| Pixels: | 280px |
| Country: | Iceland |
| Confed: | UEFA |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Relegation: | Lengjudeildin |
| Level: | 1 |
| Pyramid: | Icelandic football league system |
| Domest Cup: | Mjólkurbikarinn League Cup Super Cup |
| Confed Cup: | UEFA Champions League UEFA Conference League |
| Champions: | Víkingur Reykjavík (7th title) |
| Season: | 2023 |
| Most Successful Club: | KR (27) |
| Top Goalscorer: |  Tryggvi Guðmundsson (131 goals) |
| Tv: | Domestic: Stöð 2 Sport[1] International: Eleven Sports OneFootball |
| Current: | 2024 Besta deild karla |
The Besta deild karla is the top level men's football league in Iceland.[2] The competition was founded in 1912 as the Icelandic Championship.[3] Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer (April to September). It is governed by the Football Association of Iceland (KSI) and has 12 teams. By end of season 2022–23, UEFA ranked the league No. 48 in Europe.[4]
From 27 April 2009 to 2022, the league had an active agreement on the league's name rights with Ölgerðin, the Icelandic franchisee for Pepsi. From the 2019 season to the end of the 2021 season, the league was popularly referred to as Pepsi Max deildin (The Pepsi Max League).[5] [6] On 24 February 2022, the league was rebranded as Besta deild karla.[7]
The clubs play each other home and away. At the end of each season, the two teams with the fewest points are relegated to 1. deild karla (First Division), from which two top point teams promote to the higher tier. The winner of the Úrvalsdeild enters the European national competition UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round. The second, third and fourth placed teams qualify for the UEFA Europa League in the first qualifying round.[8]
An effort by KSI to strengthen Icelandic football had only one team relegated in the 2007 season to the First Division and three clubs promoted to premier division, bringing the top flight to the number of clubs it contains currently.
Championship title counts are: KR with 27, Valur with 23, and ÍA and Fram Reykjavík each with 18. FH has 8 and Víkingur has 7. The 2023 title holder is Víkingur.[9] [10]
| Club | Location | data-sort-type="number" | Position in 2023 | First season in Besta deild | Seasons in Besta deild | First season of current spell in Besta deild | Besta deild titles | First Besta deild title | Last Besta deild title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breiðablik | Kópavogur | 4th | 1971 | 39 | 2006 | 2 | 2010 | 2022 | |
| FH | Hafnarfjörður | 5th | 1975 | 40 | 2001 | 8 | 2004 | 2016 | |
| Fram | Reykjavík (Grafarholt) | 10th | 1912 | 101 | 2022 | 18 | 1913 | 1990 | |
| Fylkir | Reykjavík (Árbær) | 8th | 1989 | 26 | 2023 | 0 | - | - | |
| Kópavogur | 9th | 2007 | 7 | 2023 | 0 | - | - | ||
| ÍA | 1946 | 70 | 2024 | 18 | 1951 | 2001 | |||
| KA | Akureyri | 7th | 1929 | 25 | 2017 | 1 | 1989 | 1989 | |
| KR | Reykjavík (Vesturbær) | 6th | 1912 | 110 | 1979 | 27 | 1912 | 2019 | |
| Stjarnan | Garðabær | 3rd | 1990 | 22 | 2009 | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | |
| Valur | Reykjavík (Hlíðar/Miðborg) | 2nd | 1915 | 104 | 2005 | 23 | 1930 | 2020 | |
| Vestri | 2024 | 1 | 2024 | 0 | - | - | |||
| Víkingur | Reykjavík (Fossvogur, Háaleiti og Bústaðir) | 1st (champions) | 1918 | 73 | 2014 | 7 | 1920 | 2023 |
The Icelandic league title has been won in its over 100 years existence by 11 teams. KR has the most titles, with 27. Stjarnan are the latest team to join the list, winning their first title in 2014.
The league has been dominated by teams from the Capital Region which contains nearly two thirds of Iceland's population. Only four teams from outside the GRA have ever won the league: (Keflavík, ÍA, ÍBV, and KA). ÍBV and KA have won four titles amongst themselves, are located more than an hour's drive from Reykjavík, and the teams of the longest distance from the capital to title.
