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The icelandic
league “pyramids”

Your guide to the league system in Iceland,
as it looks for the 2026 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
  • Teams can be relegated to Utandeild – Following 2025 this was applied to one club

Utandeild karla /
Men’s Non-League Level

  • A new part of the KSÍ league setup in 2025
  • 5 teams in 2026
  • play each other home and away
  • Teams can be promoted to 5.deild – The top 3 teams in 2025 were promoted, with the exact number, like in this case, likely continuing to be determined by teams in higher divisions withdrawing from the league

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 – this has previously been into 3 groups, but this is TBC for 2026.
  • Top two teams will be promoted

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