Founded in 1912 as the ‘Icelandic Championship’, the ‘Besta deildin‘ (English: Men’s Best Division) is the highest men’s football league in Iceland. It is generally played in the spring and summer (April to September) because of the harsh winters in Iceland. Governed by the Football Association of Iceland (KSI), the ‘Besta deildin‘ has 12 teams.
The clubs play each other home and away. At the end of each season, the last two teams are relegated to 1. deild karla (First Division), from which the two top teams promote to the higher tier. The winner of the Besta Deildin enters the 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. Current champions are Víkingur Reykjavík, founded in 1908, at their 7th title. Beyond Víkingur, the current Championships title count are as follows: KR with 27, Valur with 23, and ÍA and Fram Reykjavík each with 18, FH with 8. The league has been dominated by teams from the Capital Region: only four teams (Keflavík, ÍA, ÍBV, and KA) from outside the GRA have ever won the league.
Read more: Ksi.is
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