Iceland National Football Team
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Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
in men's international football. The team is controlled by the
Football Association of Iceland The Football Association of Iceland ( is, Knattspyrnusamband Íslands, KSÍ) is the governing body of football in Iceland. It was founded on 26 March 1947, joined FIFA the same year, and UEFA in 1954. It organises the football league, Úrvalsdei ...
, and have been a FIFA member since 1947 and an
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
member since 1957. The team's nickname is ''Strákarnir okkar'', which means ''Our Boys'' in Icelandic. The team has enjoyed success in the second half of the 2010s. In the qualifying rounds for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Iceland reached the playoffs before losing to
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
. Iceland reached its first major tournament,
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, after a qualification campaign which included home and away wins over the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. After advancing to the knockout stages of Euro 2016, Iceland defeated England in the Round of 16, advancing to the quarter-finals, where they lost to host nation
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
5–2. They became the smallest nation by population to ever clinch a
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
berth when they qualified for the 2018 tournament on 9 October 2017. They drew with
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in their opening match, but nonetheless still went out in the group stage.


History


20th century

Although Úrvalsdeild, the Icelandic Football League, was founded in 1912, the country's first international match was played on 29 July 1930, against the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
. Although Iceland won 1–0 away, both teams were at the time unaffiliated with FIFA. The first match officially recognised by FIFA took place in
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
on 17 July 1946, a 0–3 loss to their future rivals
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
. The first international victory was against Finland in 1947. For the first 20 years of the
Football Association of Iceland The Football Association of Iceland ( is, Knattspyrnusamband Íslands, KSÍ) is the governing body of football in Iceland. It was founded on 26 March 1947, joined FIFA the same year, and UEFA in 1954. It organises the football league, Úrvalsdei ...
(KSÍ)'s existence, the team mostly did not participate in qualifying for the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
or the
UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...
. In 1954, Iceland applied to take part in qualification for the 1954 World Cup, but the application was rejected. In qualification for the 1958 World Cup, Iceland finished last in their group with zero wins, conceding 26 goals! In 1980, Iceland won the first edition of the friendly tournament known as the
Greenland Cup The Greenland Cup ( da, Grønlands Cup, kl, Kalaallit Nunaat Imertarfik) was an association football friendly knock-out tournament controlled by the Football Association of Greenland. The Greenland National Football Team competed as a regular i ...
. Since 1974, the team has taken part in qualifying for every World Cup and European Championship. In 1994, the team reached their then best ever position in the
FIFA World Rankings The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...
, 37th. This record stood until 2016 when they managed to reach 21st. In a friendly against
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
on 24 April 1996 in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
,
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen Eiður is an Icelandic given name. It appears in Landnámabók and its meaning is most likely 'oath' in English (''ed'' or ''eid'' in some modern Germanic languages). The name is rather uncommon, carried only by around 200 persons. agsofa Íslands ...
entered as a substitute for his father Arnór. This marked the first time that a father and son played in the same international match.


21st century

In qualification for
Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The ...
, Iceland finished third in their group, one point behind
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. As a result, they failed to qualify for a playoff spot. However, the following qualifying campaigns will be much more difficult for Iceland which will flirt with the last places of its respective groups, in particular during the Euro 2008 qualifiers where despite two unexpected successes against
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
(3–0 in the opening away, 2–1 at home in the return) and a heroic resistance in the first and second leg against the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
future winners of the competition (a 1–1 draw at home after having led the score and a short 0–1 defeat away), Our boys suffered several other heavy defeats, including two against Latvia, who had qualified for
Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The ...
as a surprise (0–4 away, 2–4 home), and one against
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
(0–3 away, after a 1–1 home draw). The reasons for the lack of results of the selection were due to the absence of professionals on the island, the Icelanders played soccer for fun. Moreover, the hostile climate where winter lasts 8 months did not help the development of the sport, there were only two synthetic fields forcing the footballers to train on the gravel or in the snow. In the 2000s, Icelandic soccer will experience a real revolution. The economic boom will allow the authorities to create important structures with indoor pitches in synthetic turf, which results in the practice of soccer all year round without worrying about the weather conditions outside. These new structures encourage young people to turn to sports and even lead to a decrease in alcohol and tobacco consumption among teenagers. In 2014, Iceland almost secured qualification for their first World Cup. Finishing second in Group D, they played
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
in a two-leg playoff for qualification. After holding them to a 0–0 draw in the home leg, they lost 2–0 away.


Euro 2016

Iceland qualified for a major tournament for the first time in 2015 after finishing second in Group A of qualification for
Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
, losing only two games, and beating the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
– which had finished third in the 2014 World Cup – twice. During the qualification, they reached their then highest ranking in the FIFA World Rankings, 23rd. Iceland were drawn into a group with
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
for the final tournament. At the tournament finals, Iceland recorded 1–1 draws in their first two group stage matches against Portugal and Hungary. They then advanced from their group with a 2–1 victory against Austria. Iceland qualified for the tournament's quarter-finals after a 2–1 upset win over England in the Round of 16, which led to England manager Roy Hodgson resigning in disgrace immediately after the final whistle. However, they were eliminated by host nation
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in the quarter-finals, 5–2.


