# 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.
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. Players can represent Iceland at any level as long as they are eligible, giving them the option to compete for the U21s, senior team, and then U21s once more. 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. 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.
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. Iceland would finish third in the group, level on points with the second placed and fourth placed teams. Following the end of the tournament, UEFA announced its Team of the Tournament with striker Kolbeinn Sigþórsson named on the list.
Iceland qualified to the tournament for the second time in 2021.

## Competition records
### UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 1978 to 2009 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2011 | Group Stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | –2 |
| 2013 to 2019 | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | did not qualify | 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 |

## UEFA European Under-21 Championship
### 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | | | | | | |
| 1 | Portugal | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | +38 | 28 | Final tournament | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 11–0 |
| 2 | Iceland | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 7 | +18 | 18 | Play-offs | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 9–0 |
| 3 | Greece | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 17 | | 0–4 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 |
| 4 | Belarus | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 12 | | 1–5 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 6–0 |
| 5 | Cyprus | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 11 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | — | 6–0 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 63 | −63 | 0 | | 0–9 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 0–4 | 0–6 | — |

#### 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs

The four play-off winners qualify for the final tournament.
All times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Croatia | 3–3 (5–4 p) | Denmark | 2–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Slovakia | 3–5 | Ukraine | 3–2 | 0–3 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1–1 (1–3 p) | Israel | 1–1 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Iceland | 1–2 | Czech Republic | 1–2 | 0–0 |

## Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

| Date | Competition | Location | Opponent | Result | Scorers |
| 2 September 2021 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | OSK Brestsky, Brest, Belarus | Belarus | 2–1 | Hákon Arnar Haraldsson (x2) |
| 7 September 2021 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Greece | 1–1 | Kolbeinn Þórðarson |
| 12 October 2021 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Portugal | 0–1 | |
| 12 November 2021 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Sportpark Eschen-Mauren, Eschen, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein | 3–0 | Kristian Hlynsson Ágúst Hlynsson Brynjólfur Willumsson |
| 16 November 2021 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium, Tripoli, Greece | Greece | 0–1 | |
| 25 March 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal | Portugal | 1–1 | Brynjólfur Willumsson |
| 29 March 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Dasaki Stadium, Achna, Cyprus | Cyprus | 1–1 | Kristian Hlynsson |
| 3 June 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Liechtenstein | 9–0 | Kristian Hlynsson (x2) Atli Barkarson (x2) Ísak Snær Þorvaldsson (x2) Brynjólfur Willumsson (x2) Kristall Máni Ingason |
| 8 June 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Belarus | 3–1 | Kristian Hlynsson Kristall Máni Ingason Viktor Örlygur Andrason |
| 11 June 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification | Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Cyprus | 5–0 | Kristall Máni Ingason (x2) Andreas Karamanolis (own goal) Sævar Atli Magnússon Kristian Hlynsson |
| 23 September 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification play-offs | Víkingsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Czech Republic | 1–2 | Sævar Atli Magnússon |
| 27 September 2022 | 2023 UEFA U-21 qualification play-offs | Stadion Střelecký ostrov, České Budějovice, Czech Republic | Czech Republic | 0–0 | |

## Players
### Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Austria on 16 June and Hungary on 19 June 2023.
Caps and goals updated as of 26 March 2023, after the match against Republic of Ireland.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
| 1GK | Adam Ingi Benediktsson | (2002-10-28) 28 October 2002 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | IFK Göteborg |
| 1GK | Ólafur Kristófer Helgason | (2002-10-24) 24 October 2002 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Fylkir |
| 2DF | Róbert Orri Þorkelsson | (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 (age 22) | 13 | 0 | Montréal |
| 2DF | Valgeir Valgeirsson | (2002-09-22) 22 September 2002 (age 22) | 4 | 0 | Örebro |
| 2DF | Ólafur Guðmundsson | (2002-03-18) 18 March 2002 (age 22) | 3 | 0 | FH |
| 2DF | Jakob Pálsson | (2003-01-07) 7 January 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | KR |
| 2DF | Oliver Stefánsson | (2002-08-03) 3 August 2002 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | Breiðablik |
| 2DF | Arnór Gauti Jónsson | (2002-05-31) 31 May 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Fylkir |
| 3MF | Örvar Logi Örvarsson | (2003-07-30) 30 July 2003 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Stjarnan |
| 3MF | Andri Fannar Baldursson | (2002-01-10) 10 January 2002 (age 22) | 12 | 0 | NEC |
| 3MF | Kristófer Jónsson | (2003-03-03) 3 March 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Venezia |
| 3MF | Danijel Djuric | (2003-01-05) 5 January 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Víkingur Reykjavík |
| 3MF | Orri Hrafn Kjartansson | (2002-02-05) 5 February 2002 (age 22) | 2 | 0 | Valur |
| 3MF | Andi Hoti | (2003-12-22) 22 December 2003 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Leiknir Reykjavík |
| 4FW | Kristall Máni Ingason | (2002-01-18) 18 January 2002 (age 22) | 11 | 7 | Rosenborg |
| 4FW | Ísak Andri Sigurgeirsson | (2003-09-11) 11 September 2003 (age 21) | 2 | 0 | Stjarnan |
| 4FW | Úlfur Ágúst Björnsson | (2003-06-12) 12 June 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | FH |
| 4FW | Ari Sigurpálsson | (2003-03-17) 17 March 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Víkingur Reykjavík |
| 4FW | Óskar Borgþórsson | (2003-07-15) 15 July 2003 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Fylkir |
| 4FW | Andri Guðjohnsen | (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | IFK Norrköping |

