They come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
Iceland, with a population of less than 330,000, is the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major tournament. El Paso Texas has about twice as many people.
These cities each have more people than the nation of Iceland: Fresno, Long Beach, Mesa, Virginia Beach, Colorado Springs, Wichita, Omaha, Bakersfield, Aurora.
Santa Ana, California has about the same population as Iceland.
Iceland beat Holland twice and trounced Turkey 3-0 in qualifying. Before this tournament's qualifying, the national team had never won two matches in a row in any competition.
They have two managers, the awesomely named Lars Lagerback and co-manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, who is also a dentist. Lagerback managed Sweden for a long time and then took Nigeria to the 2010 World Cup. He's now got Iceland up to 34th in the world in the FIFA rankings.
According to the Daily Mail, they will go with a 4-4-2 setup.
They open against Portugal and Cristiano in their first match. They will be underdogs, but maybe not as much as you would expect.
UEFA.com expects this lineup:
Kristinsson
Skúlason, R Sigurdsson, Árnason, Sævarsson
Gudmundsson, G Sigurdsson, Gunnarsson, Bjarnason
Sigthórsson, Finnbogason
With Gudjohnsen coming off the bench as a striking option.
(Player profiles and info taken from the Guardian's awesome complete guide.)
Goalkeeper:
Ögmundur Kristinsson: is a lawyer.
Hannes Thór Halldórsson: Film director who played part-time for Icelandic clubs until 2014, when he gave it up to sign his first professional deal in Norway. Directed the video for Iceland’s entry in the Eurovision song contest in 2012 – Greta Salóme & Jónsi finished 20th with “Never Forget”.
Defenders:
Birkir Már Sævarsson: Father of four, nicknamed “The Wind” in Iceland for his speed up and down the right flank. Has the emblem of his Icelandic club, Valur, tattooed on his shoulder. He almost quit football to become a pilot before he broke into Valur’s squad, and says he’s considering finishing his pilot training or becoming an air traffic controller when his playing career is over.
Haukur Heiðar Hauksson: Nephew of Kristján Jóhannsson, a well known Icelandic tenor known for his performances in Verdian roles, especially as Radames in Aida.
Ragnar Sigurdsson: Famously unfazed by pressure and unimpressed by celebrity – he told the press in 2013 before facing Croatia in a World Cup qualifier: “Mario Mandzukic, who is this? I don’t know who he is. No, I’m not kidding … I’ve never feared anyone in my life.”
Kári Árnason: Has a masters in business studies – his graduation essay was about alleged corruption in English football – and turned down the chance to continue his studies in America to become a pro in Sweden.
Hördur Björgvin Magnússon: Has been at Juventus since 2013 without playing for them – has had loan spells at Spezia and Cesena. Provides useful tournament squad cover at centre-back and left-back. His brother was a Jamie Oliver student and runs the Lobster and Stuff restaurant in Reykjavík.
Ari Freyr Skúlason: Known for a suspect temper, he was once sent to train with the youth team after boiling over, and took a course in anger management after an incident in a match with Sundsvall. Used to play as a midfielder for his club teams but converted to left-back in the national team.
Midfielders:
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson: sed to be a keen player of the online first-person shooter Counter-Strike but gave it up because of bad internet connection between London and his friends in Iceland.
Birkir Bjarnason: Nicknamed Thor.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: Plays for Swansea in the Premier League. Sigurdsson is a board member of his father’s fishing company and owns an Icelandic real estate company. His brother is a professional golf instructor.
Aron Gunnarsson: the captain of the squad. Used to wear a big Viking beard, but shaved it off, alas. Was a very promising team handball player, before concentrating full time on soccer. Known for his long throw-ins.
Theódór Elmar Bjarnason: Signed for Celtic aged 17, but made only one appearance there before leaving in 2008. He later confessed to having spent most of his Celtic salary on gambling. Well known for his ability to imitate of Goofy, the Disney cartoon character.
Emil Hallfredsson: Former Tottenham player, now with Udinese. Has been shaving his head for so long that most people have forgotten about his shining red hair.
Arnór Ingvi Traustason: Voted most promising player in the Icelandic league in 2013, while playing for Keflavík. (I assume their team nickname is the Airports.)
Forwards:
Kolbeinn Sigthórsson: Plays in France for Nantes, had a trial with Arsenal when he was young. His older brother, Andri, now his agent, played for the youth and reserve team of Bayern Munich, and later won seven Iceland caps. His father’s company, a chain of bakeries, is one of the FA’s main sponsors.
Alfred Finnbogason: Renowned for his football knowledge and passion for pub quizs, he is fluent in multiple languages. He found his scoring touch again in Germany last season after difficult spells at Real Sociedad and Olympiakos.
Eidur Gudjohnsen: 37-year-old former Chealsea and Barcelona player is Iceland’s all-time leading scorer. He played his first match for his country 20 years ago, coming on as a sub for his father, Arnór Gudjohnsen. Currently promoting an Icelandic cultured dairy product online. “Not many of you know that I have eaten Skyr through all of my career. True story.”
