The icelandic
league “pyramids”
Your guide to the league system in Iceland,
as it looks for the 2025 season.
MEN
Besta deild karla /
Men’s First Division
- 12 teams
- play each other home and away before the league splits in half and they play each other once more
- bottom 2 teams in lower section are relegated
Lengjudeild karla /
Men’s Second Division
- 12 teams
- play each other home and away
- 1st place team is promoted as champion
- 2nd-5th compete in a play-off to determine who else is promoted
- bottom 2 teams are relegated
- Lengjudeild is named for sponsorship purposes
2.deild karla /
Men’s third Division
- 12 teams
- play each other home and away
- 1st place team is promoted as champion
- 2nd place is also promoted
- bottom 2 teams are relegated
3.deild karla /
Men’s Fourth Division
- 12 teams
- play each other home and away
- 1st place team is promoted as champion
- 2nd place is also promoted
- bottom 2 teams are relegated
4.deild karla /
Men’s Fifth Division
- 10 teams
- play each other home and away
- 1st place team is promoted as champion
- 2nd place is also promoted
- bottom 2 teams are relegated
5.deild karla /
Men’s Sixth Division
- 16 teams across 2 groups
- play each other home and away within the groups
- Top 2 in each group enter playoffs, where the semi-final winners will both be promoted and the final determines the champion of the division
- I’m currently unclear whether teams will be relegated to Utandeild
Utandeild karla /
Men’s Non-League Level
- A new part of the KSÍ league setup in 2025
- 7 teams
- play each other home and away
- I’m unsure if there is any promotion.
WOMEN
Besta deild kvenna /
Women’s First Division
- 10 teams
- play each other home and away before the league splits and they play each other once more
- The top section is the top 6 teams, whereas the bottom section is just 4 teams
- bottom 2 teams in lower section are relegated
Lengjudeild kvenna /
Women’s Second Division
- 10 teams
- play each other home and away
- 1st place team is promoted as champion
- 2nd place is also promoted
- bottom 2 teams are relegated
- Lengjudeild is named for sponsorship purposes
2.deild kvenna /
Women’s third Division
- 12 teams
- play each other once before a split
- I’m currently unsure whether the split is into 3 sections as it was in 2024 or in 2 sections as the league table on the KSÍ website would have me believe. TBC