The Icelandic football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Iceland. [1] As of 2013 [update] a fifth level was added to the previous men's format of four levels. [2] As of 2019 [update] there are 79 participating men's teams and 27 women's teams in the football league.
Below shows how the current system, as of 2022 [update] , works. For each division, its official name and number of clubs is given. Each division promotes to the division(s) that lie directly above them and relegates to the division(s) that lie directly below them.
Only two teams are promoted from the fifth-tier 4. deild karla. The top two teams from each group play in a knock-out competition (played home and away) with the final being one match determining the 4. deild champions. Both finalists are promoted to 3. deild karla. The two teams relegated from 3. deild take a place in 4. deild, in one of four groups. The groups can change from year to year based on the number of teams. Football Association of Iceland attempts to distribute the teams evenly between groups.
Level | League(s) / Division(s) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 12 | Besta deild karla | ||||||||
↓↑ 2 clubs | |||||||||
2 12 | 1. deild karla | ||||||||
↓↑ 2 clubs | |||||||||
3 12 | 2. deild karla | ||||||||
↓↑ 2 clubs | |||||||||
4 12 | 3. deild karla | ||||||||
↓↑ 2 clubs | |||||||||
5 38 | 4. deild karla |
Clubs at all five levels are eligible for cup competitions.
Level | League(s) / Division(s) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 10 | Besta deild kvenna | |||||||
2 10 | 1. deild kvenna | |||||||
3 12 | 2. deild kvenna |
The Besta deild karla is the top level men's football league in Iceland. The competition was founded in 1912 as the Icelandic Championship. Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer. It is governed by the Football Association of Iceland (KSI) and has 12 teams. By end of season 2015–16, UEFA ranked the league No. 35 in Europe.
Íþróttafélagið Þór, commonly known as Þór Akureyri, simply Þór or Thór, is a multi-sport club in Akureyri, Iceland. It features departments in basketball, football, handball and taekwondo. Its main rivals is another sport club from Akureyri named KA. Þór and KA merged their handball clubs to form Akureyri Handboltafélag before the 2006–07 handball season in Iceland, resulting in some fans disowning the merged team.
Football is the most popular sport in Iceland. Iceland hosted the U-18 European Championship in 1997, but an Icelandic national team has qualified for the final competition of a major tournament only five times—thrice by the women's national team at UEFA Women's Euro in 2009, 2013 and 2017, and twice by the men's team at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The only Iceland teams to advance past the group stage at a major tournament are the women in 2013 and the men in 2016.
Ungmennafélag Njarðvíkur is an Icelandic multi-sports club based in Njarðvík, Reykjanesbær, on the south-west peninsula of Iceland. It is primarily known for its men's basketball team which has won the national championship 17 times. Its women's basketball team won the national championship and the basketball cup in 2012. The club also fields departments in football, swimming, power lifting, judo and triathlon.
3. deild karla is a football league in Iceland. It is the fourth level, and second-lowest division, in the Icelandic football league system. The league was reformed into a 10-team double round-robin tournament for the 2013 season, with the introduction of the newly established 5th level of the Icelandic football league system, 4. deild karla.
Ungmennafélagið Afturelding, commonly known as Afturelding or UMFA, is an Icelandic multi-sports club from the town of Mosfellsbær located just north of the capital Reykjavík. The club was founded in 1909 and today is primarily known for its handball, football and volleyball teams.
Skautafélagið Björninn, also known as Björninn for short, is an Icelandic sports club, founded in 1990 and based in Reykjavík, Iceland. It began as a skating club that fielded ice hockey teams and included figure skating and curling programs; it eventually added football.
The 2012 season of the 1. deild karla was the 58th season of second-tier football in Iceland and ran from 12 May 2012 until 22 September 2012. The league title was won by Þór Akureyri, who ended the campaign with a record of 16 wins, 2 draws and 4 defeats, giving them a total of 50 points. The Akureyri club, who had been relegated from the Úrvalsdeild in 2011, thereby achieved promotion back to the top level of Icelandic football at the first attempt. Also promoted to the Úrvalsdeild for the 2013 season were runners-up Víkingur Ólafsvík, who finished nine points clear of third-placed Þróttur Reykjavík.
Ungmennafélagið Snæfell, simply known as Snæfell, is a sport club in Stykkishólmur, Iceland. There are four divisions: basketball, football, Swimming and Golf.
Knattspyrnufélagið Augnablik, commonly known as Augnablik, is a sports club in Kópavogur, Iceland. It was founded in 1981 by former Breiðablik players.
The 2013 1. deild karla is the 59th season of second-tier Icelandic football. Twelve teams will contest the league. The fixtures for the 2013 campaign were released by the KSÍ on 10 November 2012. Play began on 9 May and is scheduled to conclude on 21 September.
The 2013 3. deild karla was the 32nd season of fourth-tier football in Iceland. Ten teams contested the league, which as of 2013 is no longer the lowest division in Iceland following the restructuring of the league pyramid. The fixtures for the 2013 campaign were released by the KSÍ on 10 November 2012; play began on 17 May and concluded on 14 September.
Freyr Alexandersson is an Icelandic football coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Danish Superliga club Lyngby Boldklub. He was manager of the Icelandic women's national football team from 2013 to 2018.
The 2016 1. deild karla was the 62nd season of second-tier Icelandic football. The league began on 6 May and concluded on 24 September.
The 2017 Úrvalsdeild kvenna was the 46th season of the women's football top level league in Iceland. Stjarnan was the defending champion. The season began on 27 April and concluded on 29 September. Þór/KA were crowned champions.
The Icelandic men's second division 2017 football season was the 52nd season of third-tier football in Iceland. Twelve teams contested the league. Play began on 6 May and concluded on 23 September.
The Icelandic basketball league system, or Icelandic basketball league pyramid is a series of interconnected competitions for basketball clubs in Iceland. The system has a hierarchical format with a promotion and demotion system between competitions at different levels.
The KR women's football team is the women's football division of Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, commonly known as KR. It is based in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík.
The ÍBV women's football team is the women's football department of the ÍBV-íþróttafélag multi-sport club. It is based in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, and currently plays in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna, the top-tier women's football league in Iceland. The team plays it home games at the Hásteinsvöllur. ÍBV has won the Icelandic Cup twice, in 2004 and 2017.
The Haukar men's football team is the men's football department of the Haukar multi-sport club. It is based in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, and currently plays in the 1. deild karla, the second-tier men's football league in Iceland. In 2010, the team was promoted to the top-tier Úrvalsdeild karla for the first time in 31 years. They finished second to last in the league during the 2010 season and were relegated back to 1. deild karla. On May 16, 2012, Haukar defeated Snæfell 31-0 in the Icelandic Football Cup.