The Besta deild karla (lit.'Men's Best Division') 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 (KSÍ) and has 12 teams. By the end of the 2022–23 season, 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 league 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 KSÍ to strengthen Icelandic football had only one team relegated in the 2007 season to the First Division and three clubs promoted to the 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 2024 title holder is Breiðablik.[9][10]
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.[citation needed]
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 that region have ever won the league: Keflavík, ÍA, ÍBV, and KA. ÍBV (Vestmannaeyjar) and KA (Akureyri) have won four titles between them; these are the clubs farthest from the capital.[citation needed]
* There was no competition in 1913 and 1914, and Fram was awarded the title.
** In 2020 the competition was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Valur was awarded the title because they were at the top of the table when the season ended.
1ÍBA stood for "Sports Association of Akureyri", composed of KA and Þór. Disbanded after the 1974 season with KA and Þór fielding their own teams starting from the 1975 season. 2ÍBH stood for "Sports Association of Hafnarfjörður", composed of FH and Haukar. Disbanded after the 1963 season with FH and Haukar fielding their own teams starting from the 1964 season. 3ÍBÍ ran into financial trouble and folded after the 1987 season. Most of the players transferred to BÍ which took over as the main football club in Ísafjörður. BÍ is now known as Vestri. 4Leiftur ran into financial trouble and eventually merged with KS from Siglufjörður before the 2006 season. The teams were disbanded before the 2010 season in favour of forming a new football club for both towns, the new club being called KF.
