Football in Denmark
Encyclopedia
Association football
is the national sport of Denmark
, with 342,955 player
s and 1,647 clubs registered (as of 2011) under the Danish FA
.
. The top 3 are collectively called Danmarksturneringen (literally: the Denmark Tournament or Danish Championship), and share a common set of rules more geared towards professional football.
Until the 2004-05
season, there was only one 2nd division and three Denmark Series (Danmarksserie(r)).
Second squads are generally only allowed to reach the Denmark Series, however 8 second squads of the Superliga teams are allowed to participate in the 2nd Division. If the first squad of a team is relegated from The Superliga to The 1st Division, its second squad will be relegated to the Denmark Series. If a second squad finishes in a promotion spot, and are not eligible for the promotion, and the next eligible team will be promoted. Therefore, both 2nd Divisions and Denmark Series can be won by the same team more than once in a row, unlike 1st Division where the winner will always be part of next seasons Superliga.
From the season 2010/11 the clubs in the Superliga will have their own reserve competition, where there also the recent relegators and four wild cards participate. The Superliga clubs' other teams will be playing no higher than in the Denmark Series.
The format is generally two (regional name)'s series (example: Funen's series (Fynsserien)), followed by Serie 1, Serie 2 and so forth. The number of lower series vary from 3 in LFBU to 6 in JBU.
The following table pictures the JBU-part as of the 2005-06
season.
European
UEFA Champions League
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Champions League
.
UEFA Cup
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Cup
.
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is the national sport of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, with 342,955 player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
s and 1,647 clubs registered (as of 2011) under the Danish FA
Danish Football Association
The Danish Football Association is the governing body of football in Denmark. It is the organization of the Danish football clubs and runs the professional Danish football leagues and the men's and women's national teams. It is based in the city of Brøndby and is a founding member of both FIFA...
.
League system
The top 4 levels in Denmark are governed by the Danish Football AssociationDanish Football Association
The Danish Football Association is the governing body of football in Denmark. It is the organization of the Danish football clubs and runs the professional Danish football leagues and the men's and women's national teams. It is based in the city of Brøndby and is a founding member of both FIFA...
. The top 3 are collectively called Danmarksturneringen (literally: the Denmark Tournament or Danish Championship), and share a common set of rules more geared towards professional football.
| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Superligaen Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the... 12 clubs |
|||||
| 2 | 1st division Danish 1st Division The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark... 14 clubs |
|||||
| 3 | 2nd Division Danish 2nd Division The 2nd Division is the third tier Danish football league, just after the 1st Division.It was founded in 1945, after World War II, as the second-best Danish football division. When the Danish Superliga was founded in 1991, the 2nd Division became the third level league... (West Danish 2nd Division West The 2nd Division West is a group in the Danish 2nd Division with teams from Jutland and Funen Football Associations. The winners gain promotion for the Danish 1st Division, while the last-place finishers risk relegation into the Denmark Series.... ) 16 clubs |
2nd Division Danish 2nd Division The 2nd Division is the third tier Danish football league, just after the 1st Division.It was founded in 1945, after World War II, as the second-best Danish football division. When the Danish Superliga was founded in 1991, the 2nd Division became the third level league... (East Danish 2nd Division East The 2nd Division East is a group in the Danish 2nd Division with teams from the Zealand, Copenhagen, Lolland-Falster and Bornholm Football Associations. The winners gain promotion for the Danish 1st Division, while the last-place finishers risk relegation into the Denmark Series.From 1945 to 1991... ) 16 clubs |
||||
| 4 | Denmark Series Denmark Series The Denmark Series is the 4th tier of football in Denmark. Teams are divided into three pools of fourteen teams each. The top two teams in each pool are promoted to the Danish 2nd Division West or Danish 2nd Division East, as is appropriate for each club geographically... (Pool 1) 14 clubs |
Denmark Series Denmark Series The Denmark Series is the 4th tier of football in Denmark. Teams are divided into three pools of fourteen teams each. The top two teams in each pool are promoted to the Danish 2nd Division West or Danish 2nd Division East, as is appropriate for each club geographically... (Pool 2) 14 clubs |
Denmark Series Denmark Series The Denmark Series is the 4th tier of football in Denmark. Teams are divided into three pools of fourteen teams each. The top two teams in each pool are promoted to the Danish 2nd Division West or Danish 2nd Division East, as is appropriate for each club geographically... (Pool 3) 14 clubs |
|||
| 5– | Lower divisions | |||||
Until the 2004-05
2004-05 in Danish football
-Events:* 20 July 2004: FC København won the Super Cup at Parken Stadium after a 2-1 victory against AaB.* 24 July 2004: The Superliga kicks off.* 31 July 2004: The 1st Division kicks off.* 31 July 2004: The 2nd Division kicks off....
season, there was only one 2nd division and three Denmark Series (Danmarksserie(r)).
Second squads are generally only allowed to reach the Denmark Series, however 8 second squads of the Superliga teams are allowed to participate in the 2nd Division. If the first squad of a team is relegated from The Superliga to The 1st Division, its second squad will be relegated to the Denmark Series. If a second squad finishes in a promotion spot, and are not eligible for the promotion, and the next eligible team will be promoted. Therefore, both 2nd Divisions and Denmark Series can be won by the same team more than once in a row, unlike 1st Division where the winner will always be part of next seasons Superliga.
From the season 2010/11 the clubs in the Superliga will have their own reserve competition, where there also the recent relegators and four wild cards participate. The Superliga clubs' other teams will be playing no higher than in the Denmark Series.
