Iceland national under-21 football team
The Iceland men's national under-21 football team is a national under-21 football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. The team is considered to be the feeder team for the senior Icelandic men's national football team. Since the establishment of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 1978, the team has reached the Euro Championship finals on two occasions, most recently in 2021. In the 2011 tournament they were knocked out in the group stages.[1]
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | Strákarnir okkar | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Knattspyrnusamband Íslands | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | vacant | ||
| FIFA code | ISL | ||
| |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2011) | ||
| Best result | Round 1 (2011) | ||
The team is for Icelandic players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Under-21 Football Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for Iceland at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s. This has been the case for several senior team players like Aron Gunnarsson, Eiður Guðjohnsen, Heiðar Helguson and Kolbeinn Sigþórsson.
History
From 1978 to 2009 the team never qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship tournament finals. In late 2010, the team sealed qualification to the championships for the very first team in their history. During the qualification stage they finished second in their group behind the Czech Republic and qualified for the playoffs as a result of being one of the best runners-up in the whole qualification process. Their most notable win came in a 4–1 home victory over Germany.[2] In the next stage they played against Scotland in a two-legged affair in which they won 4–2 on aggregate over the two games.[3]
Their remarkable qualification campaign saw them qualify for the finals where they were drawn against Belarus, Denmark and Switzerland in Group A. In their first two group games they were comfortably beaten by Belarus and Switzerland. In their final group game they defeated Denmark who were the hosts of the tournament 3–1.[4] Iceland would finish third in the group, level on points with the second placed and fourth placed teams.[5] Following the end of the tournament, UEFA announced its Team of the Tournament with striker Kolbeinn Sigþórsson named on the list.[6]
Iceland qualified to the tournament for the second time in 2021.[7]
Competition records
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 to 2009 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
 2011 |
Group Stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - 2 |
| 2013 to 2019 | Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
  2021 |
Group Stage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 Titles | 0/2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 |
2021 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy |
10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 5 | +22 | 25 | Final tournament | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 6–0 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Iceland |
10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 21 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Republic of Ireland |
10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 19 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Sweden |
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 12 | +19 | 18 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1–3 | — | 10–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 5 | Armenia |
10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 33 | −29 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 0–1 | 0–3[lower-alpha 2] | 0–1 | 0–3[lower-alpha 3] | — | 2–0 | ||
| 6 | Luxembourg |
10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 29 | −26 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | — |
- Ranked on head-to-head goal difference: Armenia +1, Luxembourg −1.
- The Armenia v Iceland match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Iceland after being cancelled as Armenia could not travel to the match due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the team.[8]
- The Armenia v Sweden match was awarded as a 3–0 win to Sweden after being cancelled as Armenia could not travel to the match due to positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the team.[8]
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures
Current squad
The following players were named in the squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Italy and Ireland, played on 12 November and 15 November 2020 respectively.[9] All caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2020.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Patrik Gunnarsson | 15 November 2000 | 10 | 0 | Silkeborg | |||
| GK | Elías Rafn Ólafsson | 11 March 2000 | 4 | 0 | Fredericia | |||
| GK | Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson | 13 October 2001 | 0 | 0 | Grótta Seltjarnarnes | |||
| DF | Alfons Sampsted | 6 April 1998 | 30 | 1 |  Bodø/Glimt | |||
| DF | Axel Óskar Andrésson | 27 January 1998 | 18 | 3 | Viking Stavanger | |||
| DF | Ari Leifsson | 19 April 1998 | 17 | 1 | Strømsgodset | |||
| DF | Hörður Ingi Gunnarsson | 14 August 1998 | 15 | 0 | FH Hafnarfjörður | |||
| DF | Ísak Óli Ólafsson | 30 June 2000 | 8 | 2 | SønderjyskE | |||
| DF | Þórir Helgason | 28 September 2000 | 6 | 0 | FH Hafnarfjörður | |||
| DF | Róbert Orri Þorkelsson | 3 April 2002 | 3 | 0 | Breiðablik Kópavogur | |||
| DF | Valgeir Lunddal Friðriksson | 24 September 2001 | 1 | 0 | Häcken | |||
| MF | Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson | 26 November 1998 | 21 | 5 | AGF Aarhus | |||
| MF | Alex Þór Hauksson | 26 November 1999 | 18 | 1 | Öster | |||
| MF | Willum Þór Willumsson | 23 October 1998 | 17 | 3 |  BATE Borisov | |||
| MF | Kolbeinn Finnsson | 25 August 1999 | 15 | 0 |  Borussia Dortmund II | |||
| MF | Jónatan Ingi Jónsson | 15 March 1999 | 10 | 2 | FH Hafnarfjörður | |||
| MF | Kolbeinn Þórðarson | 12 March 2000 | 6 | 0 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Lommel | |||
| MF | Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson | 23 March 2003 | 4 | 0 | IFK Norrköping | |||
| MF | Andri Baldursson | 10 January 2002 | 3 | 0 | Bologna | |||
| MF | Bjarki Steinn Bjarkason | 11 May 2000 | 2 | 0 | Venezia | |||
| MF | Valgeir Valgeirsson | 22 September 2002 | 0 | 0 |  Brentford | |||
| FW | Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen | 12 May 1998 | 15 | 6 | OB | |||
| FW | Brynjólfur Andersen Willumsson | 12 August 2000 | 12 | 1 | Breiðablik Kópavogur | |||
| FW | Valdimar Þór Ingimundarson | 28 April 1999 | 8 | 1 | Strømsgodset | |||
Recent call-ups
The following players are still eligible for and have previously been called up to the under-21 squad.
