A nation league system was introduced in 1975 with west and east divisions, with the top team from each group progressing for a grand final.
A single nationwide first division was established in 1981, awarding the championship to the team finishing atop the league standings by the end of the season.
Lis Westberg Pedersen made history as the first female head coach in 1980, guiding BK Femina to the 8th edition of the championship in her first season.
[10][11][12] The weekly magazine Femina, regional organisations, various clubs, and the Dansk Kvinde Fodbold Union (DKFU) held national indoor and outdoor football tournaments for women's teams throughout the 1960s, with the last competitions continuing until early 1972.
The weekly magazine Femina organised Denmark's first outdoor association football tournament for women's teams in the spring of 1960.
[13][14] BK Femina were the leading Danish women's team of the era, winning more or less every indoor and outdoor championship organised by the Dansk Kvinde Fodbold Union (DKFU).
[14][16] In the spring of 1971, the DKFU organised one last national outdoor football tournament with over 200 teams, where Skovlunde IF faced Billum IF in the championship final, securing a 3–0 victory.
The winners of the third edition were BK Femina, the then oldest existing pure women's association football club, who entered the final match by finishing at the top of the east group.
[2] For economic reasons, the Danish FA wanted to postpone the implementation of a single nationwide top-flight league, as the travelling expenses would double.
[23][9] Teams played a single round-robin tournament in the first stage, after which points were awarded based on positions and goal scores were reset to zero.
[23] The top six and bottom six teams then playing another single round-robin for a total of 21 games to determine the champions and relegated clubs respectively.
[23] Initially formed as an amateur tournament, professionalism was legalised and restricted to the Danmarksturneringen in July 1997, with the first semi-professional player contracts in Danish women's football being signed by Fortuna Hjørring and Frederiksberg BK.
The reigning champions also wear a black-and-white version of the Danish FA logo with the text "Danmarksmester" on the right sleeve or on the chest, alongside the year of their championship at the bottom, throughout the following season.
Clubs participating in the 2024–25 Kvindeligaen are designated in bold type.Clubs no longer with an active women's football department, not fielding a senior 11-a-side squad (as of June 2024) or that have become defunct are denoted in italics.