Iceland national football team

The Iceland men's national football team (in Icelandic: Íslenska karlalandsliðið í knattspyrnu) represents Iceland in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland, and have been a FIFA member since 1947 and a UEFA member since 1957. The team's nickname is Strákarnir okkar, which means Our Boys in Icelandic.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Iceland women's national football team.

Iceland
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Strákarnir okkar (Our Boys)
AssociationKnattspyrnusamband Íslands (KSÍ)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachÅge Hareide[1]
CaptainAron Gunnarsson
Most capsBirkir Bjarnason (113)
Top scorerGylfi Sigurðsson (27)
Home stadiumLaugardalsvöllur
FIFA codeISL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 67 Steady (21 September 2023)[2]
Highest18 (February–March 2018)
Lowest131 (April–June 2012)
First international
Unofficial
 Faroe Islands 0–1 Iceland 
(Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; 29 July 1930)[3]
Official
 Iceland 0–3 Denmark 
(Reykjavík, Iceland; 17 July 1946)[4]
Biggest win
Unofficial
 Iceland 9–0 Faroe Islands 
(Keflavík, Iceland; 10 July 1985)[5]
Official
 Liechtenstein 0–7 Iceland 
(Vaduz, Liechtenstein; 26 March 2023)
Biggest defeat
 Denmark 14–2 Iceland 
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 23 August 1967)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2018)
Best resultGroup stage (2018)
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2016)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2016)

The team 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. Iceland reached its first major tournament, UEFA Euro 2016, after a qualification campaign which included home and away wins over the Netherlands. After reaching 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 5–2. They became the smallest nation by population ever to clinch a FIFA World Cup berth when they qualified for the 2018 tournament on 9 October 2017.[6] They drew with Argentina in their opening match, but went out in the group stage.[7][8]

History

20th century

Although Úrvalsdeild, the Icelandic Football League, was founded in 1912,[9] the country's first international match was played on 29 July 1930, against the Faroe Islands.[10] Although Iceland won 1–0 away, both teams were at the time unaffiliated with FIFA.[11] The first match officially recognised by FIFA took place in Reykjavík on 17 July 1946, a 0–3 loss to their future rivals Denmark.[12] The first international victory was against Finland in 1947.[13] For the first 20 years of the Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ)'s existence, the team mostly did not participate in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship. In 1954, Iceland applied to take part in qualification for the 1954 World Cup, but the application was rejected.[10] In qualification for the 1958 World Cup, Iceland finished last in their group with zero wins, conceding 26 goals.[10]

In 1980, Iceland won the first edition of the friendly tournament known as the Greenland Cup.[14]

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, 37th. This record stood until 2016 when they managed to reach 21st.[15] In a friendly against Estonia on 24 April 1996 in Tallinn, Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen entered as a substitute for his father Arnór. This marked the first time that a father and son played in the same international match.[16]

21st century
Iceland national football team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Rostov-on-Don, Russia

In qualification for Euro 2004, Iceland finished third in their group, one point behind Scotland.[17] As a result, they failed to qualify for a playoff spot.[18]

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 (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 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 as a surprise (0–4 away, 2–4 home), and one against Liechtenstein (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.[19]

In 2014, Iceland almost secured qualification for their first World Cup.[20] Finishing second in Group D, they played Croatia in a two-leg playoff for qualification.[21][22] After holding them to a 0–0 draw in the home leg, they lost 2–0 away.[23]

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, losing only two games, and beating the Netherlands – which had finished third in the 2014 World Cup – twice.[24] During the qualification, they reached their then highest ranking in the FIFA World Rankings, 23rd.[25][26] Iceland were drawn into a group with Portugal, Hungary and Austria 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.[27] 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.[28] However, they were eliminated by host nation France in the quarter-finals, 5–2.[29]

World Cup team 2018.

