Icelandic national soccer team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Icelandic Women's National Football Team .

Iceland

Association	Knattspyrnusamband Íslands
confederacy	UEFA
Technical sponsor	Erreà
Head coach	Erik Hamrén (since 2018)
Assistant coach	Freyr Alexandersson
captain	Aron Gunnarsson
Record scorer	Eiður Guðjohnsen and Kolbeinn Sigþórsson (26 each)
Record player	Rúnar Kristinsson (101/104 according to association census )
Home stadium	Laugardalsvöllur
FIFA code	ISL
FIFA rank	39th (1465 points) (as of July 16, 2020)
First jersey Second jersey
Balance sheet
439 games 132 wins 84 draws 223 defeats
statistics
First international game Iceland 0-3 Denmark ( Reykjavík , Iceland ; July 17, 1946 )
Biggest win Iceland 9-0 Faroe Islands ( Keflavík , Iceland ; July 10, 1985 )
Biggest defeat Denmark 14-2 Iceland ( Copenhagen , Denmark ; 23 Aug 1967 )
Successes in tournaments
World Championship
Participation in the finals	1 ( first : 2018 )
Best results	Preliminary round 2018
European Championship
Participation in the finals	1 ( first : 2016 )
Best results	Quarterfinals 2016
(As of January 19, 2020)

The Icelandic national football team for men represents the Icelandic Football Association (KSÍ) as a selection team at international matches against teams from other national associations. It is ranked 38th in the FIFA world rankings (as of February 2019) . The team's captain is currently Aron Gunnarsson , while Eiður Guðjohnsen is the record scorer with 26 goals .

Her greatest successes are the qualifications for the European Football Championship in 2016 , in which she surprisingly made it to the quarter-finals, as well as for the Football World Cup 2018 .

Participation of Iceland in soccer world championships

• 1930 to 1950 - did not participate
• 1954 - was not a member of FIFA
• 1958 - did not qualify
• 1962 to 1970 - did not participate
• 1974 to 2014 - not qualified
• 2018 - preliminary round

Participation in Iceland in the European Football Championships

• 1960 - did not participate
• 1964 - did not qualify
• 1968 to 1972 - did not take part
• 1976 to 2012 - not qualified
• 2016 - quarter-finals

history

A milestone for Icelandic football was the 2-0 win against Italy in a friendly match on August 18, 2004 at the Laugardalsvöllur national stadium with 20,034 spectators (Iceland's record at the time).

In qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil , Iceland met Albania , Norway , Switzerland , Slovenia and Cyprus . Iceland reached second place in the group, played in the play-offs on November 15 and 19, 2013 against Croatia and lost after a goalless draw in Reykjavík 0-2 in Zagreb.

In qualifying for Euro 2016 , Iceland played against the Netherlands , the Czech Republic , Turkey , Latvia and, for the first time, Kazakhstan, bringing the two UEFA members, geographically furthest apart, together . In this qualification, the Icelandic national team defeated the third-strongest team in the qualification by UEFA coefficient , the Netherlands, in both games. After a 0-0 win against Kazakhstan on September 6, 2015, Iceland was in first place in Group A with 19 points and seven points ahead of third Turkey . This meant that the Icelanders could no longer be caught on two remaining game days and qualified directly for the 2016 European Championship - their first participation in a European Championship finals. After a draw against Portugal and Hungary and a victory over Austria , the Northern Europeans reached the round of 16 and moved into the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win against England , which they lost 5-2 to hosts France . The leap into the quarter-finals of a European championship thus represents the greatest success of an Icelandic national soccer team to date.

In qualifying for the 2018 World Cup , Iceland met Croatia , Ukraine , Turkey , Finland and Kosovo and qualified as first in the table for the final tournament of a soccer World Cup . There you met in Group D on Argentina, Nigeria and Croatia. Until the final phase of the last group game against Croatia there was a chance of advancement, in the end they only finished fourth with one point against Argentina.

