The 2020–21 Danish 1st Division season is the 25th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association.
From this season a promotion round for the six best placed teams and a relegation round for the six lowest placed teams are introduced. The top two teams of the promotion round are promoted to the 2021–22 Danish Superliga. The teams in 11th and 12th places are relegated to the 2021–22 Danish 2nd Division.[1]
Silkeborg IF, and Esbjerg fB finished last in the 2019–20 Danish Superliga relegation play-off and were relegated to the 1st Division. Hobro IK lost to Lyngby Boldklub in the relegation play off and was relegated as well. Vejle Boldklub was promoted to the 2020–21 Danish Superliga.
Nykøbing FC, FC Roskilde and Næstved BK were relegated to the 2020–21 Danish 2nd Divisions. Nykøbing FC was relegated after four seasons in the league, FC Roskilde after six seasons, and Næstved BK after two seasons. FC Helsingør won promotion from the 2019–20 Danish 2nd Divisions. They won promotion after only one season's absence.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Turf | Capacity | 2019–20 position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esbjerg | Blue Water Arena | Natural | 18,000 | |||
| Fredericia | Monjasa Park | Natural | 4,000 | |||
| Helsingør | Helsingør Stadion | Natural | 4,500 | |||
| Copenhagen | Sundby Idrætspark | Artificial | 7,200 | |||
| Herfølge/Køge | Capelli Sport Stadion | Artificial | 4,000 | |||
| Hobro | DS Arena | Natural | 10,700 | |||
| Hvidovre | Hvidovre Stadion Capelli Sport Stadion[2] | Natural Artificial | 12,000 4,000 | |||
| Kolding | Autocentralen Park | Natural | 10,000 | |||
| Silkeborg | JYSK Park | Artificial | 10,000 | |||
| Skive | SPAR Nord Arena | Natural | 10,000 | |||
| Hjørring | Hjørring Stadion | Natural | 7,500 | |||
| Viborg | Energi Viborg Arena | Natural | 9,566 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esbjerg fB | Lars Vind (caretaker) |  Rodolph Austin | Nike | Viking | |
| FC Fredericia | Michael Hansen | Christian Ege Nielsen | Hummel | Monjasa | |
| FC Helsingør | Morten Eskesen | Nikolaj Hansen | Diadora | C Rail Safety | |
| BK Fremad Amager | Jesper Christiansen (caretaker) | Pierre Dahlin Larsen[3] | Adidas | Øens Erhvervsnetværk | |
| HB Køge |  Aurelijus Skarbalius |  Eddi Gomes | Capelli | Castus | |
| Hobro IK | Michael Kryger | Jonas Damborg | Puma | DS Gruppen, Spar Nord | |
| Hvidovre IF | Per Frandsen | Christopher Østberg | Nike | KBS Byg | |
| Kolding IF | Kristoffer Wichmann | Rune Nautrup | Hummel | Mos Mosh | |
| Silkeborg IF | Kent Nielsen | Svenn Crone | Uhlsport | Mascot International | |
| Skive IK | Martin Thomsen | Christoffer Østergaard | Nike | Spar Nord | |
| Vendsyssel FF | Michael Schjønberg | Søren Henriksen | Diadora | Nordjyske Bank | |
| Viborg FF | Lars Friis | Jeppe Grønning | Nike | Andelskassen |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Position in table | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skive IK | Thomas Røll | End of contract | 31 July 2020[4] | Martin Thomsen | Pre-Season | 1 August 2020 |
| Esbjerg fB | Troels Bech | 31 July 2020 |  Ólafur Kristjánsson | 1 August 2020[5] | ||
| FC Fredericia | Jonas Dal | Signed by AC Horsens | 24 August 2020[6] | Michael Hansen | 30 August 2020[7] | |
| Vendsyssel FF | Lasse Stensgaard | Sacked | 14 December 2020[8] | Michael Schjønberg | 11th | 16 December 2020[9] |
| Viborg FF | Jacob Neestrup | Signed by F.C. Copenhagen | 22 December 2020[10] | Lars Friis | 1st | 16 January 2021[11] |
| BK Fremad Amager |  Azrudin Valentić | Signed by Botev Plovdiv | 7 January 2021[12] |  Joakim Mattsson | 5th | 15 January 2021[13] |
| Hobro IK | Peter Sørensen | Resigned | 26 February 2021[14] | Michael Kryger | 8th | 26 February 2021 |
| Kolding IF | Morten Mølkjær | Sacked | 27 February 2021[15] | Kristoffer Wichmann | 11th | 28 February 2021[16] |
| Esbjerg fB | Ólafur Kristjánsson | 10 May 2021[17] | Lars Vind (caretaker) | 3rd | 10 May 2021 | |
| BK Fremad Amager | Joakim Mattsson | 17 May 2021[18] | Jesper Christiansen (caretaker) | 7th | 17 May 2021 |
Points and goals carry over in full from the regular season.
Points and goals carry over in full from the regular season.
.[19]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Grønning | Viborg FF | 23 |
| 2 | Magnus Mattsson | Silkeborg IF | 19 |
| 3 | Jakob Bonde | Viborg FF | 12 |
| 4 | Kristoffer Munksgaard | Fremad Amager | 11 |
| Mads Dittmer Hvilsom | Hobro IK | ||
| 6 | Christian Tue Jensen | FC Fredericia | 10 |
| Oliver Drost | Kolding IF | ||
| Nicklas Helenius | Silkeborg IF | ||
| 9 | Jeppe Kjær | FC Helsingør | 9 |