Nordic Football Championship
The Nordic Football Championship (Danish: Nordisk Mesterskab, Norwegian: Nordisk Mesterskap, Swedish: Nordiska Mästerskapet, or NM) was an international football tournament played with the men's national football teams of the Nordic countries. In the first tournament, only Denmark, Norway and Sweden played, but Finland joined the second tournament. On the last tournament, Iceland and the Faroe Islands joined as well.
History[change | change source]
The tournament was created because Denmark, Norway and Sweden made a contract that says they should play two annual matches against each other. The first tournament was played four years later when the Danish Football Association celebrated its 35th anniversary. It was decided that the teams were to play five times against each other in a group. The Danish Football Association made the trophy, and Denmark national football team won the first tournament.
The second tournament was created by the Swedish Football Association to celebrate its 25th anniversary. This time, Finland was invited. It was also decided that each tournament would be 4 years long, with each team playing 12 times. The tournament was won by Norway, but the next 9 tournaments were won by Sweden. The fourth tournament was 11 years long because of World War II.
The tournament was popular because it was seen as a preparation for the upcoming major tournaments. In the 1970's, the tournament became less popular and the tournament ended in 1983.
A new edition of the tournament happened in 2000–01, and this time Iceland and the Faroe Islands joined. Some matches were played in Spain, but most were played at the teams home stadium. The last match of the 2000–01 tournament was never played.
Results[change | change source]
Sweden : 9 (1933–36, 1937–47, 1948–51, 1952–55, 1956–59, 1960–63, 1964–67, 1968–71, 1972–77)
Denmark : 3 (1924–28, 1978–80, 1981–85)
Finland : 1 (2000–01)
Norway : 1 (1929–32)
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd Place | 4th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924–28 Details |
 Denmark |
 Sweden |
 Norway |
Only three teams |
| 1929–32 Details |
Norway |
Sweden |
Denmark |
 Finland |
| 1933–36 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1937–47 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1948–51 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1952–55 Details |
Sweden |
Norway |
Denmark |
Finland |
| 1956–59 Details |
Sweden |
Norway |
Denmark |
Finland |
| 1960–63 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1964–67 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Finland |
Norway |
| 1968–71 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1972–77 Details |
Sweden |
Denmark |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1978–80 Details |
Denmark |
Sweden |
Norway |
Finland |
| 1981–85 Details |
Denmark |
Sweden |
Norway |
Finland |
| 2000–01 Details |
Finland |
 Iceland |
Denmark |
Norway |