Before the Bezirksoberligas in Bavaria were introduced in 1988 the Bezirksligas were the leagues set right below the Landesligas Bayern in the football pyramid.

For the purpose of administration, the two leagues are still seen as one and teams can be shifted between the two halves at the end of season.

From 1968 to 1988, the league champions were promoted to the Landesliga Bayern-Süd, from 1988 to 2011 to the Bezirksoberliga Schwaben.

The area covered by the Swabian FA is not identical with the Bezirk Schwaben, there is a large number of clubs from Upper Bavaria playing in Swabia, especially in the north.

With the league reform at the end of the 2011–12 season, which included an expansion of the number of Landesligas from three to five, the Bezirksoberligas were disbanded.