Single Round
Double Round
| Team | Titles | First title | Last title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR | 27 | 1912 | 2019 | |
| Valur | 23 | 1930 | 2020 | |
| Fram | 18 | 1913 | 1990 | |
| ÍA | 18 | 1951 | 2001 | |
| FH | 8 | 2004 | 2016 | |
| Víkingur | 7 | 1920 | 2023 | |
| Keflavík | 4 | 1964 | 1973 | |
| ÍBV | 3 | 1979 | 1998 | |
| Breiðablik | 2 | 2010 | 2022 | |
| KA | 1 | 1989 | 1989 | |
| Stjarnan | 1 | 2014 | 2014 |
| LAST SEASON | TOP SCORER'S NAME | GOALS | CLUB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tryggvi Guðmundsson | 131 | ÍBV, KR, FH, Fylkir | |
| 1987 | Ingi Björn Albertsson | 126 | Valur, FH |
Caps correct as of 8 October 2023
A total of 31 teams have played at least one season in the top division.Teams in bold play in 2024 season.
Seasons counted up to and including the 2024 season
| Club | Location | data-sort-type="number" | First season in Besta deild | Last season in in Besta deild | Seasons in Besta deild | Best result in Besta deild | Besta deild titles | First Besta deild title | Last Besta deild title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breiðablik | Kópavogur | 1971 | 2024 | 39 | 1st | 2 | 2010 | 2022 | |
| FH 2 | Hafnarfjörður | 1975 | 2024 | 40 | 1st | 8 | 2004 | 2016 | |
| Fjölnir | Reykjavík (Grafarvogur) | 2008 | 2020 | 8 | 4th | 0 | - | - | |
| Fram | Reykjavík (Grafarholt) | 1912 | 2024 | 101 | 1st | 18 | 1913 | 1990 | |
| Fylkir | Reykjavík (Árbær) | 1989 | 2024 | 26 | 2nd | 0 | - | - | |
| Grindavík | Grindavík | 1995 | 2019 | 20 | 3rd | 0 | - | - | |
| Grótta | Seltjarnarnes | 2020 | 2020 | 1 | 11th | 0 | - | - | |
| Haukar 2 | Hafnarfjörður | 1979 | 2010 | 2 | 10th | 0 | - | - | |
| HK | Kópavogur | 2007 | 2024 | 7 | 9th | 0 | - | - | |
| ÍA | 1946 | 2024 | 70 | 1st | 18 | 1951 | 2001 | ||
| ÍBA1 | 1943 | 1974 | 17 | 3rd | 0 | - | - | ||
| ÍBH 2 | 1957 | 1961 | 3 | 4th | 0 | - | - | ||
| ÍBÍ 3 | 1962 | 1983 | 3 | 6th | 0 | - | - | ||
| ÍBV | 1912 | 2023 | 53 | 1st | 3 | 1979 | 1998 | ||
| ÍR | Reykjavík (Breiðholt) | 1998 | 1998 | 1 | 10th | 0 | - | - | |
| KA 1 | Akureyri | 1929 | 2024 | 25 | 1st | 1 | 1989 | 1989 | |
| Keflavík | Reykjanesbær (Keflavík) | 1958 | 2023 | 55 | 1st | 4 | 1964 | 1973 | |
| KR | Reykjavík (Vesturbær) | 1912 | 2024 | 110 | 1st | 27 | 1912 | 2019 | |
| Leiftur 4 | Ólafsfjörður | 1988 | 2000 | 7 | 3rd | 0 | - | - | |
| Leiknir | Reykjavík (Breiðholt) | 2015 | 2022 | 3 | 8th | 0 | - | - | |
| Selfoss | Selfoss | 2010 | 2012 | 2 | 11th | 0 | - | - | |
| Skallagrímur | Borgarnes | 1997 | 1997 | 1 | 9th | 0 | - | - | |
| Stjarnan | Garðabær | 1990 | 2024 | 22 | 1st | 1 | 2014 | 2014 | |
| Valur | Reykjavík (Hlíðar/Miðborg) | 1915 | 2024 | 104 | 1st | 23 | 1930 | 2020 | |
| Vestri 3 | Ísafjörður | 2024 | 2024 | 1 | - | 0 | - | - | |
| Víðir | Garður | 1985 | 1991 | 4 | 7th | 0 | - | - | |
| Víkingur | Ólafsvík | 2013 | 2017 | 3 | 10th | 0 | - | - | |
| Víkingur | Reykjavík (Fossvogur, Háaleiti og Bústaðir) | 1918 | 2024 | 73 | 1st | 7 | 1920 | 2023 | |
| Völsungur | Húsavík | 1987 | 1988 | 2 | 8th | 0 | - | - | |
| Þór 1 | Akureyri | 1977 | 2014 | 17 | 3rd | 0 | - | - | |
| Þróttur | Reykjavík (Laugardalur) | 1953 | 2016 | 19 | 5th | 0 | - | - |
