The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as
PostNord
PostNord AB is a provider of postal services operating mainly in the Nordic countries. The company was formed on 24 June 2009, under the name ''Posten Norden'', as the holding company in a merger between the Danish and Swedish postal service pro ...
-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level 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 ...
.
There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the end of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
the winner of each group earns promotion to the second-highest division,
1. divisjon. The teams finishing in second place in their respective group will qualify for the promotion play-offs, where they will face each other. The winner will play against the 14th placed team in 1. divisjon for promotion. The bottom three teams in each group are relegated to
3. divisjon
The Norwegian Third Division, also called 3. divisjon, is the fourth 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 ...
.
2. divisjon is the highest league a
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
can participate in, and only reserve teams from the
Eliteserien
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...
clubs (first tier) are allowed to enter. The participation of reserve teams stirs debate from time to time.
History
Between 1963 and 1990, 2. divisjon was the second highest level 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 ...
, therefore the name of the third highest level was 3. divisjon. When the highest level was rebranded in 1991, this level changed its name to 2. divisjon. From 2009 to 2011, the official name of the league was Fair Play ligaen, and from 2012 to 2015 the name was Oddsen-ligaen (after the main sponsor
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 ...
's betting-game called Oddsen). The league is currently branded as PostNord-ligaen, sponsored by
PostNord
PostNord AB is a provider of postal services operating mainly in the Nordic countries. The company was formed on 24 June 2009, under the name ''Posten Norden'', as the holding company in a merger between the Danish and Swedish postal service pro ...
.
Current members
The following 28 clubs are competing in the
2023 Norwegian Second Division.
Winners
1991–1995
All group winners, excluding second teams of top division teams, were promoted to 1. divisjon.
1996–2000
Each group winner played qualification play-offs to decide which teams promote to
1. divisjon. Teams in bold promoted to 1. divisjon through qualification play-offs.
2001–2016
All group winners, excluding second teams of top division teams, were promoted to 1. divisjon.
2017–
Teams in bold were promoted to
1. divisjon.
Teams in ''italics'' were relegated to 2. divisjon.
Reserve teams
Reserve teams of clubs from the two top divisions can participate in the 2. divisjon. Reserve teams of clubs from the
1. divisjon can not play in the 2. divisjon, so if a team is relegated from the 1. divisjon, the club's reserve team will be relegated to the 3. divisjon regardless of their final position in the league.
Norwegian Football Association website
Sponsorship
From 2016, 2. 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 PostNord
PostNord AB is a provider of postal services operating mainly in the Nordic countries. The company was formed on 24 June 2009, under the name ''Posten Norden'', as the holding company in a merger between the Danish and Swedish postal service pro ...
.
Records and statistics
Team records
Average attendances
Top ten most attended games
References
External links
Current 2. divisjon table, results and fixtures at Soccerway
2. divisjon stats at Fotballen.eu
DF-02 (divisjonsforeningen av 2002)
an interest group for the 2. divisjon
{{UEFA third leagues
3
Year of establishment missing
Norw
Professional sports leagues in Norway