Iceland are the tiny nation who humiliated England 2-1 at Euro 2016 on their way to the last eight of the European tournament and are going to face the home nation of France. They’ve also beaten Austria and, in qualifying, the Netherlands, Turkey and the Czech Republic.
Here are 8 facts about the underdogs Iceland, who are doing a lot better in France than you might have thought.
FIFA RANKING SURGE!
Four years ago, Iceland’s FIFA ranking was 130. Today, they are hovering around the 30 mark.
One of Iceland’s managers, Heimir Hallgrimsson, works as a part time dentist!
MANAGER – A PART TIME DENTIST!
One of Iceland’s managers, Heimir Hallgrimsson, works as a part time dentist on the island of Vestmannaeyjar. But he will give that away to run the national football team full-time after the Euros 2016. His co-manager, former Swedish international Lars Lagerback, is quitting after Euro 2016.
TINY VOLCANIC ISLAND!
This is Iceland’s first major tournament and they are the smallest country to make it to the Euros. Ever.
21.5K REGISTERED FOOTBALLERS!
Iceland has only 21,500 registered football players, and their overall population is just 330,000 which is less than 3% of Mumbai.
INDOOR FOOTBALL FACILITIES!
The climatic conditions are harsh in Iceland. The average temperature during the warmest month is only 10-13C. Also, it’s nearly 20 hours of night time in December. Such conditions are not ideal for practicing football. So, indoor facilities have been developed for all sports over the past 15 years. Iceland’s football association (KSI) has developed over 30 full-size all-weather pitches, seven of which are indoors, and almost 150 are smaller artificial turfs.
10% OF ICELAND IS IN FRANCE!
There are 30,000 residents of Iceland in France for the Euros. That is 10% of their total population. An amazing 98.6% of the Icelandic population watched the match against Hungary on Iceland TV.
DIRECTOR GOALKEEPER!
Iceland’s goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson was a film director before he turned professional as a goalkeeper. He has directed the video for Iceland’s entry to the 2012 Eurovision.
CRAZY COMMENTATOR !
Icelandic commentator Gudmundur Benediktsson has given a memorable contribution to this tournament when he appeared to have an emotional breakdown as Iceland scored their winner against Austria. If that piece of epic commentary wasn’t dramatic enough, Benediktsson returned home briefly to quit as the assistant manager of struggling KR Reykjavik – who play in Iceland’s top division – during the Euro 2016.
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