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The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition.
Its most notable attempt for qualifying for a major championship was their campaign for Euro 2004, led by Asgeir Sigurvinsson topping the group table for a while, with 4 wins and even held Germany to a 0-0 draw in Reykjavik, however both Germany and Scotland had a game in hand to them and both used them to their maximum potential, with Scotland beating Lithuania and Germany beat Scotland in Germany's penultimate game. Iceland failed to grind a result in their final game against Germany, and Scotland pipped them to a play-off place. Iceland have failed to match this since, finishing on just 4 points for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, but while they beat Northern Ireland in the opening game for Euro 2008, losses to Denmark, Latvia and Sweden suggests it won't be easy for the Icelanders.
Perhaps its most notable match was a friendly against Estonia on 24 April 1996 in Tallinn. During the second half of this match, 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. Another landmark for Icelandic football was the 2-0 upset victory over Italy in a friendly at Laugardalsvöllur, 18 August 2004 with 20,034 fans in attendance, an Icelandic record.
[edit] Notable results
- 11-Jun-1977 - Iceland vs. Northern Ireland 1:0
- 24-Sep-1980 - Turkey vs. Iceland 1:3 - World Cup qualifier, considered Iceland's largest upset ever by Eloratings.net [1].
- 9-Sep-1987 - Iceland vs. Norway 2:1
- 17-Jul-1991 - Iceland vs. Turkey 5:1
- 25-Sep-1991 - Iceland vs. Spain 2:0
- 19-Aug-1998 - Iceland vs. Latvia 4:1
- 5-Sep-1998 - Iceland vs. France 1:1
- 14-Oct-1998 - Iceland vs. Russia 1:0
- 1-Sep-2001 - Iceland vs. Czech Republic 3:1
- 19-Oct-2003 - Iceland vs. Mexico 0:0
- 18-Aug-2004 - Iceland vs. Italy 2:0
- 17-Aug-2005 - Iceland vs. South Africa 4:1
- 2-Sep-2006 - Northern Ireland vs. Iceland 0:3
- 8-Sep-2007 - Iceland vs. Spain 1:1
- 12-Sep-2007 - Iceland vs. Northern Ireland 2:1
[edit] World Cup record
[edit] European Championship record
[edit] Current Squad
Called up for the friendly match against Slovakia on March 26, 2008.
[edit] Recent call-up
The following players have also been called up to the Iceland squad.
- Goalkeepers
- Defenders
| Name |
Date of birth |
Club |
Caps (goals) |
Most Recent Call up |
| Hjálmar Jónsson |
July 29, 1980 |
 IFK Göteborg |
19 (0) |
v. Armenia, 6 February 2008 |
| Sverrir Garðarsson |
September 15, 1984 |
GIF Sundsvall |
1 (0) |
v. Denmark, 21 November 2007 |
| Ívar Ingimarsson |
August 20, 1977 |
 Reading |
30 (0) |
v. Liechtenstein, 17 October 2007 |
| Ármann Smári Björnsson |
January 7, 1981 |
 Brann |
3 (1) |
v. Liechtenstein, 17 October 2007 |
| Birkir Már Sævarsson |
November 11, 1984 |
 Valur |
3 (1) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Guðmann Þórisson |
|
Breiðablik |
1 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Hallgrímur Jónasson |
November 11, 1984 |
1 Keflavík |
1 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Heimir Einarsson |
|
ÍA |
1 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
- Midfielders
| Name |
Date of birth |
Club |
Caps (goals) |
Most Recent Call up |
| Bjarni Guðjónsson |
February 26, 1979 |
ÍA |
20 (1) |
v. Armenia, 6 February 2008 |
| Eyjólfur Héðinsson |
January 1, 1985 |
GAIS |
3 (0) |
v. Armenia, 6 February 2008 |
| Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson |
October 16, 1975 |
Reading |
65 (4) |
v. Denmark, 21 November 2007 |
| Ásgeir Gunnar Ásgeirsson |
June 3, 1980 |
FH |
3 (0) |
v. Denmark, 21 November 2007 |
| Jóhannes Karl Guðjónsson |
May 25, 1980 |
Burnley |
34 (1) |
v. Liechtenstein, 17 October 2007 |
| Kári Árnason |
October 13, 1982 |
 AGF |
15 (1) |
v. Latvia, 13 October 2007 |
| Arnar Þór Viðarsson |
March 15, 1978 |
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png) Cercle Brugge |
52 (2) |
v. Spain, 8 September 2007 |
| Davíð Þór Viðarsson |
April 24, 1984 |
FH |
5 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Guðmundur Reynir Gunnarsson |
|
KR |
1 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Pálmi Rafn Pálmason |
November 9, 1984 |
Valur |
4 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Baldur Ingimar Aðalsteinsson |
12 February 1980 |
Valur |
8 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
| Hjörtur Logi Valgarðsson |
|
FH |
1 (0) |
v. Faroe Islands, 16 March 2008 |
- Strikers
[edit] Famous players
[edit] Most capped Icelandic players
As of March 29, 2007, the ten players with the most caps for Iceland are:
- denotes a player still playing or available for selection.
[edit] Top Icelandic goalscorers
As of October 13, 2007, List of leading goalscorers for the Icelandic national football team:
the * denotes a player still playing or available for selection.
[edit] National coaches
The first four national coaches (1946-9) only managed the team for a single game.
[edit] External links
Thanda Royal Zulu
