Being the top flight of the Rhineland state association, the Verbandsliga is currently a level 6 division of the German football league system.

Until 1933, the region covered by the Rhinrland FA was politically part of the now dissolved German state of Prussia.

The founder members were: In 1956 the league was split into a western and an eastern group with twelve teams each.

With the introduction of the Bundesliga in 1963 the Amateurliga was placed below the new Regionalliga Südwest but still retained its third-tier status.

The Rheinland contains an unproportional amount of SG's, which are joint teams without the contributing clubs actually merging.

Feeder Leagues to the Rheinlandliga Until 2003, two Landesligas, north and south, existed in the region, set between Verbandsliga and Bezirksliga.