B-Liga

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B-Liga
Organising body Danish FA (DBU)
Founded1992;33 years ago (1992)
First season 1993
Country Denmark
Confederation UEFA
Divisions1 (2021–present)
Number of clubs8 (2021–present)
Level on pyramid 2
Promotion to A-Liga
Relegation to C-Liga
Domestic cup Danish Cup (1992–present)
Website B-liga
Current: 2025–26 B-Liga

B-Liga (formerly the Danish Women's 1st Division) is an association football league in Denmark and the second-highest division of the Danish football league system. Contested by 8 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the Danish Women's Football League.

Contents

Format

The B-Liga consists of 8 teams playing in a double round-robin tournament, with home and away games. [1] The teams that finish in the top four spots compete in the qualification play-offs against the two worst ranked A-Liga teams to determine two promotion spots. The four bottom placed teams instead play against the two top placed teams from each of the C-Liga groups in the B-Liga qualification play-offs. The two bottom placed teams from the 1st division qualification play-offs are relegated to C-Liga. Both the A-Liga and B-Liga qualification play-offs consist of a double round-robin tournaments among the six participating teams. [2] This has been the format since the 2021–2022 season.

Scope

Until and including the 2006–07 season, the B-Liga comprised 12 teams playing a double round-robin tournament – each team playing each other twice; once home, once away. The champion was promoted to the A-Liga, called Elitedivisionen at the time. The runner-up played a promotion game against the second worst placed team of the A-Liga for a spot in the next season of A-Liga. Meanwhile, the two worst ranked teams were relegated to C-Liga, known as the Women's Denmark Series at the time.

B-Liga was reduced to 10 teams from the 2007–08 season.

From 2013–14 until the 2019–20 season, the B-Liga was expanded to include 16 teams, divided into two groups - East and West - each consisting of eight teams. The highest ranked team from each group would play in the A-Liga qualification play-offs together against the four lowest-ranked teams of A-Liga. The top two teams in the qualification play-offs achieved promotion to the A-Liga.

The 2020–21 B-Liga contained 20 teams, split into four groups of five, each playing a double roun-robin tournament. The top two teams of each group advanced to promotion qualifiers, split into two groups of four. A total of four teams advanced to the qualification play-offs. The remaining 12 teams were in the relegation play-offs, consisting of two groups of six teams each.

Teams

2025–26 season

Club#SinceTotalC-LigaA-LigaNotes
ASA Fodbold 32023 2022–23
B.93 12025 2024–25
Copenhagen 120251 2024–25 Established in 2024.
Esbjerg fB [a] 12025
Næstved HG [b] 52021Established in 2021.
Thy-Thisted 22024 2023–24
Østerbro 42022 2021–22
AaB 22024 2017–18 2023–24

Source: Danish Football Association

  1. Esbjerg is an amalgamation of Varde IF and Esbjerg fB. The club inherited Varde IF's license when Varde was promoted to B-Liga in 2025.
  2. Næstved is an amalgamation of Herlufsholm GF and Næstved IF.

See also

References

  1. "Ny landsdækkende 1. division og to 2. divisioner" (in Danish). Kvindedivisionsforeningen. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  2. "Love og Regler" [Laws and Rules] (in Danish). DBU. 23 July 2024.