Royal League

The Royal League is an annual friendly club football tournament between clubs from the 3 Scandinavian monarchies (Denmark, Sweden and Norway). The 4 top clubs in the 3 football leagues qualify and compete for Scandinavian bragging rights. The precursor was the Scandinavian Masters a tournament played in the Mediterranean from 1997 to 1999. The Royal League began in 2004 and is held after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden, while Denmark is mid-season. The 12 clubs are divided into 3 groups with the 2 top clubs of each group and the 2 best 3rd-placed teams going to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final are played as single knockout matches.