In the past, players could only train in the short Icelandic summer; By building halls and optimizing the training of coaches, a significant improvement was brought about here.

Trivia

• In the friendly on April 24, 1996 against Estonia in Tallinn , Eiður Guðjohnsen came on as a substitute for his father Arnór in the second half . It was the first time that a father and son had played in the same international match.

• After Germany did not get more than 0-0 in Iceland on September 6, 2003 , the then DFB team boss Rudi Völler lost control during an ARD interview and insulted the commentators present.

• During the successful European Football Championship in 2016, the fans of Iceland became famous for their characteristic battle cry , which evokes associations with the Vikings : a loud "Who!" That alternates with clapping hands in ever faster succession.

Record player

rank	Surname	Calls	Gates	position	Period	Record international player
01.	Rúnar Kristinsson	104	3	midfield	1987-2004	since September 8, 1999 (78 to 104 games)
02.	Ragnar Sigurðsson	94	5	Defense	2007–
03.	Birkir Már Sævarsson	92	1	Defense / midfield	2007–
04th	Hermann Hreiðarsson	89	5	Defense	1996-2011
05.	Eiður Guðjohnsen	88	26th	attack	1996-2016
06th	Aron Gunnarsson	87	2	midfield	2008–
07th	Birkir Bjarnason	84	13	midfield	2010–
08th.	Kári Árnason	83	6th	Defense / midfield	2005–
09.	Guðni Bergsson	80	1	midfield	1984-2003	October 9 to November 10, 1996 together with Ólafur Þórðarson (71 games) June 7, 1997 to September 8, 1999 (73 to 77 games)
10.	Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson	75	7th	attack	2008–
11.	Birkir Kristinsson	74	0	goal	1988-2004
0	Brynjar Gunnarsson	74	4th	midfield	1997-2009
0	Gylfi Sigurðsson	74	22nd	attack	2010–
14th	Arnór Guðjohnsen	73	14th	attack	1979-1997
15th	Ari Freyr Skúlason	72		midfield	2009–
	Ólafur Þórðarson	72	5	midfield	1984-1996	9 October to 10 November 1996 together with Guðni Bergsson (71 games) 10 November 1996 to 7 June 1997 (72 games)
17th	Árni Gautur Arason	71	0	goal	1998-2010
	Arnar Grétarsson	71	2	midfield	1991-2004
	Emil Hallfreðsson	71	1	midfield	2005–
20th	Atli Eðvaldsson	70	8th	attack	1976-1991

As of January 19, 2020

Record goal scorers

Eiður Guðjohnsen has been the record scorer since October 13, 2007, when he beat Ríkharður Jónsson's more than 30-year-old record in the 2: 4 in the European Championship qualifier against Latvia with his 18th goal . On October 14, 2019, Kolbeinn Sigþórsson set the national record with his 26th goal.

rank	Surname	Gates	Calls	Quota	Period
01.	Eiður Guðjohnsen	26th	88	0.30	1996-2016
0	Kolbeinn Sigþórsson	26th	57	0.46	2010–
03.	Gylfi Sigurðsson	22nd	74	0.30	2010–
04th	Ríkharður Jónsson	17th	33	0.52	1947-1965
05.	Alfreð Finnbogason	15th	57	0.26	2010–
06th	Ríkharður Daðason	14th	44	0.32	1991-2003
	Arnór Guðjohnsen	14th	73	0.19	1979-1997
08th.	Birkir Bjarnason	13	84	0.15	2010–
	Þórður Guðjónsson	13	58	0.22	1993-2004
10.	Heiðar Helguson	12	55	0.22	1999-2011
	Tryggvi Guðmundsson	12	42	0.29	1997-2008
12.	Pétur Pétursson	11	41	0.27	1978-1990
	Matthías Hallgrímsson	11	45	0.24	1968-1977
14th	Helgi Sigurðsson	10	62	0.16	1993-2008
	Eyjólfur Sverrisson	10	66	0.15	1990-2001