2018 World Cup

Iceland qualified for the 2018 World Cup, their first ever appearance in the world championship, securing qualification on 9 October 2017 after a 2–0 win against
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. In doing so, they became the lowest-populated country ever to reach the finals. Iceland were drawn to play
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
in a group that was considered by many as the "
group of death A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament. Thus, i ...
". Despite a challenging group, Iceland were tipped to advance from the group by several journalist websites, based on their impressive performance in Euro 2016. Their maiden match at the World Cup was against 2014 runners-up Argentina, with Iceland surprisingly holding Argentina to a 1–1 draw. However, their chances of advancing from the group were hurt following a 2–0 loss to Nigeria, with several missed opportunities in the first half and a penalty kick in the second half missed by Gylfi Sigurdsson, putting Iceland to play with full determination against already qualified Croatia. Iceland lost to Croatia in their final group game; and because Argentina won against Nigeria, Iceland finished bottom of the group with just a point.


2018–19 UEFA Nations League

After Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, Iceland was expected to play at Euro 2020. However, the team is playing just before the brand new Nations League, where they are in Group 2 of League A with
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. But the Strákarnir okkar are showing worrying signals: the post-World Cup period is difficult as Iceland concedes 4 defeats in 4 games, including a heavy initial setback in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
(0–6) where they were dominated in all compartments of the game by the Helvetians. Many of Iceland's international matches were undermined by the repeated absence of some of their key players, often due to injury; while the Icelandic defense, often unbeatable in previous crucial matches, is showing more and more difficulty in replacing its usual key players with a new generation of younger defenders. Due to the change of rules finally decided by UEFA, Iceland is not relegated to League B for the 2020–2021 edition.


Euro 2020

In group H of the Euro qualifiers with the world champions
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Turkey, Albania, Andorra and Moldova, Icelanders are reassuring on the accounting level and are not surprised by the most modest opponents (Moldova and Andorra). However, they have more difficulties away (like the 0–6 in Switzerland) and lost three games, including the two confrontations against ''Les Bleus'' (4–0 at the Stade de France and 1–0 at home on a penalty kick after the hour of play at the end of a tight game) and a scathing defeat away against
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
4–2, However, they continue to outplay Turks by taking 4 points out of 6 possible and being the only undefeated team as well as the only team of the group to inflict a defeat against this team. Third behind Turkey and France, the Icelanders won 2–1 in the first playoff game against
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
thanks to a brace of Gylfi Sigurðsson in the first half (16th and 34th minute), despite the Romanian reduction of the score on penalty kick in the second half after consultation of the
VAR Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...
and will have to negotiate a perilous trip to Hungary, which won at the
Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely unders ...
(3–1) and made a good impression at home in group E of the Euro 2020 qualifiers by beating
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
(2–1) and
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
(1–0). On November 12, 2020 in their playoff game against Hungary, Iceland came agonisingly close to qualifying for
Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, as it led 1–0 for nearly the entire match, on a direct free kick by Gylfi Sigurðsson well helped by a blunder of the opponent's goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi (11th minute), until Hungary scored two goals in under five minutes, the first coming in the 88th minute by Loïc Nego to stun Iceland and the second in the second minute of added time by
Dominik Szoboszlai Dominik Szoboszlai (; born 25 October 2000) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club RB Leipzig and the Hungary national team. Coming through the youth system, Szoboszlai made his senior debut in 2017 with Au ...
, proving to be the winner; Hungary had beaten Iceland 2–1. Iceland had also suffered poor results in their
UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The first tournament began in September 2018. The ...
campaign in
League A League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Leagues (band), ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full ...
, having lost all their
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
matches and failing to garner a single point, resulting in their relegation to League B the following season. Manager
Erik Hamrén Erik Anders Hamrén (born 27 June 1957) is a Swedish manager and former football player, who is the manager of Danish Superliga club AaB. He also previously coached the Sweden national football team between 2009 and 2016 and the Iceland natio ...
ultimately resigned, following their poor performance that year.


