R 3L 3L 3L R Astoria Walldorf 2 1 R R R R R R R R R R R Bahlinger SC 6 14 2 R 5 9 1 R R R R R R SGV Freiberg 5 4 3 15 3 7 16 1 1 R R R Stuttgarter Kickers 3L 3L 3L 3L R R 2 3 2 2 1 R R FC 08 Villingen 11 6 16 16 2 8 5 10 4 11 1 R 1. Göppinger SV 7 8 5 2 3 6 4 2 R Sonnenhof Großaspach R R 3L 3L 3L 3L 3L 3L R R 2 3 1 TSG Balingen 10 13 4 8 4 1 R R R R R R 2 VfR Mannheim 3 15 17 9 3 VfR Aalen 2B 2B 2B 3L 3L 3L 3L R R R R R 4 1. CfR Pforzheim 5 8 13 11 13 11 5 3 4 5 SV Oberachern 18 7 13 11 14 6 17 13 6 10 6 FC Nöttingen 4 3 R 2 R 5 4 12 5 7 10 5 7 TSG Backnang 1919 12 15 12 3 13 11 8 SSV Reutlingen 7 7 9 11 9 7 9 14 13 9 14 15 9 TSV Essingen 8 10 FSV Hollenbach 9 8 8 6 16 8 6 11 Normannia Gmünd 17 7 12 FSV 08 Bietigheim-Bissingen 17 3 2 4 3 7 4 10 9 14 13 FV Ravensburg 9 7 9 6 6 6 4 8 8 15 13 14 SV Fellbach 15 FC Zuzenhausen 16 Calcio Leinfelden-Echterdingen 17 FC 08 Villingen II 18 ATSV Mutschelbach 5 12 FC Holzhausen 7 16 FC Denzlingen 17 Offenburger FV 16 17 12 18 1. FC Rielasingen-Arlen 11 6 11 16 Neckarsulmer SU 3 10 10 15 7 12 17 Freiburger FC 15 13 8 20 14 18 Spfr. Dorfmerkingen 9 9 15 Astoria Walldorf II 15 17 19 16 SV Linx 12 10 16 17 1. FC Bruchsal 17 14 18 TSV Ilshofen 13 17 15 19 FV Lörrach-Brombach 18 20 SV Sandhausen II 10 11 16 18 21 Germania Friedrichstal 12 17 16 SV Spielberg 15 16 1 R 10 14 18 Karlsruher SC II 12 5 6 4 12 15 TSG Weinheim 18 Stuttgarter Kickers II 14 10 14 12 14 SpVgg Neckarelz 1 R R R 18 Kehler FV 8 11 10 14 SC Pfullendorf R R 11 18 VfR Aalen II 13 Kickers Pforzheim 18 TSV Grunbach 13 2 1. FC Heidenheim II 12 FC Singen 04 18

Key Symbol Key B Bundesliga 2B 2. Bundesliga 3L 3. Liga R Regionalliga Süd (1994–2012) Regionalliga Südwest (2012–present) 1 League champions Place League Blank Played at a league level below this league

References

Sources Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga. DSFS. Kicker Almanach, The yearbook on German football from Bundesliga to Oberliga, since 1937. Kicker Sports Magazine. Süddeutschlands Fussballgeschichte in Tabellenform 1897-1988 History of Southern German football in tables, by Ludolf Hyll Die Deutsche Liga-Chronik 1945-2005 History of German football from 1945 to 2005 in tables. DSFS. 2006.

External links Das deutsche Fussball Archiv Historic German league tables Weltfussball.de Round-by-round results and tables of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg from 1994 onwards Online: Oberliga Baden-Württemberg