SSV Ulm 1846

Organised sport in Ulm dates to 1846 with the founding of Turngemeinde Ulm. In the 1939–40 season, four city clubs—Turnerbund Ulm, Turnverein Ulm, Ulmer Fußballverein 1894, and Sportvereinigung Ulm 1839—merged to form TSG Ulm 1846. Separately, on 12 October 1928, the 1. Schwimmverein Ulm and SV Schwaben Ulm combined as 1. Schwimm- und Sportverein Ulm (1. SSV Ulm). On 5 May 1970, TSG Ulm 1846 and 1. SSV Ulm 1928 merged at the Kornhaus to create SSV Ulm 1846, at the time one of Germany's largest multi-sport clubs.

The football section continued under the new umbrella until 2009, when it was spun off as the independent club SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball e.V., while the multi-sport association (SSV Ulm 1846 e.V.) remained in charge of non-football departments and facilities.

The football section in Ulm was consolidated in 1939 when Turnerbund Ulm, Turnverein Ulm, and Ulmer Fußballverein 1894 combined as TSG Ulm 1846; the new side entered the Gauliga Württemberg for the 1939–40 season and remained at that level until league play ended in 1945. After World War II, the club alternated between the top-flight Oberliga Süd and the 2. Oberliga Süd: TSG played in the Oberliga in 1946–49, 1952–53, 1958–61 and 1962–63, otherwise competing in the second tier. With the creation of the Regionalliga Süd (II) in 1963, TSG qualified on league position and spent two seasons there, finishing eighth in 1963–64 before relegation as 18th in 1964–65 to the third-tier Amateurliga. In 1968, the Radsportvereinigung 1948 Ulm (RSV 1948 Ulm) joined TSG Ulm 1846 as part of the city's multi-sport consolidation.

1. Spiel- und Sportverein Ulm was formed in 1928 and, after two seasons in the Bezirksliga Bayern, joined the Gauliga Württemberg in 1933, well before their future partner, where they earned just mid-table finishes. After the war and leading up to their union with TSG 1846, they played as a third or fourth division side. Finally, in 1970, 1. SSV Ulm merged with TSG 1846 to form SSV Ulm 1846.

At the time of the merger.^[] both clubs were playing football in the tier III Amateurliga Württemberg and would continue to do so for a nearly a decade. In 1980, the combined side advanced to the 2. Bundesliga Süd and would spend six of the next ten years playing at that level where, except for a fifth-place finish in 1982, their results were well down the table. After another decade in the level III Amateur Oberliga Baden-Württemberg and Regionalliga Süd, 1846 made an unexpected^[] breakthrough after just one season in the 2. Bundesliga with a third-place finish that led to the club's promotion to the top-flight Bundesliga for the 1999–2000 season. Even though the issue was not decided until the last day of the season, Ulm could do no better than a sixteenth-place finish and returned to the second division. The 2000–01 season was an unqualified disaster^[] for the club: they could manage only another sixteenth-place finish and were sent back down to the Regionalliga Süd (III). They were then denied a licence over the chaotic state of their finances which plunged^[] the club down to the fifth tier Verbandsliga Württemberg. Afterwards Ulm worked their way back, to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg (IV) in 2002, and the Regionalliga in 2008.

Following the 2009 European football betting scandal, the club released three allegedly involved players, Davor Kraljević, Marijo Marinović and Dinko Radojević. In January 2011, the club was declared insolvent, and the results of the 2010–11 season were declared void. The club was relegated to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg but immediately won the 2011–12 title, finishing nine points clear of second-placed VfR Mannheim and earning promotion to the new Regionalliga Südwest.

In May 2014, SSV Ulm 1846 was once again close to insolvency, for the third time in 13 years, requiring €420,000 in financial support before the end of the month to ensure survival. The club eventually entered administration and was relegated back to the Oberliga. After two seasons, SSV Ulm 1846 was promoted to the Regionalliga in May 2016.

On 28 May 2023, SSV Ulm 1846 secured promotion to 3. Liga for the first time from 2023 to 2024, after defeating Barockstadt Fulda-Lehnerz 5–0 and becoming champion of the Regionalliga Südwest.

On 4 May 2024, SSV Ulm 1846 were crowned 3. Liga champions and earned back-to-back promotion to 2. Bundesliga for the 2024–25 season and the first time since 2000–01 season, after defeating Viktoria Köln 2–0.