B.93 was originally founded as a cricket club on 19 May 1893, and was namedCricketklubben af 1893 at its inception. Football was introduced in 1896, at which point the club adopted its current name. Tennis was added in 1901. The cricket division was later discontinued, but the football and tennis divisions remain among the country's larger clubs by membership.
The club's football division, with 1,834 members, was the fifth-largest football club underDBU Copenhagen in Denmark in 2023.[2]
Founded in 1893 as a cricket club, B.93 began playing football in 1895 and entered DBU's first-team tournament in 1896, marking the beginning of its official football history.[3] The club participated continuously in the top league from the start of the Denmark tournament in 1927 until 1954, when it was relegated to the2nd Division. B.93 enjoyed its most successful period during the 1930s, earning the nicknameChampagneholdet ("The Champagne Team") and winning fiveDanish championships.[4][5]
B.93 experienced a notable decline in prominence from the mid-20th century. The club's most recent stint in the top league was during the1998–99 season. Prior to that, B.93 had played in the top league uninterrupted from 1975 to 1983.[6] A highlight of this period was in 1982, when B.93 reached theDanish Cup final. The club defeatedB 1903 over two legs atKøbenhavns Idrætspark, with the first match ending 3–3 after extra time and the replay won 1–0.[7] This victory secured B.93 a place in theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where the club eliminated East German clubDynamo Dresden in the first round but was subsequently defeated by Belgium'sWaterschei Thor in the second round.[8][9]
The early 2000s were marked by financial difficulties for B.93.[10] In February 2002, the club faced a bankruptcy crisis, which was averted when IT millionaire Thomas Olsen and formerDenmark internationalPreben Elkjær took over the professional company B.93 Copenhagen A/S.[11] However, the partnership ended in June 2004, leading to a decline in the club's performance and relegation from the second tier in 2005.[12] The decline continued, and in 2012, B.93 were relegated from the 2nd Division East, falling outside divisional football for the first time in its history.[13] Despite this setback, the club was promoted from theDenmark Series the following year and has remained a divisional team since.[14]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^Until1991, the top division of Danish football was theDanish 1st Division; since then, it has been theDanish Superliga. At the same time, the Danish 1st Division became the second division, and so on.
^abcIn the summer of 1991, one of the several changes to the format of theDanmarksturneringen i fodbold was the introduction of theKvalifikationsligaen in the spring section of the season, which meant that the levels below in the overallDanish football league system was dropped by one, while at the same time being increased by one in the autumn season. This tournament format lasted until the spring of 1995.
Kasper Lorentzen
