Faroe Islands Premier League Tips

About Faroe Islands Premier League

The Faroe Islands Premier League is the highest level of football in the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory, which has a separate status within football organizations such as FIFA and UEFA.

The season in the Faroe Islands, unlike many other countries, does not take place at the turn of two years, but within one year, as in the Scandinavian countries, because in the cold months it would be difficult to prepare many pitches for league games.

Nowadays, it often causes problems at the beginning of spring, when snow can linger on the pitch, and a good example of a league match being postponed by such a situation were all matches of the second round in the 2008 season.

The league was founded in 1942 as Meistaradeildin, and it has been played in its current format since 2005, when Premier League replaced 1. deild as the country's top football division.

Faroe Islands Football Association organizes the league. Ten clubs participate in the tournament. Semi-professional status is granted to all teams.

History

Although the league was founded in 1942, clubs did not compete in European competitions until 1992, as the Faroe Islands Football Association only joined UEFA in 1990.

The competition was played in a knockout format from 1942 to 1946, and in a league format from 1947 onward. There was previously a Faroe Islands Sports Association that organized the league prior to the formation of the Faroe Islands Football Association in 1979.

The only time a season wasn't played was during the British occupation in 1944, when a lack of footballs forced the cancellation. From 1942 to 1975, the league was known as Meistaradeildin. In 1976, it changed its name to 1. deild and introduced promotion and relegation system.

Since 2005, the league has had different sponsored names, including Formuladeildin from 2005 to 2008, Vodafonedeildin from 2009 to 2012, Effodeildin from 2012 to 2017, and Betri deildin menn since 2018.

Competition Format

A league consists of 10 teams who play each other three times per season.

To determine which teams will have an additional home game next season, a draw is conducted before the fixtures are drafted. Previously, this was determined by clubs' performance the previous year.

Taking first place after the last matchday means winning the title of the Faroe Islands football champions.

The champion earns the right to play in the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League. The second and third teams win the opportunity to play in the UEFA Europa League.

In the event that the winner of the Faroe Islands Cup takes first place in the league - the fourth team in the final classification also gets the opportunity to play in the Europa League. Taking the last 2 places is associated with the drop of teams to the 1. deild.