After the regular season, the ten Landesliga champions had to play-off for two promotion spots to 2.

The Verbandsliga Mittelrhein was upon its inception the third tier of the German football league system.

Upon introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963, the league was set below the new Regionalliga West but remained as the third tier.

With the exception of 1963 and 1974, when the league systems were changed, the champion continued to have the opportunity to win promotion.

The league operated with 16 clubs throughout most of its existence, only occasionally altering the numbers to balance out promotion and relegation.

The NRW-Liga existed for only four seasons before it was disbanded again in 2012 in the wake of the Regionalliga West becoming a league for clubs from North Rhine-Westphalia only.