The people of Iceland enjoy many types of sports like football, athletics, golf, basketball, tennis, volleyball, swimming, chess but the most popular sport in the country is handball.

Handball is considered to be the national sport and their national team is considered as one of the best in the world, especially after taking the silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"The Icelandic handball program has been a model of sustained excellence for small nations. Winning Olympic silver in 2008 against much larger countries shows that with the right focus and development system, population size becomes less relevant in team sports."
— Robert J. Wood's research at Topend Sports

Iceland is also great at producing chess grandmasters, which include Fridrik Ólafsson, Margeir Pétursson, Jón Loftúr Árnason and Jóhann Hjartarson.

The Icelandic football team reached its first major tournament, UEFA Euro 2016, becoming the smallest ever nation to qualify for a major tournament. Not only that, they surprised everyone and reached the quarterfinals.

"Iceland's achievement in reaching the Euro 2016 quarterfinals represents one of the greatest underdog stories in football history. A nation of barely 330,000 people defeated England and competed with the world's elite - it demonstrates how strong coaching, national unity, and smart player development can overcome resource limitations."
— Robert Wood, founder of Topend Sports

In 2017, they became the smallest nation by population to ever clinch a World Cup berth and made their debut at that major tournament in 2018. When it comes to football, the biggest international name from Iceland is Eiður Guðjohnsen, who plays for Chelsea FC from England's Premier League as well as for FC Barcelona in La Liga.

Icelandic athletes have also participated in the Olympic Games since 1912. They missed the next four Summer Olympic Games and then returned in 1936 and have been participating ever since. As far as the Winter Games are concerned, they first joined in 1948 and have been participating ever since, except in 1972. They are one of the earliest Olympic nations but only received their first medal in 1956 from Vilhjálmur Einarsson who took the silver for Men's triple jump in Melbourne, Australia.

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Iceland. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.

  • Handball, Football (Soccer), Track & Field, Golf, Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball, Swimming, Wrestling, Chess.

Handball Excellence

Iceland's men's handball team won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, one of the greatest achievements for a nation of Iceland's size in any team sport.

View Iceland Olympic History →

Traditional Sports of Iceland

  • Glíma — the national sport of Iceland. It is a form of wrestling.
  • Knattleikr — an ancient game that is known to have been played by Vikings of Iceland
"Iceland's sporting culture uniquely blends traditional pursuits like Glíma wrestling with modern international competition. This cultural foundation, combined with exceptional participation rates relative to population, creates a sporting identity that consistently produces world-class athletes across multiple disciplines."
— According to sports science expert Robert Wood, who has analyzed sports performance data for over 25 years

Iceland Sporting Success

Sport Achievement Year(s)
Handball Olympic Silver Medal 2008
Football UEFA Euro Quarterfinals 2016
Football FIFA World Cup Qualification 2018
Athletics Olympic Silver (Triple Jump) 1956
Athletics Olympic Bronze (Sydney) 2000
Handball World Championship Host 2031

Football Fairytale

Iceland became the smallest nation to qualify for UEFA Euro 2016 and shocked the world by defeating England to reach the quarterfinals.

View Iceland UEFA Euros History →

Great Athletes from Iceland

  • Vilhjálmur Einarsson (Track & Field)
  • Eiður Guðjohnsen (Football/Soccer)
  • Kristinn Björnsson (skiing)
  • Örn Arnarsson (swimming)
  • Alfred Gislason (handball)

Chess Grandmasters

Iceland has produced four chess grandmasters including Fridrik Ólafsson, Margeir Pétursson, Jón Loftúr Árnason, and Jóhann Hjartarson - a remarkable per capita achievement.

Learn About Chess →

Iceland Sports Trivia

  • Triple jumper Vilhjálmur Einarsson broke the Olympic record with a leap of 16.26 meters at the 1956 Olympics, finishing second. He was Iceland's first Olympic medalist.
  • In a friendly football match against Estonia in 1996, Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen entered as a substitute for his father Arnór. This marked the first time that a father and son played in the same international match.
  • The Iceland football team have qualified for the 2018 World Cup. In doing so, they became the smallest nation by population to do so.

Iceland at Major Events

Past Sporting Events Hosted in Iceland

  • 1997 - Games of the Small States of Europe

Upcoming Sporting Events in Iceland

Annual Sporting Events Held in Iceland

  • Reykjavík Marathon, held in mid-August
  • Laugavegur Ultramarathon - a 55 km race
  • Landsmót - the National Icelandic Horse Competition
  • The Icelandic National Football Cup - This is one of the major football events in Iceland. It is a knockout men's football competition, which features teams in all the divisions in the country.

Sporting Facilities in Iceland

  • Engjavegur Laugardalur Sports Center