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. In doing so, they became the lowest-populated country ever to reach the finals.[30] Iceland were drawn to play Croatia, Argentina and Nigeria in a group that was considered by many as the "group of death".[31][32] Despite a challenging group, Iceland were tipped to advance from the group by several journalist websites, based on their impressive performance in Euro 2016.[33] Their maiden match at the World Cup was against 2014 runners-up Argentina, with Iceland holding Argentina to a 1–1 draw.[34][35] 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 in position to play a decisive match against already qualified Croatia.[36][37] Iceland lost to Croatia in their final group game; and because Argentina won against Nigeria, Iceland finished bottom of the group with a single point.[38][39]

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

After Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, Iceland participated in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, in which they were in Group 2 of League A with Switzerland and Belgium. Many of Iceland's international matches in this competition were undermined by the repeated absence of some of their key players, often due to injury. Iceland lost all four games and faced relegation to League B,[40] but due to a rule change by UEFA, Iceland was not relegated to League B for the 2020–2021 edition.

Euro 2020 qualifiers

In group H of the Euro qualifiers with the world champions France, Turkey, Albania, Andorra and Moldova. Iceland lost both 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 the away match against Albania 4–2, though achieved a win and a draw against Turkey. Iceland finished third behind France and Turkey and advanced to the playoffs, where they defeated Romania 2–1. On 12 November 2020, in their playoff game against Hungary, Iceland nearly secured qualification for Euro 2020, having led 1–0 for most of the match, thanks to a direct free kick by Gylfi Sigurðsson. However, Hungary scored two goals in under five minutes, the first in the 88th minute by Loïc Nego and the second in the second minute of added time by Dominik Szoboszlai, proving to be the winner, thereby securing qualification at Iceland's expense.[41]

Iceland had also suffered poor results in their UEFA Nations League campaign in League A, having lost all their group stage matches and failing to garner a single point, resulting in their relegation to League B the following season.[42] Manager Erik Hamrén ultimately resigned, following their poor performance that year.[43]

2022 World Cup qualifiers

Iceland also had a poor start to 2022 World Cup qualifiers, suffering two defeats at the beginning of the tournament, away against Germany (0–3) and more surprisingly in Armenia (0–2). 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 and Gylfi Sigurðsson accused of sexual offences[44][45] 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.[46] In the aftermath of these affairs, Iceland lost against Romania (0–2), drew against North Macedonia (2–2), and suffered a heavy loss against Germany (0–4); these results left Iceland in second-to-last place in Group J with four matches remaining. In the two October games, Iceland drew against Armenia (1–1) and defeated Liechtenstein (4–0). Despite these results, along with an away draw against Romania (0–0), Iceland was mathematically eliminated with one day remaining, being unable to recover enough points to reach second place.

This run of poor results has been attributed to several factors, both sporting and extra-sporting: the late generational renewal, a process partly hampered by a limited pool of footballers due to Iceland's demographics; the questionable tactical choices of the new 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.[47][48]

Euro 2024 qualifiers

The Euro 2024 qualifiers have also got off to a poor start in terms of results, with just one win and 3 defeats after 4 matches and a provisional penultimate place. Iceland were swept aside in Bosnia (0–3), before recording the biggest official victory in their history against Liechtenstein (7–0). Following a long series of poor results, Icelandic coach Arnar Viðarsson was sacked[49] and replaced by Norwegian Åge Hareide. Under the new coach and after two away games, Iceland hosted Slovakia and Portugal, but both matches ended in defeat. First, the Strákarnir okkar lost to the Slovaks (1–2) after a crude defensive error with a direct clearance to Tomáš Suslov, who scored Slovakia's 2nd goal when the teams were back to back. Iceland then put in a better performance than in their previous matches against group favourites Portugal, demonstrating excellent tactical organization and keeping the Lusitanians at bay for long periods. However, a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo on his 200th appearance for Portugal, initially disallowed but then validated by VAR at the very end of normal time, sealed Portugal's victory (0–1), shortly after the Nordic side had been reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card for Willum Þór Willumsson.