Previous squads
Records
Most caps
As of 15 November 2020, the 20 players with the most U-21 caps for Iceland are:[10]
| Rank | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfons Sampsted | 2017– | 30 | 1 |
| 2 | Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson | 2007–2012 | 27 | 2 |
| 3 | Bjarni Viðarsson | 2005–2011 | 26 | 6 |
| 4 | Birkir Bjarnason | 2006–2011 | 25 | 3 |
| 5 | Orri Sigurður Ómarsson | 2013–2016 | 21 | 0 |
| Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson | 2017– | 21 | 5 | |
| 7 | Pétur Marteinsson | 1992–1995 | 19 | 0 |
| Bjarni Guðjónsson | 1996–2001 | 19 | 4 | |
| Ómar Jóhannsson | 2000–2003 | 19 | 0 | |
| Rúrik Gíslason | 2005–2011 | 19 | 6 | |
| Haraldur Björnsson | 2007–2011 | 19 | 0 | |
| 12 | Sigurvin Ólafsson | 1995–1997 | 18 | 5 |
| Hjörtur Hermannsson | 2013–2016 | 18 | 2 | |
| Axel Óskar Andrésson | 2015– | 18 | 3 | |
| Alex Þór Hauksson | 2017– | 18 | 1 | |
| 16 | Arnar Viðarsson | 1996–1999 | 17 | 0 |
| Reynir Leósson | 1998–2001 | 17 | 0 | |
| Indriði Sigurðsson | 1999–2002 | 17 | 0 | |
| Helgi Valur Daníelsson | 2000–2003 | 17 | 1 | |
| Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson | 2013–2016 | 17 | 0 | |
| Ari Leifsson | 2017– | 17 | 1 | |
| Willum Þór Willumsson | 2018– | 17 | 3 | |
In bold players still playing or available for selection.
Top goalscorers
As of 15 November 2020, the 10 players with the most U-21 goals for Iceland are:
| Rank | Name | Career | Goals | Caps | GPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Atlason | 2012–2014 | 8 | 12 | 0.67 |
| 2 | Hannes Sigurðsson | 2002–2005 | 7 | 14 | 0.50 |
| 3 | Gylfi Sigurðsson | 2007–2011 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 |
| Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson | 2008–2011 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 | |
| Albert Guðmundsson | 2015–2018 | 6 | 15 | 0.40 | |
| Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen | 2018– | 6 | 15 | 0.40 | |
| Rúrik Gíslason | 2005–2011 | 6 | 19 | 0.32 | |
| Bjarni Viðarsson | 2005–2011 | 6 | 26 | 0.23 | |
| 9 | Eyjólfur Sverrisson | 1988–1989 | 5 | 5 | 1.00 |
| Hólmbert Friðjónsson | 2012–2014 | 5 | 10 | 0.50 | |
| Alfreð Finnbogason | 2009–2011 | 5 | 11 | 0.45 | |
| Sigurvin Ólafsson | 1995–1997 | 5 | 18 | 0.28 | |
| Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson | 2017– | 5 | 21 | 0.24 |
In bold players still playing or available for selection.
See also
References
- "2011: Spain's boys of summer dazzle". UEFA.com. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "Euro U21 2011 (Qual.)". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "Euro U21 2011 (Qual.)". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "Iceland 3-1 Denmark". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "Euro U21 2011". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "U21 all-star squad named by UEFA technical team". UEFA.com. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "2021 Under-21 EURO: Meet the finalists". uefa.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- "AB: Armenian under-21 national team". UEFA.com. 24 November 2020.
- https://www.ksi.is/um-ksi/frettir/frettasafn/frett/2020/11/06/Hopur-U21-karla-fyrir-thrja-leiki-i-november/
- Sigurðsson, Víðir (2019). Íslensk knattspyrna 2019 [Icelandic football 2019] (in Icelandic) (1st ed.).
External links
- Official Site (in Icelandic)
- Official Site under-21 results (in Icelandic)
- Profile & squad at UEFA.com
| National teams | |
|---|---|
| League system |
|
| Domestic cups |
|
| Annual tournaments | |
| Youth |
|
| Culture | |