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The Danish women's football champions (Danish: Danmarksmester i kvindefodbold, plural: Danske mestre i kvindefodbold) are the annual winners of the highest national league that is part of the Danmarksturneringen i kvindefodbold (Kvinde-DM), the nationwide women's association football league tournament in Denmark.[1] Since February 1972, women's football in Denmark has been governed by the Danish Football Association (DBU) and sanctioned by UEFA, with the national title contested through various competition formats.[2][3] The inaugural official national women's football tournament took place in the 1973 season, featuring regional league winners advancing to a knockout stage, where the play-off winners were crowned champions. A nation league system was introduced in 1975 with west and east divisions, with the top team from each group progressing for a grand final. A single nationwide first division was established in 1981, awarding the championship to the team finishing atop the league standings by the end of the season. Since the 2016–17 season, champions have been determined in the rebranded Kvindeligaen.[4]
Brøndby IF Women hold the record for the most titles, having secured twelve championships. Hjortshøj-Egaa IF enjoyed the longest winning streak, clinching six consecutive league championships from 1986 to 1992.[5] Brøndby IF matched this achievement by winning every season from 2002–03 to 2007–08. The Danish version of the double was achieved by Brøndby IF a record eight times, winning both the league and the cup in the same year — an accomplishment four more times than Fortuna Hjørring's four. The defending champions are FC Nordsjælland, winning the 2023–24 league title for the first time in the club's history. Lis Westberg Pedersen made history as the first female head coach in 1980, guiding BK Femina to the 8th edition of the championship in her first season.[6][7] Henriette Jensen of Hjortshøj-Egaa IF became the first woman to win a championship as both a footballer and head coach[a] in 1990.[8][5][9] With four national championship each, Peer Lisdorf (3x Brøndby IF, 1x HB Køge) and Peer Danefeld (2x B 1909, 1x Odense BK, 1x Brøndby IF) have won the most titles as head coach.[10][11][12]
The weekly magazine Femina, regional organisations, various clubs, and the Dansk Kvinde Fodbold Union (DKFU) held national indoor and outdoor football tournaments for women's teams throughout the 1960s, with the last competitions continuing until early 1972.[2][13] Neither the Danish FA (DBU) nor the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) recognise any women's national championship tournaments held before February 1972.[4][2][13] Therefore, these indoor and outdoor senior women's records are not listed here.
Inaugural championship playoffs
The weekly magazine Femina organised Denmark's first outdoor association football tournament for women's teams in the spring of 1960.[13][14] This tournament featured thirty teams from across the country, playing under a modified set of laws created and revised by the magazine.[2][13][14] Due to the larger number of expected participants, the original format of an initial group stage followed by a knockout phase was changed to a knockout competition with an initial qualifying phase of three rounds and a championship play-off consisting of four teams, which was played on 17 July 1960 at Valby Idrætspark.[2] BK Femina won the final against a team from Køge[b] by a score of 4–1.[2][15] Additional indoor and outdoor football tournaments were held in the followings years, but women's football experienced decreasing interest in the mid-1960s.[13][14] However, there was a small and slow growth of new teams, primarily affiliated with firms, in the late 1960s, but not warranting for a league to be formed — until 1970, the number of clubs with women's football teams did not exceed ten.[13][14] BK Femina were the leading Danish women's team of the era, winning more or less every indoor and outdoor championship organised by the Dansk Kvinde Fodbold Union (DKFU).[14][16] In the spring of 1971, the DKFU organised one last national outdoor football tournament with over 200 teams, where Skovlunde IF faced Billum IF in the championship final, securing a 3–0 victory.[2][17][18][13]
Encouraged by both FIFA and UEFA, a successful vote at the meeting of the Board of Representatives of the Danish Football Association (DBU) on 27 February 1972 meant that women's football would now officially be acknowledged and competitions coordinated under the auspices of the national association.[13][2][9] The first year was considered an adaptation year in which the regional football associations were to set up various committees to plan the tournaments.[9] The qualifying regional tournaments could not meet the deadline of 1 November for having the regional champions ready for the national playoffs, and the national championship was not concluded in 1972.[9]
The first official Danish women's national football championship was held the following year as a single-elimination tournament, where the winners of the six regional football associations' top-flight leagues, namely Nexø BK (Bornholm FA champions), BK Rødovre (Copenhagen FA champions), BK Stjernen Svendborg (Funen FA champions), Ribe BK&GF (Jutland FA champions), B 1921 (Lolland-Falster FA champions) and Skovlunde IF (Zealand FA champions), faced each other for a spot in the inaugural one-legged championship final.[9][2] Ribe BK&GF became the inaugural winners of the 1973 season by winning 1–0 against BK Stjernen Svendborg in the final held at Høje Bøge Stadium, Svendborg.[19][20][21] Besides the championship trophy from the Danish FA, additional championship plaques from the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) were handed to each participant.[9] This initial format lasted for another season (1974), with a repeat of the same finalists and winners.[19][22] Regional qualifiers were implemented to decide, which twenty teams would take part in the new installation of the 1975 championship.
