C-Liga (formerly the Danish Women's 2nd Division) is an association football league in Denmark and the third division of the Danish football league system. Contested by 12 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between the Danish Women's Football League second tier B-Liga and the non-league fourth tier Denmark Series. All participating clubs qualify for the first round of the Danish Cup.
Format At the conclusion of the regular fall season, the two group winners and four clubs from the second division qualify for the promotion play-offs in the spring season for four spots in the following season's B-Liga, while four teams are relegated following the relegation play-offs.
Between 2021 and 2023 the winners of each relegation play-off group participated in a final to determine the winner of the 2nd Division. The highest level for reserve squads is the third tier. From the 2025–26 season, the league tournament will be reduced to twelve teams.
History A nationwide third division of the Danish Women's Football League was effectuated at the November 2020 Danish Football Association (DBU) Board of Directors meeting, following a recommendation from the DBU women's elite committee, and exploratory work undertaken over the preceding years by Ligaforbundet. The aim of league expansion was to further the development of the standards of women's football in Denmark, specifically in the second division, in order to benefit the national football team. The inaugural format consisted of a west and east division geographically each with seven teams to be played in two stages; one qualifying stage in the autumn, with promotion and relegation play-offs held in the spring. Starting with the 2023/24 season, the playoff final ceased and was removed from the rulebook. With the addition of the third nationwide division in 2021–22 season, the highest level for reserve squads were downgraded from the second to the third tier, where an unlimited number of reserve squads would partake.
At the start of the 2023–24 season, Vildbjerg SF became the first club in the third tier of Danish women's football to be granted permission by the Danish FA to sign semi-professional contracts with their players. F.C. Copenhagen Women followed as the second team in the third tier to receive a license to sign player contracts, in the 2024–25 season. In their debut match of the 2024–25 season, on 17 August 2024 FC Copenhagen Women faced B.73 Slagelse at Vanløse Idrætspark in front of 5,165 spectators, setting a new record for the largest crowd attendance at a Danish women's club football game in the third tier. FC Copenhagen Women reached the semifinals of the 2024–25 cup tournament, making history as the first third-tier team to do so. In the semifinals, they faced top-flight club Fortuna Hjørring over two legs, drawing 1–1 in the first match.
On 20 July, a new visual identity, developed in collaboration with the design bureau Nord ID, was unveiled, with the rebranding including a new logo and renaming the third level league to C-Liga, removing any reference to women. From the 2026–27 season, the league tournament will be reduced from fourteen to twelve teams, competing in two geographical groups, while the number of teams in the top-flight league will be increased from eight to ten.
Clubs C-Liga seasons 31 clubs have played in the third tier of the Danish Women's Football League since its inception in 2021. Some teams might have merged to form the current clubs, the combined results of which will be displayed where noted. The teams in bold compete in the C-Liga currently, while the teams in italics are now defunct. Reserve teams are included in the list and marked as such (even if retroactively).
Incomplete #ClubLatest1Brabrand IF52027BSF52027Fredensborg BI52027JAI Fodbold52026Aalborg Freja520276FC Damsø42027Vejle B420278Allerød FK32025B73 Slagelse32026Dalum/Næsby32026Kolding IF32024OB Q II32027Solrød FC32024Viborg FF32026Ølstykke FC3202716Fremad Valby22027IF Lyseng22023Køge BK22024Randers Q22027Silkeborg Q22027Sundby22026Thisted FC2202423ASA Fodbold12023Copenhagen12025Fremad Amager12022FC King George12024Svogerslev BK12026Vildbjerg12024VSK Aarhus12027Østerbro IF12022Aarhus 190012022 Key indicates the reserve team for its parent A-Liga team. Notes
Winners 2021–2023 Season Final Date Winners (titles) Result Runners-up Venue 2021–22 18 June 2022Solrød w/oAalborg FrejaSolrød Idrætscenter, Solrød Rasmus Skovby Jens Berglid Jesper Petersen 2022–23 16 June 2023Solrød 3–2Brabrand IFBrabrand IF's Idrætsanlæg, Brabrand Jesper Petersen Jan Kristensen
2023–present Season Winners Runners-up 2023–24Dalum/NæsbyDamsø Erling Thomsen ViborgJAI Fodbold Jakob Glerup 2024–25CopenhagenSundby Kasper Klarskov Aalborg FrejaViborg Claus Nygaard2025–26SundbyBSF Jan KristensenViborgBrabrand Jakob Glerup2026–27Season in progressSeason in progress
See also A-Liga B-Liga Danish Women's Cup
Notes
References
External links Official league site