The Norwegian Third Division, also called 3. divisjon, is the fourth highest division of the men's football league in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Like the rest of the

Norwegian football league system The Norwegian football league system, or pyramid, is a series of League system, interconnected leagues for club Association football, football in Norway. 2017 system in men's football , the current national league system administered by the Norwegi ...

, the season runs from spring to autumn, running approximately from April to October. After the 2010 season, the league was reorganised, reducing the number of teams to 164 and halving the number of parallel sections from 24 to 12. After the 2016 season, the league was again reorganised, reducing the number of teams from 164 to 84, and halved the number of groups from twelve to six. All six group winners promote to

2. divisjon The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

, while the bottom four in all groups are relegated to

4. divisjon The Norwegian Fourth Division, also called 4. divisjon, is the fifth highest division of the men's football league in Norway. Like the rest of the Norwegian football league system, the season runs from spring to autumn, running approximately from ...

History

1963–2010

The 3. divisjon was known as the 4. divisjon from 1963 until 1990, when the top-tier league changed its name to Tippeligaen, the 2. divisjon became the 1. divisjon and the names of all the lower divisions were adjusted accordingly. Until 2010, there were 24 parallel sections of the 3. divisjon, each consisting of between 10 and 16 teams. The winners paired up and played each other in one home match and one away match in a playoff. Thus, 12 teams were promoted to the 2. divisjon. This system was in place from

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

. The number of teams that were relegated from each section to the 4. divisjon, varied from two to four, depending on the number of teams in each section.

2011–2016

From

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

to 2016, 3. divisjon consisted of 12 parallel sections of 12 or 14 teams, and the winners of each group was promoted to the

. Ten sections consisted of 14 teams each, from the South of Norway, the last two sections consisted of 12 teams each, from the

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

. In the sections with 14 teams, the bottom three teams were relegated to the 4. divisjon, and in the two sections with 12 teams each, the bottom two teams were relegated.

2017–

After changes in the Norwegian football pyramid, no teams were promoted from the 3. divisjon after the 2016 season. The fourth tier was split into six groups which for the 2017 season consisted of the teams finishing from 7th to 14th in the 2016

groups and the top 4 teams from the 3. divisjon groups along with the 8th best 5th placed teams in the 3. divisjon. The rest of the teams in the 2016 3. divisjon was relegated. As of the 2018 season, the 3. divisjon consist of 6 groups of 14 teams Like in the rest of the Norwegian Football league system, all the teams play each other twice, once at home and once away. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and if two teams are equal on points, the one with the best goal difference is above the other on the table. The teams are placed in the 12 sections according to geographic considerations.

Current members

The following 84 clubs are competing in the 2023 Norwegian Third Division. Group 1 * Fana * Frigg *

Gjelleråsen Gjelleråsen is an area which constitutes part of Oslomarka outside Oslo, Norway. The area is bordered by Skedsmo to the east and Nittedal to the north. There are many historic roads running through the area, and two modern highways, Norwegi ...

* Gneist * Grorud 2 * Lillestrøm 2 *

Lokomotiv Oslo Lokomotiv Oslo Fotballklubb is a Norwegian football club based in Oslo. It currently plays in the Norwegian Third Division, the fourth tier of Norwegian football. History The club was founded on 26 September 1998. It has played in the Norwegian ...

* Lysekloster * Os *

Sandviken Sandviken is a locality and the seat of Sandviken Municipality in Gävleborg County, Sweden with 39,234 inhabitants in 2019. It is situated about 25 km west of Gävle and lies approximately 190 km north of Stockholm. The rail journey t ...

Skedsmo Skedsmo was a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality was the town of Lillestrøm. About one third of the municipal population lived in Lillestrøm. ...

Skjetten Skjetten is a town in Lillestrøm municipality, Viken county, Norway. It is located approximately 20 kilometres northeast of Oslo's city centre with a population of 10 000. Skjetten has five kindergartens, two primary schools and a secondary schoo ...

* Stabæk 2 * Ullern 2 Group 2 *

Brumunddal Brumunddal is a town in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is located on the shores of the lake Mjøsa, about north of the town of Hamar. The town is a small, densely ...

Eidsvold Turn Eidsvold Turnforening is a Norwegian sport club from Eidsvoll, Akershus. It has sections for association football, team handball, track and field, gymnastics and speed skating. The club was founded as ''Eidsvold IL'' on 29 April 1910, and the na ...

* Elverum *

Florø is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Kinn, Vestland, Norway. The town was founded by royal decree in 1860 as a ladested on the island of Florelandet, located between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden. Florø is No ...

* Førde * Fu/Vo * Ham-Kam 2 * Hødd 2 *

Hønefoss __NOTOC__ Hønefoss is a town and the administrative center of the municipality of Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østlandet, containing several factories and other industry. As of 1 January 2008, ...

* Molde 2 * Raufoss 2 * Sogndal 2 *

Spjelkavik Spjelkavik is a borough in the town of Ålesund in Ålesund Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is also called ''"Vika"'' by many locals. Spjelkavik is located on the western end of the island of Uksenøya, at the intersection of ...