Formation of the Danmarksturneringen
A nation league system with the Danmarksturneringen i damefodbold at the top was incepted in 1975, consisting of a nationwide first division evenly divided geographically into two groups, clubs situated east and west of the Great Belt, establishing a promotion and relegation system with the regional top-flight leagues.[2][9] The two winners of each group at the end of the regular season qualified for a spot in the two-legged championship final. The winners of the third edition were BK Femina, the then oldest existing pure women's association football club, who entered the final match by finishing at the top of the east group. BK Femina defeated Ribe BK&GF 1–0 away at Ribe Stadium and 4–0 at home at Gladsaxe Idrætspark.[2] For six seasons (1973–1980), BK Femina regularly reached the final, securing the national title on three occasions, while Ribe BK&GF won the championship three times.[2] For economic reasons, the Danish FA wanted to postpone the implementation of a single nationwide top-flight league, as the travelling expenses would double. After winning their fifth championship in 1979, the tournament rules declared that Ribe BK&GF could keep the original trophy permanently.[9] In a profession dominated by male coaches, Lis Westberg Pedersen became the female head coach to manage a top-flight league team, guiding BK Femina to a championship title in the 1980 season.[6][7]
In 1981, the first single national women's tier-one league, named Dame 1. division, began to play using a double round-robin system with no playoffs, where the top team at the end of the season was crowned the annual national champions of Danish women's football.[2] B 1909 won the ninth edition as the first team based at Funen, finishing five points ahead of BK Femina.[2] Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the women's football championship was dominated by Hjortshøj-Egaa IF and B 1909, who shared the national titles from 1981 to 1993, with Hjortshøj-Egaa IF securing six consecutive championships between 1986 and 1991. The format changed to a two-stage season in 1990, predating the two-stage format introduced to the Danish Superliga in the 1991–92 season.[23][9] Teams played a single round-robin tournament in the first stage, after which points were awarded based on positions and goal scores were reset to zero.[23] The top six and bottom six teams then playing another single round-robin for a total of 21 games to determine the champions and relegated clubs respectively.[23] Henriette Jensen became the first woman to win the championship title as both a football player (defender) and a head coach, having already won five league titles (1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1988) and one title as an assistant coach (1989) with the top-flight club Hjortshøj-Egaa IF, when she in January 1990 transitioned to a coaching position alongside Ove Sass Hansen,[a], securing the league title in her first and second year.[8][5][9]
In 1993, a nationwide second division was formed, with the existing top-flight league rebranded as Elitedivisionen. The number of teams was reduced from twelve to eight, and the two-stage format underwent its first of several revisions. Fortuna Hjørring claimed the first double by winning the 1994–95 cup and 1995 league. The 1996 season lasted just six months as the tournament schedule was changed from spring-autumn to autumn-spring.[23] Initially formed as an amateur tournament, professionalism was legalised and restricted to the Danmarksturneringen in July 1997, with the first semi-professional player contracts in Danish women's football being signed by Fortuna Hjørring and Frederiksberg BK.[24][25][26] The first season (1997–98) as a semi-professional top-flight league was won by Hjortshøj-Egaa IF, whose roster consisted solely of players with amateur status. Fortuna Hjørring secured the 1998–99 title as the first semi-professional club. Odense BK won two seasons around the turn of the millennium in close competition with Hjortshøj-Egaa IF and Fortuna Hjørring, who finished in the top three for ten seasons.[27][28]