Sources: RSSSF, eu-football.info, KSI

As of January 19, 2020

Known players

• Atli Eðvaldsson (1976–1991), 70 games and 8 goals for Iceland. Record international player; played in Germany for Borussia Dortmund , Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer 05 Uerdingen
• Ásgeir Sigurvinsson (1972-1989), 45 games and 5 goals for Iceland. Played in Germany for Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart

Trainer

• Atli Edvaldsson (2000-2003)
• Ásgeir Sigurvinsson (2003-2005)
• Logi Ólafsson (2005)
• Eyjólfur Sverrisson (2005-2007)
• Ólafur Jóhannesson (2007-2011)
• Lars Lagerbäck (2012-2016)
• Heimir Hallgrímsson (2016-2018)
• Erik Hamrén (since 2018)

International matches against German-speaking national soccer teams

→ Main article : List of international matches for the Icelandic national football team

International matches against the German national soccer team

	date	place	Home team	result	Visiting team
01.	August 3, 1960	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 5	Germany
02.	May 26, 1979	Reykjavík	Iceland	1: 3	Germany
03.	September 6, 2003	Reykjavík	Iceland	0-0	Germany
04th	October 11, 2003	Hamburg	Germany	3-0	Iceland

International matches against the GDR national soccer team

	date	place	Home team	result	Visiting team
01.	17th July 1973	Reykjavík	Iceland	1: 2	German Democratic Republic
02.	19th July 1973	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 2	German Democratic Republic
03.	October 12, 1974	Magdeburg	German Democratic Republic	1: 1	Iceland
04th	5th June 1975	Reykjavík	Iceland	2: 1	German Democratic Republic
05.	4th December 1978	Hall	German Democratic Republic	3: 1	Iceland
06th	September 12, 1979	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 3	German Democratic Republic }
07th	September 8, 1982	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 1	German Democratic Republic }
08th.	October 29, 1986	Chemnitz	German Democratic Republic	2-0	Iceland
09.	3rd June 1987	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 6	German Democratic Republic }
10.	October 19, 1988	Berlin	German Democratic Republic	2-0	Iceland
11.	September 6, 1989	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 3	German Democratic Republic }

International matches against the Liechtenstein national football team

	date	place	Home team	result	Visiting team
01.	August 20, 1997	Ash trees	Liechtenstein	0: 4	Iceland
02.	October 11, 1997	Reykjavík	Iceland	4-0	Liechtenstein
03.	June 2, 2007	Reykjavík	Iceland	1: 1	Liechtenstein
04th	October 17, 2007	Vaduz	Liechtenstein	3-0	Iceland
05.	February 11, 2009	La Manga	Iceland	2-0	Liechtenstein
06th	August 11, 2010	Reykjavík	Iceland	1: 1	Liechtenstein
07th	June 6, 2016	Reykjavík	Iceland	4-0	Liechtenstein

International matches against the Luxembourg national football team

	date	place	Home team	result	Visiting team
01.	August 21, 1976	Reykjavík	Iceland	3: 1	Luxembourg
02.	April 24, 1985	Ettelbruck	Luxembourg	0-0	Iceland
03.	March 28, 1990	Esch	Luxembourg	1: 2	Iceland
04th	May 20, 1993	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1: 1	Iceland
05.	September 8, 1993	Reykjavík	Iceland	1-0	Luxembourg
06th	March 10, 1999	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1: 2	Iceland
07th	November 14, 2009	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	1: 1	Iceland

International matches against the Austrian national soccer team

	date	place	Home team	result	Visiting team
01.	June 14, 1989	Reykjavík	Iceland	0-0	Austria
02.	23rd August 1989	Salzburg	Austria	2: 1	Iceland
03.	May 30, 2014	innsbruck	Austria	1: 1	Iceland
04th	June 22, 2016	Saint-Denis	Iceland	2: 1	Austria