2022 World Cup

The start of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers was also totally missed by Iceland, which suffered two defeats at the beginning of the tournament, away against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(0–3) and more surprisingly in
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
(0–2). However, the Strákarnir okkar are back in the race thanks to a 4–1 victory over
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
combined with concomitant defeats of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The crucial preparation for the September games, where Iceland had the advantage of playing all three games at home after several away games and had played some encouraging friendlies in June, was disrupted by extra-sporting affairs involving both
Kolbeinn Sigþórsson Kolbeinn Sigþórsson (; born 14 March 1990) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a forward. Currently a free agent, he most recently played for Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg. Before being signed by Ajax for a fee of €4.5&n ...
and Gylfi Sigurðsson accused of sexual offences and thus absent from the month's games. The cases also led to the resignation of several senior officials of the Icelandic Football Association, including its president. Against this backdrop,
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
took revenge for the Euro play-off they had lost almost a year earlier, beating Strákarnir okkar 2–0. The latter are then forced to draw (2–2 after being led 0–2) against
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
before falling heavily against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(0–4) and pointing to the penultimate place in the group with 4 units on the counter with 4 days to go in the qualifiers, significantly reducing Iceland's chances of qualifying for the next World Cup. Then Iceland recovered in the two October games by holding Armenia (1–1) who had beaten them 2–0 in March and then by winning widely against Liechtenstein (4–0). Despite this, Iceland is still 5th in its group and is about to be eliminated. Against all odds, they resisted away against
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
despite a clear domination of the local team (0–0) but were mathematically eliminated with one day to go since the Strákarnir okkar had to win their last two games and hope for slip-ups from their direct competitors to finish 2nd in the group. These distressing results are due to several factors, both sporting and extra-sporting: the late generational renewal of the usual ageing management team, a process partly hampered by a limited pool of footballers due to Iceland's demographics; the questionable tactical choices of the new, inexperienced coach, resulting in a lack of automatism among new players who are not used to playing together and the absence of a real standard team; and sexual assault scandals that have effectively sidelined some of the team's best players under investigation and have continued the negative spiral.


Team image

The national team uses a blue as the home colours and white as their second colours but their crest featuring stylized imagery of Iceland's four " guardian spirits" (''Landvættir'') in local folklore; a giant, a dragon, a bull, and an eagle. The team's crest was adopted in 2020 and was designed by
Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
-based firm Bradenburg. Previously the team used a team crest which features a shield-type symbol which consist the abbreviation of the
Football Association of Iceland The Football Association of Iceland ( is, Knattspyrnusamband Íslands, KSÍ) is the governing body of football in Iceland. It was founded on 26 March 1947, joined FIFA the same year, and UEFA in 1954. It organises the football league, Úrvalsdei ...
in Icelandic (KSI), strips which derives colors from the
Flag of Iceland The flag of Iceland ( is, íslenski fáninn) was officially described in Law No. 34, set out on 17 June 1944, the day Iceland became a republic. The law is entitled "The Law of the National Flag of Icelanders and the State Arms" and describes ...
, and a football. Iceland's supporters became known for using
Viking Thunder Clap The Viking Thunder Clap or Viking Clap is a football chant, consisting of a loud shout and a clap in unison, which is then repeated initially several seconds later and gradually speeding up over time. The chant has been performed by fans of a num ...
chant in the mid-2010s, which involves fans clapping their hands above their heads and yelling "huh!" to the beat of a drum; the tradition originates from Scottish club
Motherwell F.C. Motherwell Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Motherwell have not dropped out of the top-flight of Scottish football since 1985, and have l ...
Iceland's Viking Clap first received wider international attention during the
Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
.


Kit providers

The official kit is produced by German sports manufacturing company Puma since 2020. Before that the kit providers were
Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 10 ...
(1975), Adidas (1976–1992), ABM (1992–1996), Reusch (1996–2001) and
Erreà Erreà () is an Italian sports equipment company supplier. Erreà was the first Italian sportswear company to be accredited with the Oeko-tex standard certification, which assures that garments textiles are free from harmful chemicals. Backgrou ...
(2002–2020)


Results and fixtures


2022


2023


Coaching staff


Players


Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
on 8 January 2023 and 12 January 2023 respectively. ''Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2022, after the match against Latvia.''


Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Iceland squad in the last 12 months. INJ Withdrew due to injury
RET Retired from the national team
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue. .


Previous squads

;FIFA World Cup: * World Cup 2018 squad ;UEFA European Championship: * Euro 2016 squad


Records

. :''Players in bold are still active with Iceland.''


Most caps


Top goalscorers


Competitive record


FIFA World Cup


UEFA European Championship


UEFA Nations League


Honours

* Baltic Cup ** Champions (1): 2022 *
Greenland Cup The Greenland Cup ( da, Grønlands Cup, kl, Kalaallit Nunaat Imertarfik) was an association football friendly knock-out tournament controlled by the Football Association of Greenland. The Greenland National Football Team competed as a regular i ...
** Champions (2): 1980, 1984 *
China Cup The China Cup International Football Championship () is an annual association football tournament organized in China by Wanda Sports Holdings. The Championship was inaugurated in 2017 as a single-elimination tournament A single-elimination ...
** Runners-up (1): 2017


FIFA ranking history

Source:


See also

*
Iceland national under-21 football team The Iceland men's national under-21 football team is a national under-21 football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. The team is considered to be the feeder team for the senior Icelandic men's national footb ...
*
Iceland national under-19 football team The Iceland national under-19 football team, controlled by the Football Association of Iceland, represents Iceland at the European Under-19 Football Championship and international friendly match fixtures at the under-19 age level. European Champ ...
* Iceland national under-17 football team * Iceland national futsal team *
Iceland women's national football team The Iceland women's national football team represents Iceland in international women's football. They are currently ranked as the 17th best women's national team in the world by FIFA as of December 2019. On 30 October 2008, the national team q ...


Notes


References


External links


Football Association of IcelandFIFA profile
* ttp://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/ijs-intres.html RSSSF archive of results 1946–br>RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iceland National Football Team European national association football teams
National Team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...