Iceland, with a population of less than 330,000, is the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major tournament. El Paso Texas has about twice as many people.
These cities each have more people than the nation of Iceland: Fresno, Long Beach, Mesa, Virginia Beach, Colorado Springs, Wichita, Omaha, Bakersfield, Aurora.
Santa Ana, California has about the same population as Iceland.
Iceland beat Holland twice and trounced Turkey 3-0 in qualifying. Before this tournament's qualifying, the national team had never won two matches in a row in any competition.
They have two managers, the awesomely named Lars Lagerback and co-manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, who is also a dentist. Lagerback managed Sweden for a long time and then took Nigeria to the 2010 World Cup. He's now got Iceland up to 34th in the world in the FIFA rankings.
According to the Daily Mail, they will go with a 4-4-2 setup.
They open against Portugal and Cristiano in their first match. They will be underdogs, but maybe not as much as you would expect.
UEFA.com expects this lineup:
Kristinsson
Skúlason, R Sigurdsson, Árnason, Sævarsson
Gudmundsson, G Sigurdsson, Gunnarsson, Bjarnason
Sigthórsson, Finnbogason
With Gudjohnsen coming off the bench as a striking option.
(Player profiles and info taken from the Guardian's awesome complete guide.)
Goalkeeper:
Ögmundur Kristinsson: is a lawyer.
Hannes Thór Halldórsson: Film director who played part-time for Icelandic clubs until 2014, when he gave it up to sign his first professional deal in Norway. Directed the video for Iceland’s entry in the Eurovision song contest in 2012 – Greta Salóme & Jónsi finished 20th with “Never Forget”.
Defenders:
Birkir Már Sævarsson: Father of four, nicknamed “The Wind” in Iceland for his speed up and down the right flank. Has the emblem of his Icelandic club, Valur, tattooed on his shoulder. He almost quit football to become a pilot before he broke into Valur’s squad, and says he’s considering finishing his pilot training or becoming an air traffic controller when his playing career is over.
Haukur Heiðar Hauksson: Nephew of Kristján Jóhannsson, a well known Icelandic tenor known for his performances in Verdian roles, especially as Radames in Aida.
Ragnar Sigurdsson: Famously unfazed by pressure and unimpressed by celebrity – he told the press in 2013 before facing Croatia in a World Cup qualifier: “Mario Mandzukic, who is this? I don’t know who he is. No, I’m not kidding … I’ve never feared anyone in my life.”
Kári Árnason: Has a masters in business studies – his graduation essay was about alleged corruption in English football – and turned down the chance to continue his studies in America to become a pro in Sweden.
Hördur Björgvin Magnússon: Has been at Juventus since 2013 without playing for them – has had loan spells at Spezia and Cesena. Provides useful tournament squad cover at centre-back and left-back. His brother was a Jamie Oliver student and runs the Lobster and Stuff restaurant in Reykjavík.
Ari Freyr Skúlason: Known for a suspect temper, he was once sent to train with the youth team after boiling over, and took a course in anger management after an incident in a match with Sundsvall. Used to play as a midfielder for his club teams but converted to left-back in the national team.
Midfielders:
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson: sed to be a keen player of the online first-person shooter Counter-Strike but gave it up because of bad internet connection between London and his friends in Iceland.
Birkir Bjarnason: Nicknamed Thor.
Gylfi Sigurdsson: Plays for Swansea in the Premier League. Sigurdsson is a board member of his father’s fishing company and owns an Icelandic real estate company. His brother is a professional golf instructor.
Aron Gunnarsson: the captain of the squad. Used to wear a big Viking beard, but shaved it off, alas. Was a very promising team handball player, before concentrating full time on soccer. Known for his long throw-ins.
Theódór Elmar Bjarnason: Signed for Celtic aged 17, but made only one appearance there before leaving in 2008. He later confessed to having spent most of his Celtic salary on gambling. Well known for his ability to imitate of Goofy, the Disney cartoon character.
Emil Hallfredsson: Former Tottenham player, now with Udinese. Has been shaving his head for so long that most people have forgotten about his shining red hair.
Arnór Ingvi Traustason: Voted most promising player in the Icelandic league in 2013, while playing for Keflavík. (I assume their team nickname is the Airports.)
Forwards:
Kolbeinn Sigthórsson: Plays in France for Nantes, had a trial with Arsenal when he was young. His older brother, Andri, now his agent, played for the youth and reserve team of Bayern Munich, and later won seven Iceland caps. His father’s company, a chain of bakeries, is one of the FA’s main sponsors.
Alfred Finnbogason: Renowned for his football knowledge and passion for pub quizs, he is fluent in multiple languages. He found his scoring touch again in Germany last season after difficult spells at Real Sociedad and Olympiakos.
Eidur Gudjohnsen: 37-year-old former Chealsea and Barcelona player is Iceland’s all-time leading scorer. He played his first match for his country 20 years ago, coming on as a sub for his father, Arnór Gudjohnsen. Currently promoting an Icelandic cultured dairy product online. “Not many of you know that I have eaten Skyr through all of my career. True story.”
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