Between 2001 and 2020, Danish women's football witnessed an uninterrupted power struggle between Fortuna Hjørring and Brøndby IF, with Brøndby IF clinching twelve league titles and finishing runners-up seven times, and the reserve for Fortuna Hjørring.[29] Brøndby IF's dominance included six consecutive championships from 2002 to 2008.[29] HB Køge broke the nineteen-year duopoly in the 2020–21 season by securing the championship in the final round of play, marking their first season at the highest level just three and a half years after continuous promotion from the fifth level.[29] Prior to the 2016–17 season, the top-flight league formally changed its name to Kvindeligaen.[30][31][32] The current challenge trophy, the ninth design in the history for the women's championship, was introduced in the 2023–24 season, replacing the previous trophy which became the permanent possession of HB Køge following their three consecutive championships (2020–2023).[1][33][34]
Danmarksmesterskabet i damefodbold playoffs (1972–1974)
| Season | Final Date | Champions (titles) | Result | Runners–up | Venue | Winning head coach(es) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | National playoffs not concluded | [9] | |||||
| 1973 | 11 November 1973 | Ribe BK&GF (1) | 1–0 | BK Stjernen Svendborg | Høje Bøge Stadium, Svendborg |  Mogens Winther |
[19][20][21] [35][36] |
| 1974 | 16 November 1974 | Ribe BK&GF (2) | 1–0 | BK Stjernen Svendborg | Ribe Stadium, Ribe | Mogens Winther |
[19][23][22] [36][37] |
Danmarksturneringen i damefodbold playoffs (1975–1980)
| Season | Final Date | Champions (titles) | Result | Runners–up | Venue | Winning head coach(es) | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2 November 1975 | BK Femina (1) | 4–0 | Ribe BK&GF | Ribe Stadium, Ribe | Erik Hansen |
[19][9][23] [7][38][39] |
| 9 November 1975 | 1–0 | Gladsaxe Idrætspark, Gladsaxe | |||||
| 1976 | 31 October 1976 | Ribe BK&GF (3) | 3–0 | BK Femina | Ribe Stadium, Ribe | Jørgen Berg Nielsen |
[19][9][7] [40][41][42] |
| 7 November 1976 | 0–0 | Gladsaxe Idrætspark, Gladsaxe | |||||
| 1977 | 30 October 1977 | BK Femina (2) | 1–0 | Kolding BK | Mosevej Sportsplads, Kolding | Erik Hansen |
[19][9][7] [43][44] |
| 6 November 1977 | 1–0 | Gladsaxe Idrætspark, Gladsaxe | |||||
| 1978 | 29 October 1978 | Ribe BK&GF (4) | 3–0 | BK Femina | Ribe Stadium, Ribe | Ronald Hansen |
[19][9][45][7] [46][47][48] |
| 5 November 1978 | 0–2 | Gladsaxe Idrætspark, Gladsaxe | |||||
| 1979 | 28 October 1979 | Ribe BK&GF (5) | 2–0 | BK Femina | Ribe Stadium, Ribe | Ronald Hansen |
[19][9][49] [50][51] |
| 4 November 1979 | 0–1 | Gladsaxe Idrætspark, Gladsaxe | |||||
| 1980 | 26 October 1980 | BK Femina (3) | 3–2 | B 1909 | Gladsaxe Idrætspark, Gladsaxe | Lis Westberg Pedersen |
[19][9][7][6] [52][53][54] |
| 2 November 1980 | 2–1 | B 1909's field at Vollsmose, Odense |
Dame 1. division (1981–1992)
| Season | Champions (titles) | Runners-up | Third place | Winning head coach(es) | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | B 1909 (1) | BK Femina | BK Rødovre | Henning Schmidt |
[55][19][23] |
| 1982 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (1) | B 1909 | BK Rødovre | Ernst Beck |
[19][9][56] |
| 1983 | B 1909 (2) | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF | BK Rødovre | Henning Schmidt |
[57][9][23] |
| 1984 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (2) | B 1909 | Fortuna Hjørring | Ernst Beck |
[58][9][59] |
| 1985 | B 1909 (3) | Fortuna Hjørring | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF | Mogens Rasmussen |
[49][9][23] |
| 1986 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (3) | B 1909 | Fortuna Hjørring | Poul Højmose |
[49][9] |
| 1987 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (4) | Fortuna Hjørring | B 1909 | Poul Højmose |
[49][9] |
| 1988 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (5) | Fortuna Hjørring | B 1909 | Poul Højmose |
[49][9] |
| 1989 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (6) | Fortuna Hjørring | Varde IF |  Ragner Nielsen |
[9][23] |
| 1990 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (7) | B 1909 | Fortuna Hjørring | Henriette Jensen[a] Ove Sass Hansen[a] |
[9][23] |
| 1991 | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF (8) | BK Rødovre | B 1909 | Ove Sass Hansen[a] Henriette Jensen[a] |
[9][23][5] [60] |
