Besta deild karla
| Founded | 1912 |
|---|---|
| Country | Iceland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Lengjudeildin |
| Domestic cup(s) | Mjólkurbikarinn League Cup Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | Breiðablik (3rd title) (2024) |
| Most championships | KR (27) |
| Top goalscorer | Tryggvi Guðmundsson (131 goals) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Domestic: Stöð 2 Sport International: Eleven Sports OneFootball |
| Website | ksi.is |
| Current: 2025 Besta deild karla | |
The Besta deild karla (lit. 'Men's Best Division') is a professional association football league in Iceland and the highest level of the Icelandic football league system. The competition was founded in 1912 as the Icelandic Championship. Because of the harsh winters in Iceland, it is generally played in the spring and summer (April to September). It is governed by the Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ) and has 12 teams. By the end of the 2022–23 season, UEFA ranked the league No. 48 in Europe.
From 27 April 2009 to 2022, the league had an active agreement on the league's name rights with Ölgerðin, the Icelandic franchisee for Pepsi. From the 2019 season to the end of the 2021 season, the league was popularly referred to as Pepsi Max deildin (The Pepsi Max League). On 24 February 2022, the league was rebranded as Besta deild karla.
The clubs play each other home and away. At the end of each season, the two teams with the fewest points are relegated to 1. deild karla (First Division), from which two top point teams promote to the higher tier. The winner of the league enters the European national competition UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round. The second, third and fourth placed teams qualify for the UEFA Europa League in the first qualifying round.
An effort by KSÍ to strengthen Icelandic football had only one team relegated in the 2007 season to the First Division and three clubs promoted to the premier division, bringing the top flight to the number of clubs it contains currently.
Championship title counts are: KR with 27, Valur with 23, and ÍA and Fram Reykjavík each with 18. FH has 8 and Víkingur has 7. The 2024 title holder is Breiðablik.