The country which has produced Michael Laudrup, Christian Eriksen, Peter Schmeichel, and various others doesn’t have the strongest of domestic leagues.
It’s rare to see Danish teams as anything other than a massive outsider in the Champions League betting markets.
The best players in the Danish Superliga are often shipped off to wealthier clubs around Europe.
Biggest Clubs in Danish Football
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FC Copenhagen
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Brøndby IF
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Midtjylland
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Nordsjælland
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Aalborg BK
Many players who have shone for the Danish national team have made their names in the Superliga, however, and there are a few candidates to make our list of the biggest Danish football clubs.
Recent breakthrough clubs and not-so-recent mergers complicated the decisions made here somewhat.
5) Aalborg BK
All four of Aalborg BK’s league titles have come since the start of the 1990s.
They might have been relegated in 2022-23, but they bounced back at the first time of asking and have consistently made it to the latter stages of the cup over the last decade-plus.
Since winning the Superliga in 2007-08, their only top four finish came when they won the title in 2013-14.
Their live betting credentials are not as strong as they once were, with some innovative clubs taking their place at the top table of Danish football.
Aalborg’s best performance in European competition, aside from a pair of Champions League group stage exits, was a round of 16 defeat to Manchester City in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup.
De røde has dropped into the UEFA Cup after finishing ahead of Celtic in their Champions League group – they defeated Deportivo in the UEFA Cup round of 32.
4) Nordsjælland
Like multiple clubs above them on these rankings, Nordsjælland were founded when two clubs (Farum Idræts Klub and Stavnsholt Boldklub) merged.
Powered by a commitment to youth development, Nordsjælland won their first league title in 2011-12, and have been runners-up twice since. They are one of five Danish teams to reach the Champions League group stage.
In 2012-13, The Tigers recorded perhaps the most impressive result in their history when they drew 1-1 with Juventus in the Champions League group stage.
Led by chairman Tom Vernon, Nordsjælland have the youngest team in Europe.
Vernon, a former scout in Africa for Manchester United, has overseen a revolution in Farum have signed and developed numerous young talents who have gone on to excel around Europe, including Ibrahim Osman and Kamaldeen Sulemana.
3) Midtjylland
Founded in 1999 when rivals Ikast FS and Herning Fremad merged, FC Midtjylland are an example of how quickly a club can grow.
Brentford owner Matthew Benham became the majority owner in 2014, and like the Bees, Midtjylland have been innovators in analytics to punch above their weight.
Four-time champions since 2014 and with only two finishes outside the top three over that period, Midtjylland have become regulars in European competitions.
Their biggest achievements are wins over Manchester United, Lazio, and Braga and a draw with Liverpool.
Consistently competing in the Conference League and Europa League is the best route for Midtjylland to increase their revenue.
This is a club trending in the right direction under the blueprint Benham has used at Brentford, and while they might not be the biggest club in Denmark, they are certainly the most upwardly mobile.
2) Brøndby IF
Eleven-time league champions and seven-time cup winners, Brøndby are the second-oldest club in this top five despite being founded less than 65 years ago.
Reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals in the 1990s, the Boys from Vestegnen have a rich history, even though they have only won one league title in the last 20 years.
Since their peak in the 1990s and 2000s, Brøndby have still been competitive enough to only have three seasons without continental competition in the 21st century.
Although the 2021-22 season was the first time since 2008-09 that they reached the first round proper of a major UEFA competition.
There wasn’t much uncertainty about Brøndby taking second place on this list for now.
They should be safe for a couple of years yet, but don’t be surprised if they are overtaken by Midtjylland before the end of the decade if both teams continue on their current trajectories.
1) FC Copenhagen
FC Copenhagen was technically only founded in 1992. Despite such a short history, the club still shares the record of 15 Superliga titles.
The current iteration of the club only came into existence in the 1990s through the merger of Kjøbenhavns Boldklub and Boldklubben 1903. The former also holds the record of 15 league titles, while the latter had seven titles.
Financial issues hit many clubs in the Danish capital in the 1980s, so combining Kjøbenhavns Boldklub and Boldklubben 1903 was a way of saving both organisations.
FC Copenhagen used Boldklubben’s license to compete in the Superliga, and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub became the official reserve team of the newly created club.
After winning the league in their first post-merger season, Copenhagen went through a seven-year drought. They won five of the next seven.
There has been gradual progress in European competition with a Europa League last 16 appearance in 2016-17 and a quarter-final run in 2019-20.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*
