A team on the rise, constructed on the foundations of the talented Under-21 squad that qualified for the 2011 UEFA European Championship in Denmark, Iceland made history by reaching the qualifying play-offs for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Led by former long-serving Sweden head coach Lars Lagerbäck they finished second in their qualifying group, missing out on a place in Brazil after a 2-0 aggregate defeat by Croatia. It was their best ever performance in a major competition, eclipsing their valiant effort to qualify for UEFA EURO 2000 when only a last-day 3-2 defeat in France eliminated them – but even better was to follow as Iceland claimed second place in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group A to reach a major tournament for the first time.

Squad:

The manager: Lars Lagerback

A lower-league player, Lagerbäck began his coaching career in 1977 with Kilafors, joining the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) as a youth coach after spells with two other modest club sides Arbrå and Hudiksvall. Söderberg and Lagerbäck managed Sweden in tandem from 2000, reaching UEFA EURO 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2004; following Söderberg's departure, Lagerbäck took the troops to the 2006 World Cup and UEFA EURO 2008 single-handed. Appointed Iceland boss in October 2011, he steered the side to the 2014 World Cup play-offs where they lost to Croatia. 

The star: Gylfi Sigurdson

The seventh-highest scorer in the history of the national team and the second Icelander, after Eidur Gudjohnsen, to score ten goals or more in a season in England’s Premier League. Has been linked with a big money move to Leicester this summer. Sigurdsson is a board member of his father’s fishing company and owns an Icelandic real estate company. Moved to England with his family at 15 to try to make a career in football. His brother is a professional golf instructor.

Iceland's matches in Group F