| 1992 | B 1909 (4) | Hjortshøj-Egaa IF | Fortuna Hjørring | Peer Danefeld |
[23] |
Elitedivisionen (1993–2016)
Kvindeligaen (2016–present)
| Season | Champions (titles) | Runners-up | Third place | Winning head coach(es) | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Brøndby IF (11) | Fortuna Hjørring | IK Skovbakken | Per Nielsen |
[108][105][106] |
| 2017–18 | Fortuna Hjørring (10) | Brøndby IF | KoldingQ | Brian Sørensen[o] Carrie Kveton[o] |
[109][110][111] |
| 2018–19 | Brøndby IF (12) | Fortuna Hjørring | VSK Aarhus | Per Nielsen |
[112][105][106] |
| 2019–20 | Fortuna Hjørring (11) | Brøndby IF | FC Nordsjælland[p] | Carrie Kveton[q] Niclas Hougaard[q] |
[114][111][115] |
| 2020–21 | HB Køge (1) | Brøndby IF | Fortuna Hjørring | Peer Lisdorf |
[116][117] |
| 2021–22 | HB Køge (2) | Fortuna Hjørring | Brøndby IF | Søren Randa-Boldt |
[118][119] |
| 2022–23 | HB Køge (3) | Brøndby IF | Fortuna Hjørring | Søren Randa-Boldt |
[119] |
| 2023–24 | FC Nordsjælland (1) | Brøndby IF | HB Køge |  Chris Sargeant |
[120][121][34] |
| 2024–25 | Season in progress | [122] | |||
Nine clubs have claimed the Danish national title.[4][123] Among these, half of the championships have been won by Jutlandic clubs, with more than one-third by teams from Zealand, and one-seventh by Funen-based squads. No teams from the regional football associations of DBU Copenhagen, DBU Lolland-Falster, and DBU Bornholm have finished in the top spot. Copenhagen-based BK Rødovre were runners-up in 1991, achieved third place on five occasions, and qualified for the championship playoffs in the two first editions. Funen-based B 1921 finished 8th in the 2002–03 season, while Bornholm-based Svaneke BK ended the 1980 season in 7th place (east group).[124][9][125][23]
Since the 2002–03 season, the Danish FA has officially permitted clubs to display a symbolic five-pointed gold star, designed by the national association, above the club's logo on their jerseys for every fifth championship won.[126][127][128] Fortuna Hjørring added a star above the previous wordmark logo shortly thereafter. When Fortuna Hjørring introduced a new logo design in March/April 2008, a yellow star became an integral part of the new design. Upon winning their 10th title in 2018, a second star was incorporated into the logo. Brøndby IF Women utilised this option for the first time during the 2011–12 season by featuring a single yellow star on their jersey designs, with a second star added in 2015. The reigning champions also wear a black-and-white version of the Danish FA logo with the text "Danmarksmester" on the right sleeve or on the chest, alongside the year of their championship at the bottom, throughout the following season.
Performance by club
| Rank | Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brøndby IF | 12 | 10 | 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19 |
| 2 | Fortuna Hjørring | 11 | 22 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2019–20 |
| 3 | IK Skovbakken{{efn|name=hei-iks|In January 2002, halfway through the 2001–02 season, Hjortshøj-Egaa IF's two elite women's squads, playing in the national and regional top-flight leagues, merged with IK Skovbakken's women's youth department for economic reasons, transferring the league licenses from Hjortshøj-Egaa IF to IK Skovbakken Kvindefodbold. In July 2017, the women's football department of IK Skovbakken Fodbold merged with the women's football departments of Vejlby IK, becoming part of VSK Aarhus. The founding clubs' association football departments ceased to exist.[90][129][130]}} | 10 | 6 | 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996–97, 1997–98 |
| 4 | B 1909 | 5 | 5 | 1981, 1983, 1985, 1992, 1993 |
| 5 | Ribe BK{{efn|name=ribebk|Ribe BK&GF changed their name to Ribe BK in October 1993 due to Nørremarkens BK being merged into the club.[20]}} | 5 | 1 | 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979 |
| 6 | BK Femina | 3 | 4 | 1975, 1977, 1980 |
| 7 | HB Køge | 3 | 0 | 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23 |