International matches against the Swiss national football team

	date	place	Home team	result	Visiting team
01.	May 22, 1979	Bern	Switzerland	2-0	Iceland
02.	June 9, 1979	Reykjavík	Iceland	1: 2	Switzerland
03.	November 16, 1994	Lausanne	Switzerland	1-0	Iceland
04th	August 16, 1995	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 2	Switzerland
05.	October 16, 2012	Reykjavík	Iceland	0: 2	Switzerland
06th	September 6, 2013	Bern	Switzerland	4: 4	Iceland
07th	September 8, 2018	St. Gallen	Switzerland	6-0	Iceland
08th.	15th October 2018	Reykjavík	Iceland	1: 2	Switzerland

International match record

→ Main article : List of international matches for the Icelandic national football team

The table below shows the national teams that Iceland competed at least five times. In total, the Icelandic national team has played 439 international matches and played against 83 different teams, three of them amateur and one B-team. They won 132 games, reached 84 draws and lost 223 games.

As of January 19, 2020 after the game against El Salvador

country Games S. U N Gates  Norway 34 8th 6th 20th 35:64  Faroe Islands 25th 23 1 1 72:13  Denmark 23 0 4th 19th 14:73  Sweden 16 2 3 11 17:37  France 15th 0 4th 11 12:42  Malta 15th 11 1 3 33:10  Finland 13 4th 2 7th 14:20  Turkey 13 8th 3 2 23:11  Netherlands 12 2 1 9 7:33  Belgium 11 0 0 11 6:37  Ireland 11 1 3 7th 10:21  GDR 11 1 1 9 5:26  Hungary 11 3 1 7th 11:22

country Games S. U N Gates  Spain 9 1 2 6th 6:10  Switzerland 8th 0 1 7th 6:21  Albania 7th 4th 0 3 10: 9  Andorra 7th 7th 0 0 18: 0  Croatia 7th 1 1 5 3:13  Kuwait 7th 2 4th 1 4: 3  Liechtenstein 7th 4th 2 1 16: 5  Luxembourg 7th 4th 3 0 10: 5  United States 7th 2 2 3 9:12  Wales 7th 1 1 5 5:13  Cyprus 7th 3 3 1 6: 3  Estonia 6th 3 2 1 9: 3  Latvia 6th 2 2 2 11:11  Northern Ireland 6th 4th 0 2 7: 6

country Games S. U N Gates  Poland 6th 0 1 5 5:13  Russia 6th 1 1 4th 2: 8  Scotland 6th 0 0 6th 3:12  Soviet Union 6th 0 3 3 4:12  Czech Republic 6th 2 0 4th 8:12  Bulgaria 5 0 1 4th 7:12  England (amateurs) 5 0 1 4th 4: 9  France (amateurs) 5 0 1 4th 2: 7  Saudi Arabia 5 1 2 2 3: 5  Slovakia 5 1 1 3 6:10  Czechoslovakia 5 0 1 4th 3:11

See also

• Icelandic national football team / European championships
• List of international matches for the Icelandic national football team
• Iceland National Football Team (U-17 Juniors)

Web links

• Icelandic Football Association (Icelandic, English)
• Information about the Icelandic national team at fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
• Information on de.uefa.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking. In: fifa.com. July 16, 2020, accessed July 21, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Hendrik Buchheister, Detlef Hacke, Juan Moreno : “Hu! Hu! ”In: Der Spiegel, July 2, 2016, pp. 97–98, here p. 98
3. ↑ YouTube: Rudi Völler insults commentators
4. ↑ Kai Behrmann, Thorsten Mumme: "Hu-Hu-Hu" - hence the Viking battle cry. In: WORLD. June 28, 2016, accessed January 23, 2018 . 
5. ↑ In the rsssf list he is listed with 11 goals, the Icelandic federation mentions 12 goals
6. ↑ Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin, Jostein Nygård: Iceland - Record International Players ( English ) rsssf.com. January 31, 2019. Accessed May 16, 2019.
7. ↑ PLAYERS for Iceland ( English ) eu-football.info. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
8. ^ All international matches for Iceland ( Icelandic ) KSI. Retrieved May 16, 2019.