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 and 2021 tournaments they were knocked out in the group stages.[1]
| Nickname(s) | Strákarnir okkar | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Knattspyrnusamband Íslands | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Davíð Snorri Jónasson | ||
| FIFA code | ISL | ||
| |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2011) | ||
| Best result | Round 1 (2011, 2021) | ||
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. Players can represent Iceland at any level as long as they are eligible, giving them the option to compete for the U21s, senior team, and then U21s once more. This has been the case for several senior team players like Eiður Guðjohnsen, Heiðar Helguson, Jón Daði Böðvarsson and Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson.
History
editFrom 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
editUEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
edit| 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 | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | –7 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 0/2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 13 | –9 |
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
edit2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal
|
10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | +38 | 28 | Final tournament | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 11–0 | |
| 2 | Iceland
|
10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 18 | Play-offs | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 9–0 | |
| 3 | Greece
|
10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 17 | 0–4 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 4 | Belarus
|
10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 12 | 1–5 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 5 | Cyprus
|
10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | — | 6–0 | ||
| 6 | Liechtenstein
|
10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 63 | −63 | 0 | 0–9 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 0–4 | 0–6 | — |
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs
editThe four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.
All times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Croatia 
|
3–3 (5–4 p) | Denmark
|
2–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
Slovakia 
|
3–5 |  Ukraine
|
3–2 | 0–3 |
Republic of Ireland 
|
1–1 (1–3 p) |  Israel
|
1–1 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Iceland
|
1–2 |  Czech Republic
|
1–2 | 0–0 |
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures
edit| Date | Competition | Location | Opponent | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 September 2021
|
OSK Brestsky, Brest, Belarus | Belarus
|
2–1
|
||
7 September 2021
|
Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Greece
|
1–1
|
||
12 October 2021
|
Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Portugal
|
0–1
|
||
12 November 2021
|
Sportpark Eschen-Mauren, Eschen, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein
|
3–0
|
||
16 November 2021
|
Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium, Tripoli, Greece | Greece
|
0–1
|
||
25 March 2022
|
Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal | Portugal
|
1–1
|
||
29 March 2022
|
Dasaki Stadium, Achna, Cyprus | Cyprus
|
1–1
|
||
3 June 2022
|
Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Liechtenstein
|
9–0
|
Kristian Hlynsson (x2)
Atli Barkarson (x2) Ísak Snær Þorvaldsson (x2) Brynjólfur Willumsson (x2) Kristall Máni Ingason | |
8 June 2022
|
Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Belarus
|
3–1
|
||
11 June 2022
|
Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Cyprus
|
5–0
|
||
23 September 2022
|
Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Czech Republic
|
1–2
|
||
27 September 2022
|
Stadion Střelecký ostrov, České Budějovice, Czech Republic | Czech Republic
|
0–0
|
Players
editCurrent squad
editThe following players were called up for the friendly matches against 
Austria on 16 June and Hungary on 19 June 2023.[8]
Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2023, after the match against Republic of Ireland.
Recent call-ups
editThe following players are still eligible for and have previously been called up to the under-21 squad.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Óli Valur Ómarsson | 9 January 2003 | 5 | 0 |  Sirius
|
v.  Scotland, 17 November 2022
|
| MF | Anton Logi Lúðvíksson | 13 March 2003 | 1 | 0 | Breiðablik
|
v. Scotland, 17 November 2022
|
| MF | Davíð Snær Jóhannsson | 15 June 2002 | 1 | 0 | FH
|
v. Scotland, 17 November 2022
|
| MF | Kristian Hlynsson | 23 January 2004 | 10 | 6 |  Ajax
|
v. Czech Republic, 27 September 2022
|
| FW | Arnar Breki Gunnarsson | 23 May 2002 | 1 | 0 | ÍBV
|
v. Scotland, 17 November 2022
|
| FW | Eyþór Aron Wöhler | 28 February 2002 | 1 | 0 | ÍA
|
v. Scotland, 17 November 2022
|
| FW | Orri Óskarsson | 29 August 2004 | 6 | 0 | Copenhagen
|
v. Czech Republic, 27 September 2022
|
| FW | Hilmir Rafn Mikaelsson | 2 February 2004 | 1 | 0 |  Venezia
|
v. Czech Republic, 27 September 2022
|
Previous squads
editRecords
editMost caps
editAs of 17 November 2022, the 10 players with the most U-21 caps for Iceland are:[9]
| Rank | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfons Sampsted | 2017–2020 | 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 | Brynjólfur Andersen Willumsson | 2019–2022 | 25 | 5 |
| 6 | Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson | 2017–2021 | 23 | 5 |
| 7 | Orri Sigurður Ómarsson | 2013–2016 | 21 | 0 |
| Alex Þór Hauksson | 2017–2021 | 21 | 1 | |
| 9 | Ari Leifsson | 2017–2021 | 20 | 1 |
| 10 | 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 | |
| Willum Þór Willumsson | 2018–2021 | 19 | 3 | |
| Kolbeinn Þórðarson | 2019–2022 | 19 | 1 |
In bold players still playing or available for selection.
Top goalscorers
editAs of 17 November 2022, 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 | 0.5 |
| Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen | 2018–2021 | 7 | 17 | 0.41 | |
| 4 | Kristian Hlynsson | 2021– | 6 | 10 | 0.6 |
| Kristall Máni Ingason | 2021– | 6 | 10 | 0.6 | |
| Gylfi Sigurðsson | 2007–2011 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 | |
| Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson | 2008–2011 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 | |
| Albert Guðmundsson | 2015–2018 | 6 | 15 | 0.4 | |
| Rúrik Gíslason | 2005–2011 | 6 | 19 | 0.32 | |
| Bjarni Viðarsson | 2005–2011 | 6 | 26 | 0.23 |
In bold players still playing or available for selection.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "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. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "U21 karla – hópur fyrir vináttuleiki gegn Austurríki og Ungverjaland" (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnusamband Íslands. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Sigurðsson, Víðir (2019). Íslensk knattspyrna 2019 [Icelandic football 2019] (in Icelandic) (1st ed.).
External links
edit- Official Site Archived 2012-09-14 at the Wayback Machine (in Icelandic)
- Official Site under-21 results (in Icelandic)
- Profile & squad at UEFA.com