Team image
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iceland national football team kits.
The previous logo (1995–2020)

The national team uses blue as the home colours and white as their second colours; their crest features 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-based firm Bradenburg. Previously the team had used a team crest which featured a shield-type symbol which consisted of the abbreviation of the Football Association of Iceland in Icelandic (KSI), stripes in the colors of the Flag of Iceland, and a football.[50][51]

Iceland's supporters became known for using the Viking Thunder Clap 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. Iceland's Viking Clap first received wider international attention during Euro 2016.[52]

Kit providers

The official kit is produced by German sports manufacturing company Puma since 2020. Before that the kit providers were Umbro (1975), Adidas (1976–1992), ABM (1992–1996), Reusch (1996–2001) and Erreà (2002–2020)

Kit provider Period
England Umbro 1975
Germany Adidas 1976–1991
Italy ABM 1992–1996
Germany Reusch 1996–2001
Italy Erreà 2002–2020
Germany Puma 2020–

Results and fixtures
Main article: Iceland national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2022
6 November 2022 Friendly Saudi Arabia  1–0  Iceland Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
16:00 UTC+4 Abdulhamid 26' Report Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
Referee: Ahmed Eisa Darwich (United Arab Emirates)
11 November 2022 Friendly South Korea  1–0  Iceland Hwaseong, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Hwaseong Stadium
Attendance: 15,274
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)
16 November 2022 Baltic Cup Semi-final Lithuania  0–0
(5–6 p)		  Iceland Vilnius, Lithuania
Report Stadium: LFF Stadium
Penalties
19 November 2022 Baltic Cup Final Latvia  1–1
(7–8 p)		  Iceland Riga, Latvia
16:00 UTC+2 Cigaņiks 67' Report Jóhannesson 62' (pen.) Stadium: Daugavas stadions
Referee: Joonas Jaanovits (Estonia)
Penalties

2023
8 January 2023 Friendly Iceland  1–1  Estonia Albufeira, Portugal
A. Guðjohnsen 90+1' (pen.) Zenjov 45' Stadium: Estadio da Nora
12 January 2023 Friendly Sweden  2–1  Iceland Algarve, Portugal
E. Andersson 85'
Ondrejka 90+4'		 S. Guðjohnsen 30' Stadium: Estádio Algarve
23 March 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Bosnia and Herzegovina  3–0  Iceland Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
20:45 Krunić 14', 40'
Dedić 63'		 Report Stadium: Bilino Polje
Attendance: 9,234
Referee: Donatas Rumšas (Lithuania)
26 March 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Liechtenstein  0–7  Iceland Vaduz, Liechtenstein
18:00 Report Ólafsson 3'
Haraldsson 38'
Gunnarsson 48', 68', 73' (pen.)
A. Guðjohnsen 85'
Ellertsson 87'		 Stadium: Rheinpark Stadion
Attendance: 1,692
Referee: Jakob Kehlet (Denmark)
17 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Iceland  1–2  Slovakia Reykjavík, Iceland
20:45 (18:45 UTC±0)
Report
Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 7,555
Referee: Don Robertson (Scotland)
20 June 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Iceland  0–1  Portugal Reykjavík, Iceland
20:45 (18:45 UTC±0) Report
Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 9,517
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
8 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Luxembourg  3–1  Iceland Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
20:45
Report
Stadium: Stade de Luxembourg
Attendance: 7,427
Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)
11 September 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Iceland  1–0  Bosnia and Herzegovina Reykjavík, Iceland
20:45 (18:45 UTC±0)
Report Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 5,229
Referee: Lawrence Visser (Belgium)
13 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Iceland  1–1  Luxembourg Reykjavík, Iceland
20:45 (18:45 UTC±0)
Report
Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 4,568
Referee: Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)
16 October 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Iceland  4–0  Liechtenstein Reykjavík, Iceland
20:45 (18:45 UTC±0)
Report Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur
Attendance: 4,317
Referee: Abdulkadir Bitigen (Turkey)
16 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Slovakia  v  Iceland Bratislava, Slovakia
20:45 Report Stadium: Tehelné pole
19 November 2023 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Portugal  v  Iceland Lisbon, Portugal
20:45 (19:45 UTC±0) Report Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade

[53][54][55][56]

