Inside Denmark’s Top Football Clubs

Inside Denmark Top Football Clubs
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Football is the most popular sport in the world—and in Denmark. In fact, the nation is home to the world’s oldest football club outside of the UK. Back in 1876, Kjøbenhavns Boldklub was founded in Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen.

Today, the club survives through FC Copenhagen, the country’s most popular football team. For sports-loving travelers, the domestic Danish Superliga offers a high quality of play that will captivate any fan—whether watching a live game with others or attending a match at Parken Stadium.

Like with other football-loving nations, fantasy leagues and sports betting are available. Recently, live betting has become a popular offering from major sportsbooks. Unlike traditional wagering formats, live betting lets spectators bet on outcomes as a match unfolds.

This is offered on leagues like the Premier League and La Liga, as well as the domestic Danish Superliga. And it covers more than FC Copenhagen. Though the club has no shortage of supporters, The Lions, as they’re known, didn’t swipe last year’s Superliga title. Football fans making a stopover in Denmark will need to keep an eye on three other popular teams.

FC Copenhagen

FC Copenhagen isn’t just the most popular team in Denmark and one of the most competitive in the Superliga, with its 13 championship titles. The Lions also have the highest UEFA ranking of any other Scandinavian team. They’ve reached knockout stages in the Champions League, and multiple appearances in Europa League group stages.

The team’s fan club has more than 20,000 members, which break down into several subsets like the ‘Urban Crew’ and the ‘Casuals’. Those headed to watch a match at Parken Stadium can keep a lookout for the C-stand, called Nedre C, where the most passionate fans rally the crowd.

Brøndby IF

Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby, are the current Superliga champions—and FC Copenhagen’s biggest rival. The team was founded in 1964 in Brøndbyvester in Eastern Denmark, the country’s administrative center. Their annual match against FC Copenhagen is known as the Copenhagen Derby and is one of the most exciting games a visitor can attend—assuming tickets aren’t sold out.

Brøndby is one of the most successful clubs in the Superliga with a total of 11 championships. They’re also the first and only Danish team to reach an intercontinental semi-final. From 2005-2013, the team faced ample challenges, which has only added more hype to their recent success.

FC Midtjylland

Midtjylland is one of the youngest clubs in Denmark's highest tier, founded 23 years ago in 1999. Since joining the Superliga, they’ve nabbed three championship titles, which has helped make them one of the country’s most popular teams. The team is located in the western part of Jutland in northern Denmark.

Despite being active for just two decades, The Wolves, as they’re nicknamed, compete in a derby against Viborg FF each year. Many consider the rivalry to be the most intense in the country, just behind Brøndby and FC Copenhagen.

AGF

Founded only four years after FC Copenhagen, Aarhus Gymnastikforening, or AGF, is one of the oldest sports clubs in Denmark—though the football team wasn’t formed until 1902. The team, nicknamed The Whites, is located in Aarhus, Jutland.

As one of the oldest clubs in the country, AGF has one of the most developed fanbases—much like The Lions. During their tenure in the Superliga, they’ve brought home five championships, as well as multiple intercontinental tournament appearances.

Like Brøndby, the club faced challenges that led to a decline in performance in the early 2000s, which has continued on and off since then. However, things are now looking better for The Whites. The team finished fourth in the 2020-21 Superliga season, and still holds the Superliga record for the greatest number of seasons played at the top tier with a total of 68.

Viborg FF

Viborg Fodsprots Forening, known as The Greens, is located in Viborg in central Jutland. Though the arch-rivals of FC Midtjylland – one of the youngest clubs in the Superliga – Viborg is actually one of the oldest. The club was founded over 126 years ago in 1896—only two decades after FC Copenhagen’s parent club, Kjøbenhavns Boldklub.

However, The Greens' journey to success in the Superliga has been a long, uphill battle. The team brought home their first and only domestic title in 2000 with the Danish Cup. Last year, they managed to place first in the Danish 1st Division, below the Superliga, for promotion to the top-tier league.

Despite being one of the oldest clubs in Denmark, Viborg’s fan base hasn’t always had an official fan club. While The Green Pride, an official fan club, once had a membership of 500, the team’s ‘ultra’ fan groups didn’t form until after their 2000 Danish Cup win. Today, the Fanatikos and Shamrock Ultras organize fan activities for the club in Viborg.

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