Lower divisions' format
The lower divisions are controlled by the regional associations.The format is generally two (regional name)'s series (example: Funen's series (Fynsserien)), followed by Serie 1, Serie 2 and so forth. The number of lower series vary from 3 in LFBU to 6 in JBU.
The following table pictures the JBU-part as of the 2005-06
2005-06 in Danish football
-Events:* 13 July 2005: Brøndby IF won the League Cup at Brøndby Stadion. FC København ended second, and FC Midtjylland third.* 19 July 2005: The Superliga kicks off.* 28 July 2005: Esbjerg fB beats Estonian FC Flora Tallinn 7-2 agg...
season.
| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| –4 | Higher divisions | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Jyllandsserien, pool 1 14 clubs |
Jyllandsserien, pool 2 14 clubs |
||||||||||||||
| 6 | Serie 1, pool 3 12 clubs |
Serie 1, pool 4 12 clubs |
Serie 1, pool 5 12 clubs |
Serie 1, pool 6 12 clubs |
||||||||||||
| 7 | Serie 2, pool 7 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 8 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 9 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 10 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 11 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 12 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 13 12 clubs |
Serie 2, pool 14 12 clubs |
||||||||
| 8 | S3, 15 12 cl. |
S3, 16 12 cl. |
S3, 17 12 cl. |
S3, 18 12 cl. |
S3, 19 12 cl. |
S3, 20 12 cl. |
S3, 21 12 cl. |
S3, 22 12 cl. |
S3, 23 12 cl. |
S3, 24 12 cl. |
S3, 25 12 cl. |
S3, 26 12 cl. |
S3, 27 12 cl. |
S3, 28 12 cl. |
S3, 29 12 cl. |
S3, 30 12 cl. |
| 9 | Serie 4, pools 31–62 (32) 12 clubs per division |
|||||||||||||||
| 10 | Serie 5, pools 63–110 (46) 12 clubs per division |
|||||||||||||||
| 11 | Serie 6, pools 111–143 (32) 11 or 12 clubs per division |
|||||||||||||||
European
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
- Quarter-finals: AGF Aarhus (1960-61), Brøndby IFBrøndby IFBrøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
(1986-87European Cup 1986-87The season 1986–87 of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Porto, coming from behind in the final against Bayern Munich, giving Portugal its first title since 1962....
)
UEFA Champions LeagueBrøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
(1986-87
European Cup 1986-87
The season 1986–87 of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Porto, coming from behind in the final against Bayern Munich, giving Portugal its first title since 1962....
)
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
.
- Group Stage: Aalborg BKAaB FootballAaB Fodbold, also referred to as Aalborg BK or AaB, is a professional football team of Danish sports conglomerate Aalborg Boldspilklub, located in Aalborg. They play in the Danish Superliga and have won three Danish Superliga championships and two Danish Cup trophies.AaB became the first Danish...
(1995-96UEFA Champions League 1995-96The 1995–96 UEFA Champions League was the 41st season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the fourth since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won by Juventus, who beat defending champions Ajax on penalties in the final for their first championship...
, 2008-09), Brøndby IFBrøndby IFBrøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
(1998-99UEFA Champions League 1998-99The 1998–99 UEFA Champions League was the seventh season of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club football tournament, since it was renamed from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The competition was won by Manchester United, coming back from a goal down in the last...
), F.C. CopenhagenF.C. CopenhagenF.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
(2006-07UEFA Champions League 2006-07The 2006–07 UEFA Champions League was the 15th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded from the European Cup, and the 52nd season overall. The final was contested by Milan and Liverpool on 23 May 2007...
, 2010-11)
- Round of 16: F.C. CopenhagenF.C. CopenhagenF.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
(2010-11)
UEFA Cup
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
- Semi-finals: Brøndby IFBrøndby IFBrøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
(1990-91UEFA Cup 1990-91The UEFA Cup 1990–91 was won by Internazionale on aggregate over Roma. This tournament also marked the return of English clubs after a five-year ban resulting from the Heysel Stadium Disaster in 1985...
) - Quarter-finals: Boldklubben 1903Boldklubben 1903Boldklubben 1903 or B 1903 is a football club founded in 1903, located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Seven times winner of the Danish championship in 1920, 1924, 1926, 1938, 1969, 1970 and 1976 and twice winner of the Danish Cup in 1979 and 1986...
(1991-92UEFA Cup 1991-92The UEFA Cup 1991–92 was won by Ajax on away goals over Torino.Although this was the second season since the ban on English clubs in European competitions was lifted, only one English club was entered into the 1991–92 UEFA Cup...
), Odense BKOdense BKOdense Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in the town of Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga and their home field is TRE-FOR Park in Odense on Funen...
(1994-95), Brøndby IFBrøndby IFBrøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
(1996-97UEFA Cup 1996-97The UEFA Cup 1996-97 was won by Schalke 04 in penalties over Internazionale.This was the last year in which the UEFA Cup Final was played in a two-legged, home-and-away format...
) - Round of 16: Aalborg BK (2008-09)
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
.
- Quarter-finals: B1909Boldklubben 1909Boldklubben 1909, known as B 1909, is a Danish association football club currently playing in the Denmark Series Pool 2. They play at Gillested Park in Odense on Funen, which has a capacity of 6,000...
(1962–63), Randers FrejaRanders Sportsklub FrejaRanders Sportsklub Freja is a Danish multi-sport club fielding teams in athletics, handball, table tennis and football.- History :Randers Freja was founded in 1898, and was accepted to JBU in 1907....
(1968–69), Vejle BKVejle BoldklubVejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
(1977–78), AGF Aarhus (1988–89)