Coaching staff
See also: List of Iceland national football team managers
Position Name
Head coach Norway Åge Hareide
Assistant coach Iceland Joey Guðjónsson
Technical advisor Iceland Bjarni Jakobsson
Training coach Iceland Birkir Eyjólfsson
Fitness coach Iceland Ari Þór Örlygsson
First-Team Doctor Iceland Jóhannes Rúnarsson
Goalkeeper coach Iceland Halldór Björnsson
Athletic coach Iceland Arnór Snær Guðmundsson
Physiotherapist Iceland Sverrir Sigþórsson

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on 13 October and 16 October 2023 respectively.[57]

Caps and goals are correct as of 16 October 2023, after the match against Liechtenstein.[58][59]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson (1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 27 0 Wales Cardiff City
12 1GK Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson (2001-10-13) 13 October 2001 4 0 Sweden Elfsborg
13 1GK Elías Rafn Ólafsson (2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 5 0 Portugal Mafra
2 2DF Alfons Sampsted (1998-04-06) 6 April 1998 20 0 Netherlands Twente
3 2DF Guðmundur Þórarinsson (1992-04-15) 15 April 1992 12 0 Greece OFI Crete
4 2DF Victor Pálsson (1991-04-30) 30 April 1991 40 1 Belgium Eupen
5 2DF Sverrir Ingi Ingason (1993-08-05) 5 August 1993 44 3 Denmark Midtjylland
6 2DF Hjörtur Hermannsson (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 26 1 Italy Pisa
14 2DF Kolbeinn Finnsson (1999-08-25) 25 August 1999 6 0 Denmark Lyngby
7 3MF Hákon Arnar Haraldsson (2003-04-10) 10 April 2003 15 3 France Lille
8 3MF Arnór Sigurðsson (1999-05-15) 15 May 1999 28 2 England Blackburn Rovers
10 3MF Gylfi Sigurðsson (1989-09-08) 8 September 1989 80 27 Denmark Lyngby
16 3MF Júlíus Magnússon (1998-06-28) 28 June 1998 5 0 Norway Fredrikstad
17 3MF Aron Gunnarsson (captain) (1989-04-22) 22 April 1989 102 5 Qatar Al-Arabi
18 3MF Mikael Anderson (1998-07-01) 1 July 1998 24 2 Denmark AGF
19 3MF Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson (2003-03-23) 23 March 2003 22 3 Germany Fortuna Düsseldorf
21 3MF Arnór Ingvi Traustason (1993-04-30) 30 April 1993 51 5 Sweden Norrköping
23 3MF Kristian Hlynsson (2004-01-23) 23 January 2004 0 0 Netherlands Ajax
9 4FW Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson (1998-11-26) 26 November 1998 32 4 Belgium OH Leuven
11 4FW Alfreð Finnbogason (1989-02-01) 1 February 1989 71 18 Belgium Eupen
15 4FW Willum Þór Willumsson (1998-10-23) 23 October 1998 6 0 Netherlands Go Ahead Eagles
20 4FW Orri Óskarsson (2004-08-29) 29 August 2004 4 1 Denmark FC Copenhagen
22 4FW Andri Guðjohnsen (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 16 4 Denmark Lyngby

