Ah, the Iceland Euro 2024 squad: a prospect to send a reflexive shudder down any Englishman's spine.
Those with a less hideously Anglo-centric worldview will remember Iceland's run to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals in their first-ever major tournament with great fondness, however. The chants! The unexpected results! What a lot of fun it all was.
Qualification for the World Cup followed two years later in another first, but Iceland have been absent from the most recent editions of each competition.
A play-off semi-final against Israel followed by a final against either Bosnia and Herzegovina or Ukraine is all that stands in their way of reliving those recent glory days, though.
If they can make it there, we'll all be wearing Viking helmets once more. You know...unless they ended up playing England in the knockouts. Which, looking at the tournament brackets, is actually a distinct possibility.
Iceland's squad
Iceland's Euro 2024 squad: The squad for the November qualifiers
Clubs correct as of the November qualifiers
- GK: Runar Alex Runarsson (Cardiff City)
- GK: Elías Rafn Olafsson (Mafra)
- GK: Hakon Valdimarsson (Elfsborg)
- DF: Kolbeinn Finnsson (Lyngby)
- DF: Hjortur Hermannsson (Pisa)
- DF: Sverrir Ingi Ingason (Midtjylland)
- DF: Victor Palsson (Eupen)
- DF: Alfons Sampsted (Twente)
- DF: Gudmundur Thorarinsson (OFI)
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MF: Mikael Anderson (AGF)* - MF: Hakon Arnar Haraldsson (Lille)
- MF: Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Burnley)
- MF: Isak Bergmann Johannesson (Fortuna Düsseldorf)
- MF: Mikael Egill Ellertsson (Venezia)
- MF: Aron Gunnarsson (free agent)
- MF: Kristian Hlynsson (Ajax)
-
MF: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Lyngby)* - MF: Arnor Ingvi Traustason (Norrköping)
- MF: Arnor Sigurdsson (Blackburn Rovers)
- MF: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Lyngby)
- MF: Stefan Teitur Thordarson (Silkeborg)
- FW: Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson (OH Leuven)
- FW: Alfred Finnbogason (Eupen)
- FW: Andri Gudjohnsen (Lyngby)
- FW: Orri Oskarsson (Copenhagen)
- FW: Willum Thor Willumsson (Go Ahead Eagles)
*Withdrawn from the squad e.g. due to injury
Iceland Euro 2024 squad numbers
Squad numbers are yet to be confirmed for Euro 2024.
Iceland manager: Age Hareide
A Manchester City and Norwich City defender in the 1980s, former Norwegian international Hareide is now managing his third Scandinavian club after spells in charge of his home country and Denmark, who he took to Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
Hareide also led Denmark through qualification for Euro 2020, but the tournament's postponement after his replacement had already been named (a switch that was intended to happen after the tournament) meant Kasper Hjulmand led them to the semi-finals instead.
Having taken the Iceland job last April, Hareide wants to have another pop at the Euros to add to his league titles at club level in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Iceland's star player
Sverrir Ingi Ingason
The kind of player whose gruff face tells you everything you need to know about him in an instant, centre-back Ingason is a regular for Danish league leaders Midtjylland and one of the most experienced players in the Iceland setup.
Ingason was only a bit-part player at Euro 2016, when he was only 22, but had established himself as a regular just in time for the 2018 World Cup.
After a couple of years of not being involved much for his country, Ingason has become an important player once more since Hareide's appointment.
FAQs
How many players are Iceland allowed to take to Euro 2024?
UEFA confirmed in February that each competing nation will be able to name a final squad of 23 players in their Euro 2024 squads, including a mandatory three goalkeepers.
After a couple of tournaments featuring 26-player teams, UEFA have now reverted from the expanded squad.
National managers were allowed to bring 26 players to 2021's European Championship for the first time at a major tournament, as a special measure brought in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the fixture congestion, the expanded squads returned for the World Cup. Without those same issues, 23-player squads have made a return.
