Thorsteinn Halldórsson’s side will be tough to beat but can they turn tightly contested games into victories?
This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2025 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two teams each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 2 July.
Iceland were one of the first teams to qualify for the Euros after some convincing performances during qualifying. They may have finished two points behind Germany but they beat Christian Wück’s side 3-0 in Reykjavík. They finished above Austria and Poland by picking up four crucial points in May and June 2024.
The team’s success has been built upon a strong defensive organisation, with the captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir a natural leader. Add to that a fast counterattacking style where the pacy Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir is a constant threat to opposing defences. Jónsdóttir contributes to attacks in other ways too: her long-throw in is a real weapon for this team and they are a huge threat at set pieces.
Bayern Munich’s Viggósdóttir is a key player. She struggled with a knee injury in the final months of the Bundesliga season – and missed Iceland’s two games in April – but returned to action in May.
