Fun Facts About the Icelandic National Football Team

Here are some fun facts about the men's national team and their players:

1. Iceland is the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup!

2. Jón Daði Böðvarsson comes from the small town of Selfoss on the South Coast. When he was playing in Stavanger in Norway he was chosen the Sportsman of the year in his county back home, Árborg. He used the prize money to start a fund for kids who want to play football but can’t afford it. The fund is called “Knattspyrna fyrir alla” or Soccer for everyone!

3. The whole population of Iceland is slightly over 350.000 but our team is now number 22 on FIFA’s list.

4. Heimir Hallgrímsson the team’s coach is actually a dentist and lives in the beautiful islands of Vestmannaeyjar. He actually needs to fly or take a boat to get to Reykjavík!

5. Ragnar Sigurðsson used to use the username Rassgatið or Asshole on Instagram, yes really! Now he is Sykurson “son of Sugar”.

6. Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson was excellent at the video game Counter Strike in his younger years and actually competed in the most famous tournament in Iceland Skjálfti. He was also a guitar player in a rock band.

7. When Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson treats himself it is usually with Vesturbæjarís Ice cream. He has often spoken about this in interviews. IF you want to go for “A Gylfi” at Vesturbæjarís Ice Cream Shop ask for “Bragðarefur með Jarðarberjum (strawberries), mars or snickers”.

8. Aron Einar Gunnarsson is tattooed all over and even had the church from his hometown Akureyri in the North of Iceland going down his right arm and the Icelandic flag huge over his back.

9. When a new man is chosen for the team he always needs to stand up on a chair and sing a song for the whole team.

10. Emil Hallfreðsson imports red wine to Iceland from the Allegrini family in the Valpolicella valley not far from Verona, Emil played for Hellas Verona for a long time.

11. Birkir Már Sævarsson is playing for the local Reykjavík team Valur here in Iceland but also works for a Salt Company. He is actually using his Summer Vacation to play at the World Cup.

12. The Icelandic team has two players in the group of the oldest players competing in the World Cup in 2018.

13. The Icelandic National Team has scored a goal in every game at a big tournament.

The Icelandic men’s national team has qualified for the 2018 World Cup.  This is the first time in history that such a small nation has qualified and we are extremely proud!

Many remember the dream like a fairytale in the 2016’s Euro Cup when the Icelandic team beat England and matched Portugal’s goal. This really showed the true spirit of our Viking players and we believe that now THERE IS NO STOPPING THE ICELANDIC NATIONAL TEAM!

The feeling when Iceland beat Kosovo 2-0 at Laugardalsvöllur was indescribable. This was the first time ever that such a small national had qualified for the World Cup breaking the old record by a cool million. Iceland finished 1st in Group 1 which was not an easy group to beat including teams like Turkey, Finland, Kosovo, Ukraine, and Croatia but the Icelandic team knew that this win was needed and was willing and able to do whatever it was taken.

Many might have first thought about visiting Iceland after noticing Icelanders through the Euro tournament, our victories, and our famous Viking Clap but our captain Aron Einar Gunnarsson lead this breathtaking chant giving even the toughest souls goosebumps down to your toes. This time that chant will be on the biggest stage yet – The World Cup!

Now we know what distinguishes the Icelandic National football team from others. But what about the women's team? Let's see some facts about Iceland Women's National Football team players as well!

Goalies: 

Hannes Þór Halldórsson

Frederik Schram

Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson

Defenders:

Kári Árnason

Ari Freyr Skúlason

Ragnar Sigurðsson

Hörður Björgvin Magnússon

Birkir Már Sævarsson

Sverrir Ingi Ingason

Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson

Midfielders:

Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson

Birkir Bjarnason

Arnór Ingvi Traustason

Emil Hallfreðsson

Gylfi  Þór Sigurðsson

Ólafur Ingi Skúlason

Rúrik Gíslason

Samúel Kári Friðjónsson

Aron Einar Gunnarsson

Forwards:

Alfreð Finnbogason

Jón Daði Böðvarsson

Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson

Albert Guðmundsson

1. Harpa Þorsteinsdóttir had a baby boy 5 months ago and is one of the key players in the tournament. Ýmir, her 5-month-old son is her second child. Harpa is still breastfeeding.

2. But Harpa isn’t the only mother in the team, and Málfríður Erna Sigurðardóttir is actually a mother of three. Talk about a SUPERMOMS!

3. Agla María Albertsdóttir is born in 1999 and Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir born in 1997 were both in the starting team last Tuesday against France. Age is no limit!

4. Agla María Albertsdóttir is actually the youngest player in Icelandic history to play for the Icelandic national team in the Euros.

5. 15 of the 23 players on the National team are playing in Iceland, not in foreign countries.

6. Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir is the only Icelandic player in history to play all the matches the women’s team has had at a big tournament. Which also sheds a little light on how young many of our players are.

7. But the players aren’t the only ones to admire. Gunnhildur’s mom actually took her support to another level and shaved Gunnhildur’s number, 5, at the back of her head. Now that’s all in!

If you haven’t fully realized how beautiful the stories of the women are, take a look at this!