* Volda Group 3 *

Bjarg Idrettslaget Bjarg is a sports club in Stavollen, Bergen not far from Bergen Flesland Airport. It supports football, handball, athletics, and gymnastics. The football team plays in the 3. divisjon, the fourth tier in the Norwegian football leag ...

Bremnes Bremnes is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1916 until 1963, when it was merged into the new municipality of Bømlo which is now part of Vestland county. The administrative centre of the ...

* Brodd *

Djerv 1919 Sportsklubben Djerv 1919 is an association football club located in Haugesund, Norway, established in 1919. The first team plays in the 3. divisjon, the fourth tier of Norwegian football, after being promoted from the 4. divisjon in 2018. Hist ...

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...

* Frøya * Fyllingsdalen *

Loddefjord Loddefjord is an urban settlement in the borough of Laksevåg in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which c ...

Madla Madla is a borough of the city of Stavanger which lies in the southwestern part of the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. It lies in the western part of the city, along the coast of the Hafrsfjorden. The borough has a ...

Sandnes Ulf 2 Norwegian reserve football teams compete at all levels of league football within the Norwegian football league system apart from the top two divisions, Eliteserien and 1. divisjon. The highest league these teams can currently enter is the 2. divisj ...

* Staal Jørpeland * Stord * Vidar *

Viking 2 The ''Viking 2'' mission was part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the ''Viking 1'' mission. ''Viking 2'' was operational on Mars for sols ( days; '). The ''Vik ...

Group 4 * Donn * Eik Tønsberg 871 * Fredrikstad 2 * Halsen *

Mandalskameratene FK Mandalskameratene is a Norwegian football club, from the town of Mandal in Vest-Agder, currently playing in the 3. divisjon. The club was founded on 1 July 1912, under the name of 'Alladin'. In 1918 the club changed its name to 'Mandalskamerat ...

* Mjøndalen 2 * Odd 2 * Pors *

Randesund Randesund is a village and district within the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The district is located within the borough of Oddernes along the southern coastline between the two fjords Kvåsefjorden and Topdalsfjorden and south of ...

* Sandefjord 2 * Sprint-Jeløy * Start 2 * Vinbjart *

Åskollen Åskollen is a part of the borough of Tangen-Åskollen in the city of Drammen, Norway. Tangen-Åskollen is one of the eight districts in Drammen and had 6,123 inhabitants (2002). Tangen-Åskollen is located south-east of the city centre. Before ...

Group 5 * Bodø/Glimt 2 *

Byåsen Byåsen is a large neighborhood area in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It constitutes a large part of the city in the borough of Midtbyen. It encompasses a number of areas southwest of the main city centre. This includes al ...

* Kolstad * Kristiansund 2 * Mosjøen * Nardo *

Orkla Orkla may refer to: Places * Orkla (river), a river in Trøndelag county, Norway Business * Orkla Group (or ''Orkla ASA''), a large Norwegian company * Orkla Mining Company, a historic company in Norway * Orkla Metall, a former smelting company in ...

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

* Rosenborg 2 * Steinkjer *

Strindheim Strindheim is a neighbourhood in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the borough of Østbyen. It is the site of Strindheim Church, Strindheim School, the confectionery factory Nidar and the home area of Strindhei ...

Tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

* Trønder-Lyn *

Verdal Verdal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Verdalsøra. Some villages in the municipality include Forbregd/Lein, Lysthaugen, Stiklest ...

Group 6 * Asker * Fløya * Follo * HIF/Stein * KFUM 2 * Lørenskog * Mjølner * Nordstrand *

Oppsal Oppsal is a suburb in the borough of Østensjø in Oslo, Norway. The modern history of Oppsal starts with villas and summer homes built during the Interwar period. The Oslo Tramway was extended to Oppsal in 1926. Oppsal was developed as a planne ...

* Sarpsborg 08 2 *

Skånland Skånland ( sme, Skánit) is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Tjeldsund Municipality. It was part of the Central Hålo ...

* Skeid 2 *

Skjervøy Skjervøy kommune ( sme, Skiervvá suohkan; fkv, Kieruan komuuni) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Skjervøy on the island of Skjervøya, where most of the inha ...

* Tromsø 2

Reserve teams

Reserve teams of clubs from the two top divisions can participate in the 3. divisjon. Reserve teams of clubs from the

1. divisjon The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...

can not play in the 2. divisjon, and can therefore not be promoted from the 3. divisjon.Norwegian Football Association website

Sponsorship

From 2017, 3. divisjon has its

title sponsor Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

ship rights sold to

Norsk Tipping Norsk Tipping is a Norwegian gambling company headquartered in Hamar, Norway. Founded in 1948, Norsk Tipping is owned by the Norwegian government and administered by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture. The company offers a wide range of lottery ...

Winners

2011–2016

*¹ Start 2 were not eligible for promotion, runners-up Egersund promoted.

2017–

References

External links

*
3.division summary
SOCCERWAY) {{UEFA fourth leagues 4 Year of establishment missing Nor Professional sports leagues in Norway