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Iceland squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Patrik Gunnarsson (2000-11-15) 15 November 2000 3 0 Norway Viking v.  Liechtenstein, 26 March 2023
GK Frederik Schram (1995-01-19) 19 January 1995 7 0 Iceland Valur v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
GK Sindri Kristinn Ólafsson (1997-01-19) 19 January 1997 0 0 Iceland FH v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
DF Hörður Björgvin Magnússon (1993-02-11) 11 February 1993 49 2 Greece Panathinaikos v.  Luxembourg, 13 October 2023 INJ
DF Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason (1999-12-06) 6 December 1999 14 2 Norway HamKam v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 September 2023
DF Daníel Leó Grétarsson (1995-10-02) 2 October 1995 13 0 Denmark SønderjyskE v.  Portugal, 20 June 2023
DF Davíð Kristján Ólafsson (1995-05-15) 15 May 1995 15 1 Sweden Kalmar v.  Liechtenstein, 26 March 2023
DF Höskuldur Gunnlaugsson (1994-09-26) 26 September 1994 8 0 Iceland Breiðablik v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
DF Damir Muminovic (1990-05-13) 13 May 1990 6 0 Iceland Breiðablik v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
DF Róbert Orri Þorkelsson (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 4 0 Canada Montréal v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
DF Hörður Ingi Gunnarsson (1998-08-14) 14 August 1998 2 0 Iceland FH v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
DF Logi Tómasson (2000-09-13) 13 September 2000 2 0 Norway Strømsgodset v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
DF Rúnar Þór Sigurgeirsson (1999-12-28) 28 December 1999 2 0 Netherlands Willem II v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
DF Viktor Örn Margeirsson (1994-07-22) 22 July 1994 1 0 Iceland Breiðablik v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
MF Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (3rd captain) (1990-10-27) 27 October 1990 88 8 England Burnley v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 September 2023
MF Mikael Egill Ellertsson (2002-03-11) 11 March 2002 13 1 Italy Venezia v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 September 2023
MF Birkir Bjarnason (vice-captain) (1988-05-27) 27 May 1988 113 15 Italy Brescia v.  Portugal, 20 June 2023
MF Þórir Jóhann Helgason (2000-09-28) 28 September 2000 16 2 Germany Eintracht Braunschweig v.  Portugal, 20 June 2023
MF Stefán Teitur Þórðarson (1998-10-16) 16 October 1998 17 1 Denmark Silkeborg v.  Liechtenstein, 26 March 2023
MF Aron Elís Þrándarson (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 17 1 Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík v.  Liechtenstein, 26 March 2023
MF Aron Sigurðarson (1993-10-08) 8 October 1993 8 2 Denmark Horsens v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
MF Viktor Örlygur Andrason (2000-02-05) 5 February 2000 4 0 Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
MF Dagur Dan Þórhallsson (2000-05-02) 2 May 2000 4 0 United States Orlando City v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
MF Kristall Máni Ingason (2002-01-18) 18 January 2002 4 0 Denmark SønderjyskE v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
MF Bjarni Mark Antonsson (1995-12-27) 27 December 1995 3 0 Norway Start v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
MF Aron Bjarnason (1995-10-14) 14 October 1995 1 0 Sweden Sirius v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
MF Nökkvi Þeyr Þórisson (1999-08-13) 13 August 1999 1 0 United States St. Louis City v.  Estonia, 8 January 2023
MF Viktor Karl Einarsson (1997-01-30) 30 January 1997 4 0 Iceland Breiðablik v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
MF Bjarki Steinn Bjarkason (2000-05-11) 11 May 2000 2 0 Italy Venezia v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
MF Jónatan Ingi Jónsson (1999-03-15) 15 March 1999 2 0 Norway Sogndal v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
MF Valdimar Þór Ingimundarson (1999-04-28) 28 April 1999 2 0 Norway Sogndal v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
MF Daníel Hafsteinsson (1999-11-12) 12 November 1999 1 0 Iceland KA v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
FW Sævar Atli Magnússon (2000-06-16) 16 June 2000 5 0 Denmark Lyngby v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 11 September 2023
FW Albert Guðmundsson (1997-06-15) 15 June 1997 35 6 Italy Genoa v.  Portugal, 20 June 2023
FW Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen (1998-05-12) 12 May 1998 19 2 Sweden Elfsborg v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
FW Ísak Þorvaldsson (2001-05-01) 1 May 2001 4 0 Norway Rosenborg v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
FW Danijel Djuric (2003-01-05) 5 January 2003 3 0 Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík v.  Sweden, 12 January 2023
FW Óttar Magnús Karlsson (1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 11 2 Italy Vis Pesaro v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022
FW Jason Daði Svanþórsson (1999-12-31) 31 December 1999 3 0 Iceland Breiðablik v.  South Korea, 11 November 2022

INJ Withdrew due to injury
RET Retired from the national team
WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

.

Previous squads

Records
As of 16 October 2023.[60][61]
Players in bold are still active with Iceland.

