About OBOS-ligaen
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Norwegian First Division, also known as 1.divisjon and as OBOS-Ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the second most important soccer competition in the Norwegian system, behind the Eliteserien. The tournament was created in 1948, although the tournament is way different than how it was initially conceived. The 1.divisjon started as a semi-professional league and went through many changes, including an era where it was named 2.divisjon and was divided for into different regions, but that changed in 1963, when it settled for the name 1.divisjon one more time until 2004, when it became known as the Adeccoligaen. Eventually, the name would change one more time to OBOS-Ligaen in 2015.
The tournament is played between the months of April and November, where all 16 teams face each other twice. The two top teams in the league earn direct promotion to the Eliteserien, while those that finish between third and sixth make it to the promotion playoffs, where the winner gets to face the 14th team in the Eliteserien for a spot in the Norwegian top-flight in a two-leg playoff.
As for the relegation process, those who finish in the final two spots of the table are automatically relegated to the 2.divisjon, while the 14th ranked team in the league enters a relegation playoff against a team from the lower category.
Some of the category’s most relevant guests over the years include teams such as Molde, Valerenga, Kristiansund, or Bodo/Glimt.
Haugesund
Kongsvinger
Strømsgodset
Stabæk
Odd
Bryne
Hødd
Ranheim
Egersund
Lyn
Strømmen
Sandnes Ulf
Moss
Sogndal
Åsane
Raufoss
