The league sits directly under the Regionalliga Bayern and above the Landesligas, which were expanded in number from three to five at the end of the 2011–12 season.

In 1948, the league was reunited in one group of sixteen teams with the top-two clubs gaining promotion.

The main reasons for this was to reduce travel-costs and time, but also to create two regional champions in Bavaria which both could take part in the promotion rounds to the 2nd Oberliga instead of only one.

Being the largest of the southern German federations, Bavaria felt disadvantaged by the fact that only its champion was permitted to take part in the promotion rounds.

The number of teams in the two leagues kept fluctuating and sometimes clubs from central Bavaria were moved between divisions to balance out the strength.

The Amateurliga Bayern was reunited and now came under the Regionalliga Süd, the new second tier of the league system in the south.

Seven clubs from the northern and southern division each plus four from the 2nd Oberliga made up the newly reunited league in 1963.

The year 1978 saw a reformation of the highest Amateurligas in Germany, their number was halved from sixteen to eight, making direct promotion for the southern champions possible for the first time.

In the south, this meant the Bayernliga now run parallel to the Amateur-Oberligas of Hessen, Baden-Württemberg and Südwest.

Bundesliga was united to one single division, making it necessary for the Oberliga champions to have a promotion round again.

In some seasons, additional promotion spots were available, for example when the Bayernliga champion managed to move up to the 2nd Bundesliga.

It also adopted a new, shorter name, being simply called Oberliga Bayern now, because the highest (German: Oberste) amateur league was now the Regionalliga.

The six teams with the best overall record over the last three seasons in the Bayernliga, or above, gained entry to the new Regionalliga Süd, these being: This fact also allowed a greater number of clubs then usually to move up from the Landesliga.

[6] The Bavarian football federation carried out drastic changes to the league system from 2012 onwards.

Below those, five Landesligas instead of the existing three were set which are geographically divided to limit travel and increase the number of local derbies.

The new qualification mode would see all current Bavarian Regionalliga teams qualify for the new league as well as the top nine of the Bayernliga.