Most caps
Birkir Bjarnason is Iceland's all-time most capped player with 113 caps.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Birkir Bjarnason 113 15 2010–present
2 Rúnar Kristinsson 104 3 1987–2004
3 Birkir Már Sævarsson 103 3 2007–2021
4 Aron Gunnarsson 102 5 2008–present
5 Ragnar Sigurðsson 97 5 2007–2020
6 Kári Árnason 90 6 2005–2021
7 Hermann Hreiðarsson 89 5 1996–2011
8 Eiður Guðjohnsen 88 26 1996–2016
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson 88 8 2008–present
10 Ari Freyr Skúlason 83 0 2009–2021

Top goalscorers
Gylfi Sigurðsson is Iceland's all-time top scorer with 27 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Gylfi Sigurðsson 27 80 0.34 2010–present
2 Kolbeinn Sigþórsson 26 64 0.41 2010–2021
Eiður Guðjohnsen 26 88 0.3 1996–2016
4 Alfreð Finnbogason 18 71 0.25 2010–present
5 Ríkharður Jónsson 17 33 0.52 1947–1965
6 Birkir Bjarnason 15 113 0.13 2010–present
7 Ríkharður Daðason 14 44 0.32 1991–2004
Arnór Guðjohnsen 14 73 0.19 1979–1997
9 Þórður Guðjónsson 13 58 0.22 1993–2004
10 Tryggvi Guðmundsson 12 42 0.29 1997–2008
Heiðar Helguson 12 55 0.22 1999–2011

Competitive record
For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see Iceland national football team head to head.

FIFA World Cup
Main article: Iceland at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954 Did not enter Did not enter
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 6 26
Chile 1962Did not enter Did not enter
England 1966
Mexico 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 6 0 0 6 2 29
Argentina 1978 6 1 0 5 2 12
Spain 1982 8 2 2 4 10 21
Mexico 1986 6 1 0 5 4 10
Italy 1990 8 1 4 3 6 11
United States 1994 8 3 2 3 7 6
France 1998 10 2 3 5 11 16
South Korea Japan 2002 10 4 1 5 14 20
Germany 2006 10 1 1 8 14 27
South Africa 2010 8 1 2 5 7 13
Brazil 2014 12 5 3 4 17 17
Russia 2018 Group stage 28th 3 0 1 2 2 5 Squad 10 7 1 2 16 7
Qatar 2022 Did not qualify 10 2 3 5 12 18
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total Group stage 1/22 3 0 1 2 2 5 — 116 30 22 64 128 233

UEFA European Championship
Main article: Iceland at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 3 5
Italy 1968 Did not enter Did not enter
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Did not qualify 6 1 2 3 3 8
Italy 1980 8 0 0 8 2 21
France 1984 8 1 1 6 3 13
West Germany 1988 8 2 2 4 4 14
Sweden 1992 8 2 0 6 7 10
England 1996 8 1 2 5 3 12
Belgium Netherlands 2000 10 4 3 3 12 7
Portugal 2004 8 4 1 3 11 9
Austria Switzerland 2008 12 2 2 8 10 27
Poland Ukraine 2012 8 1 1 6 6 14
France 2016 Quarter-finals 8th 5 2 2 1 8 9 Squad 10 6 2 2 17 6
Europe 2020 Did not qualify 12 7 1 4 17 14
Germany 2024 To be determined To be determined
United Kingdom Republic of Ireland 2028
Italy Turkey 2032
Total Quarter-finals 1/16 5 2 2 1 8 9 – 108 31 18 59 98 160

UEFA Nations League
UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Group Pld W D L GF GA P/R Rank
2018–19 A 2 4 0 0 4 1 13 Same position 12th
2020–21 A 2 6 0 0 6 3 17 Fall 16th
2022–23 B 2 4 0 4 0 6 6 Same position 23rd
2024–25 B To be determined
Total 14 0 4 10 10 36 12th

Honours

FIFA ranking history

Source:[62]

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
46 47 39 50 60 72 64 43 50 52 58 58 93 94 93 90 83 92 112 104 90 49 33 36 21 22 37 39 46 62

See also

Notes

    References
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