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| Organising body | Southwestern Regional Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978; 47 years ago (1978) |
| Country | Germany |
| States | |
| Number of clubs | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | Level 5 |
| Promotion to | Regionalliga Südwest |
| Relegation to | |
| Domestic cups | |
| Current champions | TSV Schott Mainz (2024–25) |
| Current:2024–25 Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar | |
TheOberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, formerly theOberliga Südwest, is the highest regionalfootball league for theRhineland-Palatinate andSaarland states ofGermany, organized by theSouthwestern Regional Football Association. It is one of twelveOberligas in German football, the fifth tier of theGerman football league system. Until the introduction of the3. Liga in 2008 it was the fourth tier of the league system. Before the introduction of theRegionalligas in 1994, it was the third tier.
From January 1946 up until the creation of theBundesliga in 1963, theOberliga Südwest was one of the five highest divisions in Germany. The current league originates from 1978.
TheOberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar is one of fourteen Oberligas in Germany. The league is a combination of the regional Rhineland, Saarland and Southwest Football Associations, the next league up isRegionalliga Südwest. It was formed in 1978 out of the top teams of the AmateurligasRheinland,Saarland andSüdwest. Until 2008, when the3. Liga was introduced, theOberliga was the fourth tier of the league system.
From 2012 onwards, the league became a feeder league to the new Regionalliga Südwest, together with theHessenliga and theOberliga Baden-Württemberg. The previous league the Oberliga Südwest was set below at, theRegionalliga West, from then on only accommodate clubs from Northrhine-Westphalia.[1]
At the end of the 2011–12 season the league was also renamed fromOberliga Südwest toOberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, with Oddset being the official name sponsor of the league.[2]
Nominally 18 teams compete for the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar title. Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away. At the end of the season the champion used to be promoted into either theRegionalliga Süd or theRegionalliga Nord, later the Regionalliga West, depending on their geographical location. From 2008, the league winner was promoted to the Regionalliga West. In the 2007–08 season, the teams finishing from 2nd to 4th were also promoted.
If the team that wins the league or is on a promotion spot at the end of the season fails to have the correct license then the team who finishes next would be promoted instead of them.
Teams promoted to the newRegionalliga in 2008:
The winner of the Oberliga Südwest was originally directly promoted to the2nd Bundesliga Süd. After introduction of the unified2nd Bundesliga in 1981, the champion had to take part in apromotion play-off. With the introduction of theRegionalliga in 1994 the league winners were again directly promoted. However, this league was demoted to fourth tier of German football after 2008.
The bottom three clubs of the Oberliga will be relegated to theVerbandsliga of their football association (Verband). These are:
In turn, theVerbandsliga champions will gain entry to theOberliga. In more recent history the runners-up of the three Verbandsligas were given the opportunity to compete in a promotion round for one more spot in the Oberliga in the following season.
The league champions:
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Source:"Oberliga SW". Das deutsche Fussball-Archiv. Retrieved7 March 2008.
The complete list of clubs and placings in the league while operating as the tier fiveOberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar and feeding theRegionalliga Südwest (2012–present):
| Symbol | Key |
|---|---|
| B | Bundesliga(1963–present) |
| 2B | 2. Bundesliga(1974–present) |
| 3L | 3. Liga(2008–present) |
| R | Regionalliga West/Südwest(1994–2000) Regionalliga Süd(2000–2008) Regionalliga West(2008–2012) Regionalliga Südwest(2012–present) |
| 1 | League champions |
| Place | League |
| Blank | Played at a league level below this league |
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