1. division

The 1st Division (1. Division) is Denmark’s second-tier men’s football league. Founded in 1945, it served as the country’s top-flight league until the establishment of the Danish Superliga in 1991. The championship is administered by the Danish Football Union (DBU).

The 1st Division consists of 12 teams competing in two phases: the regular season and the post-season playoffs. During the regular season, teams face each other home and away in a double round-robin format for a total of 22 rounds. The top six clubs advance to the “Promotion Group,” while the bottom six enter the “Relegation Group.”

In the Promotion Group, teams play each other twice for an additional 10 matches, while the Relegation Group follows the same format. All regular-season points and goals (scored and conceded) carry over to the playoffs. The team finishing first in the Promotion Group is crowned champion while the top two sides are promoted to the Superliga, Denmark’s top-flight league. At the other end of the table, the bottom two clubs in the Relegation Group are demoted to the Danish 2nd Division, the country’s third-tier league.

Boldklubben af 189, commonly known as B.93, won the inaugural title in 1945-46, while Brøndby IF lifted the 1990 trophy during the league’s final year as Denmark’s top-flight league. Næstved IF won the first season of the 1st Division after its reclassification, and clubs like Vejle Boldklub, Esbjerg fB, and Viborg FF have achieved notable success in this championship since.