Tromsø Idrettslag is a Norwegian professional football team founded in 1920, and based in Tromsø. They play their home games at Alfheim Stadium. Tromsø IL currently play in the Norwegian Premier League, and holds the position as the northernmost top-level football club in the world.

The club was founded on 15 September 1920, and given the name Tromsø Turnforenings Fotballag (Tromsø Gymnastics Association's Football Team), or Turn for short. The first match after the formal foundation was against cross-town rivals IF Skarp, a match which ended in a draw, 0–0. It would not take long before success came to Turn, though, and in 1927, the club won its first district championship.

In 1930, the club changed its name to Tromsø Idrettslag, because the Norwegian Sports Association thought the club's name was too close to the name of Tromsø Gymnastics Association. This was only temporary, though, and the club changed its name to Tor in 1931. 1931 would also be the year the club won its first Northern Norwegian Cup, the highest possible achievement for a Northern Norwegian club at the time. The club beat Mo IL 3-1 in the final. The year after, the Norwegian Sports Association ruled that the club could not be named Tor, and so Tromsø Idrettslag was again chosen, this time permanently. Tromsø IL also won its second district championship in 1932, but was knocked out in the semi final of the Northern Norwegian cup. The thirties proved to be a good decade for Tromsø IL, as the club won district championships in 1933, 1936, and 1937, as well. However, sports activities came to an end in 1940, because of World War II, and so the club did not play again before 1945.

Tromsø (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈtrʊmsø]  (listen); Northern Sami: Romsa;Kven: Tromssa) is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.

Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population. It is the largest city and the largest urban area in Northern Norway, and the second largest city and urban area in Sápmi (following Murmansk). Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya in the county of Troms, 350 kilometres (217 mi) inside the arctic circle. Substantial parts of the urban area are also situated on the mainland to the east, and on parts of Kvaløya - a large island to the west. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge. The city is warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.

Benny Lekström (born 19 February 1981), born in Enskede, Sweden, is a football goalkeeper who currently plays for Tromsø IL. He have previously played for Enskede IK, Hammarby IF, IF Brommapojkarna and FK Mjølner.

Lekström played for Hammarby IF from 2005 to 2007, and left Hammarby on a free transfer to IF Brommapojkarna, where he played from 2008 to 2010. After one season in the Norwegian club FK Mjølner, Lekstrøm signed a two year deal with Tromsø IL on 19 October 2011, starting from January 2012.

Remi Johansen (born 4 September 1990) is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays for Tromsø IL in the Norwegian Premier League. He made his debut in the Norwegian Premier League 23 March 2009 against Rosenborg BK.

Morten Pedersen (born 12 April 1972) is a former Norwegian soccer player, who played as defender. He is currently the head coach of Tromsdalen UIL in the Norwegian Adeccoliga

Before retiring in 2007, Pedersen played for Tromsø IL, where he returned in 2003 after having played for various professional Norwegian and foreign clubs. During Tromsø's last home match of the 2006 season, Pedersen sustained an injury which would eventually lead him to retire from football. He officially announced that he retired in August 2007, and was honored during a special ceremony before the home match against Odd on September 2, 2007.

Pedersen started his career playing for Storsteinnes IL, before going to the Danish club Brøndby IF in 1990. His stint at Brøndby was not successful, and he only got to play one match during the two years he stayed at the club. In 1992 he returned to Norway to play for Tromsø IL. Pedersen stayed with Tromsø until 1996, when he transferred to SK Brann. Pedersen only spent one year, playing regularly for Brann, before trying his luck abroad for a second time, this time with German Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach. His career in Germany proved to be as unsuccessful as his career in Denmark, however, and he returned to Norway one year later to play with Rosenborg BK, where he won the Tippeligaen. After a year at Rosenborg, he made a third and final attempt at establishing a career as a foreign professional, going to Belgian side K.A.A. Gent. At Gent, which at that moment was coached by a fellow Norwegian, Trond Sollied, Pedersen finally got regular playing time, and his time at the club proved very successful. Pedersen played with K.A.A. Gent for some seasons before returning to Tromsø in 2003, the same year that Ole Martin Årst also returned to Tromsø from Belgium.