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Looking to place a bet on Iceland at the 2018 World Cup? You have come to the right place. This page provides a comprehensive wrap of all things Iceland for the World Cup of Soccer: result history, statistical analysis, future matches and most importantly, the best odds and lines from a variety of top online sportsbooks. Review tournament performance, plan for upcoming fixtures and place your wager with confidence right here.
Iceland’s World Cup 2022 Standings
Iceland is the second team in Group D, which also includes Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria. Below you will find their current tournament standings, updated after every matchday.
Iceland’s Odds To Win The World Cup
We would love to see Iceland repeat their fairytale performance at the 2018 World Cup, and while they do boast a number of players with significant quality, we feel as though they will struggle in a group containing three very strong teams. Their matchup with Croatia will be one to watch, especially considering how many times the pair have come up against each other over the last few years, although it is tough to see them progressing from Group D.
Sports Interaction is offering odds of +260 for Iceland to qualify from their group, while -400 is the price for them to be eliminated at the first hurdle. Our pick is a group stage exit for the smallest nation at the World Cup, and we can’t see them picking up a win in the tournament.
You never know with Iceland though, and whatever you choose to do they are certainly worth watching just in case they shock the world one more time.
Iceland’s Squad & Key Players
All teams must declare a 30 man squad for the World Cup by the middle of May, while the final 23 man squads don’t have to be finalized until the first week of June, just days prior to the tournament start date. We will update you when the team sheets are announced, but first, let’s take a look at some of the most important players in the Iceland team and who we think will play a big part in the competition.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (Attacking Midfielder)
Sigurdsson was excellent for Iceland throughout the 2016 Euros and the 2018 qualification campaign. Best known for his set pieces and long-range shooting ability, he is the star of the show for his country. He has played for various English clubs throughout his career, starting with Reading in the Championship before stints with Tottenham, Swansea City and now Everton.
He almost single-handedly kept Swansea in the Premier League last season, ensuring they would dodge relegation for another season. His 27 goals for the club over three seasons was a quite remarkable accomplishment considering his side were in the bottom half of the table for most of his time there.
Aron Gunnarsson (Midfielder)
Gunnarsson is another player that has spent most of his career in England, and he has already amassed 235 appearances for Cardiff City. He captains the national time, for which he has made 76 starts, the equal fifth-most of all time. His leadership has been one of the main reasons why Iceland has performed so admirably over the last five years.
Hordur Magnusson (Defender)
Although Magnusson was part of the 23-man squad for the 2016 Euros, he did not feature in any of the five games for Iceland. Yet his appearances for his country during qualification hint that he will be starting in Russia, and the former Juventus youth academy player will be a welcome addition to the first XI. Hordur also scores goals, and there were few more important than his winner in the qualifier against nearest rivals Croatia.
The Coach – Heimir Hallgrimsson
Heimir has been involved in the Icelandic setup since 2011 when he signed on as an assistant to head coach Lars Lagerback. After the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, Hallgrimsson was elevated to share the top job with Lagerback and then proceeded to take on the role solo after his partner took over the Norway manager role.
Obviously the most successful coach in Icelandic football history, Hallgrimsson has overseen a win percentage of 58.82% since he took over as sole manager. Iceland has won ten out of seventeen games during this time, with two draws and five losses.
Iceland’s World Cup 2022 Lineup
Iceland’s latest international was a friendly played against Qatar on November 14th, 2017 which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Their last competitive match was their final qualifier against Kosovo, and the full lineup was as follows.
Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Birkir Sævarsson (Valur), Ragnar Sigurdsson (Rubin Kazan), Kari Arnason (Aberdeen), Hordur Magnusson (Bristol City) – Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City) – Johann Gudmundsson (Burnley), Gilfi Sigurdsson (Everton), Bikir Bjarnason (Aston Villa) – Jon Bodvarsson (Reading).
Reserves: J Fjoluson, O Kristinsson, O Skulason, A Skulason, R Gislason, K Finnbogason, A Finnbogason, A Traustason, V Kjartansson, R Sigurjonsson, S Ingason, R Runarsson.
Iceland’s World Cup History
The remarkable story continues – Iceland has qualified for its first-ever World Cup, capping off an incredible period for the tiny nation. Iceland is the smallest country by population to clinch a place at the world’s biggest sporting competition, doing so with a 3-0 win away to Turkey and a 2-0 victory over Kosovo in Reykjavik and topping a qualification group containing Croatia and Ukraine.
Their incredible run started with their 2014 World Cup qualification campaign. Ranked 121st in the world prior to the UEFA qualifying phase, Iceland surprised everyone by finishing second behind Switzerland in a group that also contained Slovenia, Norway, Albania and Cyprus. They managed a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their play-off against Croatia, however, they have defeated 2-0 away from home in the second leg.
Shortly after their failure to qualify for Brazil, Iceland embarked on their next mission – to qualify for the 2016 Euros. Few gave them a chance in a group containing the Czech Republic, Turkey and the Netherlands, yet Iceland managed a record of 6 wins and just two losses in their ten matches, including home and away victories over the Dutch. They finished with the best goal difference and best defence and became the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major FIFA tournament.
Coming up against Portugal, Austria and Hungary in Group F at the tournament, Iceland continued to defy the odds and finished second without defeat. They progressed to the Round of 16 and faced a David and Goliath scenario against England, and shocked the world by finishing as 2-1 victors despite trailing after just four minutes. Although they went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual runners-up France, they had well and truly made their mark on international football.
They come into the 2018 World Cup with quite a challenge, facing 2014 finalists Argentina, Nigeria and Croatia, a team they now know quite a lot about. While they are not expected to progress from the group stages, it would take a brave person to bet against them doing so considering what they have achieved in the last five years.