| 8 | Odense BK Q{{efn|name=odensebkq|The women's football department at Odense BK was detached from the club at the end of the 2015–16 season. In March 2016, the women's elite department, OB Kvinde Elite, was refounded as a separate association football club named Odense Q, assuming the league license of Odense BK beginning from the 2016–17 season. Odense Sport & Event bought Odense Q in June 2023. From the 2023–24 season, the team was integrated in the OS&E setup under the name Odense Boldklub Q.[131][132]}} | 2 | 0 | 1999–2000, 2000–01 |
| 9 | FC Nordsjælland | 1 | 0 | 2023–24 |
| — | BK Stjernen Svendborg | 0 | 2 | |
| — | Kolding IF{{efn|name=kbk-kif|In mid-1996, Kolding BK's women's department was closed following a merger with Kolding IF. In 2000, Kolding BK once again fielded a senior 11-a-side, under the banner of Kolding IF. In the summer of 2006, Kolding BK took over the administration of Kolding IF's senior women's team, which continued to play under the Kolding BK banner. The then youth superstructure, known as KoldingQ, embraced Kolding BK's first senior women's team in August 2009, while the senior reserve teams continued playing under the Kolding BK banner. In July 2019, KoldingQ became a separate entity encompassing teams for seniors, under-18 and under-16. In September 2021, it was revealed that KoldingQ would merge and become part of Kolding IF, which occurred at the end of October 2021 – the first match under the Kolding IF Women banner was played on 1 November 2021.[133][134][135][136][137][138][139]}} | 0 | 1 | |
| — | BK Rødovre | 0 | 1 |
Clubs participating in the 2024–25 Kvindeligaen are designated in bold type.
Clubs no longer with an active women's football department, not fielding a senior 11-a-side squad (as of June 2024) or that have become defunct are denoted in italics.
Performance by regional association
| Rank | Region | Titles | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DBU Jutland | 26 | Fortuna Hjørring (11), IK Skovbakken (10), Ribe BK (5) |
| 2 | DBU Zealand | 19 | Brøndby IF (12), BK Femina (3), HB Køge (3), FC Nordsjælland (1) |
| 3 | DBU Funen | 7 | B 1909 (5), Odense BK Q (2) |
| — | DBU Copenhagen | 0 | |
| — | DBU Lolland-Falster | 0 | |
| — | DBU Bornholm | 0 |
- The coaching partnership at Hjortshøj-Egaa IF, comprising Henriette Jensen and Ove Sass Hansen, shared the roles and responsibilities of head and assistant coach evenly during their two winning seasons (1990 and 1991).[8]
- Ove Christensen announced his immediate resignation on 28 June 1995. Fortuna Hjørring signed Steen B. Andersen as the club's new head coach on 8 July 1995.
- Jan Knudsen joined Hjortshøj-Egaa IF on 1 January 1996. On 22 October 1996, the present assistant coach Henriette K. Jensen was appointed as caretaker coach, replaced Knudsen. On 6 December 1996, Troels Bech was announced as the top-flight club's new head coach, effective immediately.
- Troels Bech was purchased out of his contract with Fortuna Hjørring to join AC Horsens after New Year's Eve, with Hugo Eskesen becoming the new first-team coach on 1 January 1998.
- Erling Thomsen left Odense BK on 31 October 1999. Jan Knudsen was appointed as the new head coach.
- On 1 January 2002, Steen Refsgaard replaced Jens Overgaard as the new head coach for Fortuna Hjørring.
- Jacob Nørgaard only acted as interim coach during the 2002 cup final, as Steen Refsgaard was unable to attend the match and did not coach any league games.[76]
- Peer Danefeld announced his resignation in mid-October 2004 and was officially replaced by Kenneth Heiner-Møller (previously Heiner Christiansen) on 1 January 2005.
- Henrik Jensen was appointed as the new head coach beginning 1 January 2005, replacing Kenneth Heiner-Møller (before his marriage, he used the last name at birth, Heiner Christiansen).
- Peer Lisdorf announced his resignation on 21 December 2014, effective 31 December, and Per Nielsen was assigned as the new head coach starting from 1 January 2015.
- Brian Sørensen announced his resignation on 14 January 2018, and Carrie Kveton was assigned as the new head coach on 15 January 2018.
- In February 2020, the administration of the senior women's squad of Farum BK was handed over to the club's professional branch, and the team was renamed FC Nordsjælland.[113]
- Carrie Kveton resigned effective immediately on 24 November 2019, while Niclas Hougaard Hansen on 17 December 2019 was announced as the new head coach beginning 1 January 2020.
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