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 and 2021 tournaments they were knocked out in the group stages.[1]

Iceland Under-21
Nickname(s)Strákarnir okkar
AssociationKnattspyrnusamband Íslands
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachDavíð Snorri Jónasson
FIFA codeISL
First colours
Second colours
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances2 (first in 2011)
Best resultRound 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. 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 Eiður Guðjohnsen, Heiðar Helguson, Jón Daði Böðvarsson and Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson.

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 15th 3 0 0 3 1 8 –7
Total 0 Titles 0/2 6 1 0 5 4 13 –9

2021 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
Main article: 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 1
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 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Ranked on head-to-head goal difference: Armenia +1, Luxembourg −1.
  2. 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]
  3. 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
Date Competition Location Opponent Result Scorers
4 September 2020
2021 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland  Sweden
1–0
Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen
13 October 2020
2021 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Stade Émile Mayrisch, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg  Luxembourg
2–0
Ísak Óli Ólafsson
Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen
12 November 2020
2021 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland  Italy
1–2
Willum Þór Willumsson
15 November 2020
2021 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Tallaght Stadium, Tallaght, Republic of Ireland  Republic of Ireland
2–1
Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen
Valdimar Þór Ingimundarson
18 November 2020
2021 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus  Armenia
3–0
walkover
25 March 2021
UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021
 Ménfői úti Stadion, Győr, Hungary  Russia
1–4
Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen
28 March 2021
UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021
 Ménfői úti Stadion, Győr, Hungary  Denmark
0–2
31 March 2021
UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021
 Ménfői úti Stadion, Győr, Hungary  France
0–2
2 September 2021
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Belarus  Belarus
7 September 2021
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Iceland  Greece
12 October 2021
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Iceland  Portugal
12 November 2021
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Liechtenstein  Liechtenstein
16 November 2021
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Greece  Greece
25 March 2022
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Portugal  Portugal
29 March 2022
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Cyprus  Cyprus
3 June 2022
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Iceland  Liechtenstein
8 June 2022
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Iceland  Belarus
11 June 2022
2023 UEFA U-21 qualification
 Iceland  Cyprus

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship group matches against Russia, Denmark and France, played on 25 March, 28 March and 31 March 2021 respectively.[9] All caps and goals are correct as of 31 March 2021.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Elías Rafn Ólafsson (2000-03-11) 11 March 2000 5 0 Fredericia
12 1GK Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson (2001-10-13) 13 October 2001 0 0 Grótta Seltjarnarnes
13 1GK Patrik Gunnarsson (2000-11-15) 15 November 2000 12 0 Silkeborg
2 2DF Finnur Tómas Pálmason (2001-02-12) 12 February 2001 5 0 IFK Norrköping
3 2DF Valgeir Lunddal Friðriksson (2001-09-24) 24 September 2001 2 0 Häcken
4 2DF Róbert Orri Þorkelsson (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 5 0 Breiðablik Kópavogur
5 2DF Ísak Óli Ólafsson (2000-06-30) 30 June 2000 9 2 Keflavík
16 2DF Hörður Ingi Gunnarsson (1998-08-14) 14 August 1998 18 0 FH Hafnarfjörður
20 2DF Kolbeinn Finnsson (1999-08-25) 25 August 1999 18 0 Borussia Dortmund II
22 2DF Kolbeinn Þórðarson (2000-03-12) 12 March 2000 8 0 Lommel
23 2DF Ari Leifsson (1998-04-19) 19 April 1998 20 1 Strømsgodset
6 3MF Alex Þór Hauksson (1999-11-26) 26 November 1999 21 1 Öster
7 3MF Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson (2003-03-23) 23 March 2003 6 0 IFK Norrköping
8 3MF Andri Baldursson (2002-01-10) 10 January 2002 5 0 Bologna
9 3MF Stefán Teitur Þórðarson (1998-10-16) 16 October 1998 17 1 Silkeborg
10 3MF Mikael Anderson (1998-07-01) 1 July 1998 16 0 FC Midtjylland
11 3MF Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson (1998-11-26) 26 November 1998 23 5 AGF Aarhus
18 3MF Willum Þór Willumsson (1998-10-23) 23 October 1998 19 3 BATE Borisov
19 3MF Bjarki Steinn Bjarkason (2000-05-11) 11 May 2000 3 0 Venezia
21 3MF Þórir Helgason (2000-09-28) 28 September 2000 7 0 FH Hafnarfjörður
14 4FW Brynjólfur Andersen Willumsson (2000-08-12) 12 August 2000 15 1 Kristiansund
15 4FW Valdimar Þór Ingimundarson (1999-04-28) 28 April 1999 11 1 Strømsgodset
17 4FW Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen (1998-05-12) 12 May 1998 17 7 OB

Recent call-ups

The 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
GK Brynjar Atli Bragason (2000-04-01) 1 April 2000 0 0 Breiðablik Kópavogur v. Republic of Ireland; 15 October 2019 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)
DF Hjalti Sigurðsson (2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 4 0 KR Reykjavík v. England U20; 19 November 2019 (Friendly)
MF Valgeir Valgeirsson (2002-09-22) 22 September 2002 0 0 HK Kópavogur v. Republic of Ireland; 15 November 2020 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)
MF Ágúst Eðvald Hlynsson (2000-03-28) 28 March 2000 3 0 FH Hafnarfjörður v. Luxembourg; 13 October 2020 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)
MF Hákon Arnar Haraldsson (2003-04-10) 10 April 2003 1 0 Copenhagen v. Luxembourg; 13 October 2020 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)
MF Mikael Egill Ellertsson (2002-03-11) 11 March 2002 0 0 SPAL v. Luxembourg; 13 October 2020 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)
MF Stefán Árni Geirsson (2000-11-06) 6 November 2000 1 0 KR Reykjavík v. Sweden; 4 September 2020 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)
MF Viktor Örlygur Andrason (2000-02-05) 5 February 2000 1 0 Víkingur Reykjavík v. England U20; 19 November 2019 (Friendly)
MF Dagur Dan Þórhallsson (2000-05-02) 2 May 2000 2 0 Fylkir Reykjavík v. Qatar; 25 March 2019 (Friendly)
FW Danijel Djuric (2003-01-05) 5 January 2003 0 0 Midtjylland v. Luxembourg; 13 October 2020 (2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification)

Previous squads

Records

Most caps

As of 31 March 2021, the 10 players with the most U-21 caps for Iceland are:[10]

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 Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson 2017–2021 23 5
6 Orri Sigurður Ómarsson 2013–2016 21 0
Alex Þór Hauksson 2017–2021 21 1
8 Ari Leifsson 2017–2021 20 1
9 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

In bold players still playing or available for selection.

Top goalscorers

As of 31 March 2021, 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
Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen 2018–2021 7 17 0.41
4 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
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 2017–2021 5 23 0.22

In bold players still playing or available for selection.

See also

References
  1. "2011: Spain's boys of summer dazzle". UEFA.com. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  2. "Euro U21 2011 (Qual.)". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  3. "Euro U21 2011 (Qual.)". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  4. "Iceland 3-1 Denmark". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  5. "Euro U21 2011". ZeroZero. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. "U21 all-star squad named by UEFA technical team". UEFA.com. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. "2021 Under-21 EURO: Meet the finalists". uefa.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. "AB: Armenian under-21 national team". UEFA.com. 24 November 2020.
  9. "Hópur U21 karla fyrir EM 2021". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). KSÍ. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  10. Sigurðsson, Víðir (2019). Íslensk knattspyrna 2019 [Icelandic football 2019] (in Icelandic) (1st ed.).
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