The Icelandic football team qualified for the World Cup, for the first time in history.
One of the smallest European countries will participate in the second major competition in a row, after a remarkable performance at the European Championship in 2016, where they reached the quarter-finals.
Here are 10 unusual things, not just football, about Iceland.
Vmore volcanoes than footballers
There are 126 volcanoes in Iceland, six of which are active. Iceland has 21 registered soccer players, but only 120 professionals.
More sheep than inhabitants
According to some data, there are 600 thousand sheep in Iceland, which is twice as many as the population.
Not an ant
Also, scientists claim that there are no ants in Iceland. Why - probably due to the soil composition and temperatures.
The smallest country in the World Cup
This is exact data - Iceland has 331,811 inhabitants. Until now, Trinidad and Tobago was the smallest country with a football team in the finals - 1,3 million in 2006.
Fewer inhabitants than Manchester and 12 Spanish cities
The English city for two giants has about 600 thousand inhabitants, and 12 Spanish cities have a larger population than Iceland. Of the UEFA member countries, only Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar and San Marino are smaller than Iceland.
8 percent in the stadium, 99.8 percent in front of the television
Around 26 Icelanders cheered on the national team at the European Championship in France - in stadiums or in the squares of French cities. Those who remained in the country watched the EURO on TV - 99,8 of them followed the Iceland-England duel in the round of XNUMX on small screens.
Dentist on the bench
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, who took over the team after the European Championship, in addition to completing his UEFA PRO coaching license, is a dental graduate and has a practice in Reykjavík.
Mountain - the most dangerous fan
Haftor Björnsson, who plays The Mountain in the famous series Game of Thrones, and one of the strongest men in the world, is an avid fan of the national team. He threatened to kill, of course in jest, Cristiano Ronaldo, who after the draw at the European Championship, said that the Icelanders were "a small nation, because they celebrated as if they had become champions."
Cheap team
According to the data of the specialized website Transfermarkt, only the selections of Hungary (25,3 million) and Northern Ireland (38,1) are worth less than Iceland. The value of the players of the Icelandic team is estimated at 44,75 million euros.
Not even 40 percent of the property
Pep Guardiola would be disappointed - in the qualification matches, Iceland had an average of only 40 percent possession of the ball. As the first in the group, he made it to the finals.
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