### 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 |
| DF | Óli Valur Ómarsson | (2003-01-09) 9 January 2003 (age 21) | 5 | 0 | Sirius | v. Scotland, 17 November 2022 |
| MF | Anton Logi Lúðvíksson | (2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Breiðablik | v. Scotland, 17 November 2022 |
| MF | Davíð Snær Jóhannsson | (2002-06-15) 15 June 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | FH | v. Scotland, 17 November 2022 |
| MF | Kristian Hlynsson | (2004-01-23) 23 January 2004 (age 20) | 10 | 6 | Ajax | v. Czech Republic, 27 September 2022 |
| FW | Arnar Breki Gunnarsson | (2002-05-23) 23 May 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | ÍBV | v. Scotland, 17 November 2022 |
| FW | Eyþór Aron Wöhler | (2002-02-28) 28 February 2002 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | ÍA | v. Scotland, 17 November 2022 |
| FW | Orri Óskarsson | (2004-08-29) 29 August 2004 (age 20) | 6 | 0 | Copenhagen | v. Czech Republic, 27 September 2022 |
| FW | Hilmir Rafn Mikaelsson | (2004-02-02) 2 February 2004 (age 20) | 1 | 0 | Venezia | v. Czech Republic, 27 September 2022 |

### Previous squads

* 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad
* 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad

## Records
### Most caps

As of 17 November 2022, the 10 players with the most U-21 caps for Iceland are:
| 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 | Brynjólfur Andersen Willumsson | 2019–2022 | 25 | 5 |
| 6 | Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson | 2017–2021 | 23 | 5 |
| 7 | Orri Sigurður Ómarsson | 2013–2016 | 21 | 0 |
| 7 | Alex Þór Hauksson | 2017–2021 | 21 | 1 |
| 9 | Ari Leifsson | 2017–2021 | 20 | 1 |
| 10 | Pétur Marteinsson | 1992–1995 | 19 | 0 |
| 10 | Bjarni Guðjónsson | 1996–2001 | 19 | 4 |
| 10 | Ómar Jóhannsson | 2000–2003 | 19 | 0 |
| 10 | Rúrik Gíslason | 2005–2011 | 19 | 6 |
| 10 | Haraldur Björnsson | 2007–2011 | 19 | 0 |
| 10 | Willum Þór Willumsson | 2018–2021 | 19 | 3 |
| 10 | Kolbeinn Þórðarson | 2019–2022 | 19 | 1 |
In bold players still playing or available for selection.

### Top goalscorers

As of 17 November 2022, 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 | 0.5 |
| 2 | Sveinn Aron Guðjohnsen | 2018–2021 | 7 | 17 | 0.41 |
| 4 | Kristian Hlynsson | 2021– | 6 | 10 | 0.6 |
| 4 | Kristall Máni Ingason | 2021– | 6 | 10 | 0.6 |
| 4 | Gylfi Sigurðsson | 2007–2011 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 |
| 4 | Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson | 2008–2011 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 |
| 4 | Albert Guðmundsson | 2015–2018 | 6 | 15 | 0.4 |
| 4 | Rúrik Gíslason | 2005–2011 | 6 | 19 | 0.32 |
| 4 | Bjarni Viðarsson | 2005–2011 | 6 | 26 | 0.23 |
In bold players still playing or available for selection.