Iceland men's national basketball team

Iceland
FIBA ranking49 Decrease 1 (1 March 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA1959
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationKKÍ
CoachCraig Pedersen
Nickname(s)Strákarnir okkar (Our Boys)
FIBA World Cup
AppearancesNone
EuroBasket
Appearances2
MedalsNone
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances3
MedalsGold Gold: (1988, 1990)
Bronze Bronze: (1994)
Games of the Small States of Europe
Appearances14
MedalsGold Gold: (1991, 1993, 2007)
Silver Silver: (1987, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2015)
Bronze Bronze: (1989, 1995, 1997, 2013, 2017, 2019)
First international
 Denmark 38–41 Iceland 
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 16 May 1959)
Biggest win
 Iceland 123–59 Norway 
(Reykjavík, Iceland; 15 April 1968)
Biggest defeat
 Iceland 51–124 Croatia 
(Murcia, Spain; 24 June 1992)

The Iceland men's national basketball team (Icelandic: Íslenska karlalandsliðið í körfubolta) represents Iceland in international basketball tournaments. The team is controlled by the Icelandic Basketball Association.

Iceland has qualified for the EuroBasket twice, with the national team making their first ever appearance in 2015. They also participate at smaller European tournaments, such as the Games of the Small States of Europe. Although Iceland has yet to make their debut entrance on to the global stage at the FIBA World Cup.

History

EuroBasket 2015

On 28 August 2014, Iceland qualified for the EuroBasket 2015, entering the finals of the top European competition for the first time in its history. The national team though didn't fare too well in their maiden voyage at the EuroBasket. Finishing (0-5) in their Group B pool, played in Berlin with defeats at the hands of Germany, Italy, Serbia, Spain, and Turkey. Overall it was a memorable moment for Iceland, where they finally achieved the feat of competing at a major international tournament, after numerous failed qualifications in the past.[2]

EuroBasket 2017

EuroBasket 2017 match between Finland and Iceland in Helsinki, Finland

On 17 September 2016, Iceland repeated their success and qualified to the continental tournament once again. The national team finished its qualification group as the runners-up behind Belgium, and above Cyprus and Switzerland, with four wins and two losses.[3][4][5]

As in the previous edition though, Iceland finished their participation with five loses in five matches played in their Group A pool in Helsinki.[6]

EuroBasket 2022 qualification

After failing to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup,[7] Iceland turned the page toward EuroBasket 2021. To attempt to qualify for three consecutive EuroBasket appearances, Iceland was placed into Group C to begin their pre-qualifying campaign, which began with two straight loses to Portugal, and Belgium. Although the national team would pick up their first win in their third game, a rematch with Portugal at home in Reykjavík. In their final match of group play the team fell to Belgium, and would have to survive the final window of pre-qualifiers if they were to advance.

For the final phase of pre-qualifiers, Iceland was placed into Group H, alongside Portugal once again, and Switzerland. The national team opened up group play with a tough loss on the road against Portugal 80–79. Looking to even their record at (1-1), Iceland was at home against Switzerland. The match stayed close throughout until Martin Hermannsson's heroics showed up late in the fourth quarter for Iceland; where his jumpshot in the final seconds gave the home side an momentous 83–82 victory.[8] Heading into their next match the national team looked to capitalize on their last win. They did so in thorough fashion, dismantling Portugal 96–68 to set up one last show down with the Swiss.[9]

Heading into the final match day with a place in the qualifiers on the line, Iceland needed to defeat Switzerland on the road in an hostile environment. The specifics for Iceland was clear, either win to clinch a spot, or avoid losing by 18 or more points. Unfortunately, the unthinkable happened. As the national team not only lost to Switzerland, but failed to cover the point difference needed to advance. Losing 109–85, eliminating any chance for Iceland to reach the finals for the third straight time.[10]

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup

World Cup Qualification
Year Position Pld W L Pld W L
Brazil 1963 Did not enter Did not enter
Uruguay 1967
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1970 Did not qualify Did not qualify
Puerto Rico 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Philippines 1978 Did not qualify EuroBasket served
as qualifiers
Colombia 1982
Spain 1986
Argentina 1990
Canada 1994
Greece 1998
United States 2002
Japan 2006
Turkey 2010
Spain 2014
China 2019 6 2 4
PhilippinesJapanIndonesia 2023 20 12 8
Qatar 2027 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/16 26 14 12

Olympic Games

Olympic Games Qualifying
Year Position Pld W L Pld W L
Italy 1960 Did not enter Did not enter
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976 Did not qualify 5 0 5
Soviet Union 1980 Did not enter Did not enter
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992 Did not qualify 6 0 6
1996 to 2016 Did not qualify
Japan 2020
France 2024 3 1 2
Total 0/17 14 1 13

Games of the Small States of Europe

Games of the Small States of Europe
Year Position Pld W L
San Marino 1987 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 2 1
Monaco 1989 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3 2 1
Cyprus 1991 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 4 0
Andorra 1993 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 5 0
Malta 1995 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 3 1
Iceland 1997 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 3 1
San Marino 2001 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 4 1
Malta 2003 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 4 1
Andorra 2005 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4 3 1
Monaco 2007 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 5 0
Cyprus 2009 4th 5 3 2
Luxembourg 2013 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 2 2
Iceland 2015 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 2 1
San Marino 2017 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 2 3
Montenegro 2019 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 2 2
Total 63 46 17

EuroBasket

EuroBasket Qualification
Year Position Pld W L Pld W L
Turkey 1959 Did not enter
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1961
Poland 1963 Did not enter
Soviet Union 1965
Finland 1967
Italy 1969 Did not qualify 3 1 2
West Germany 1971 Did not enter Did not enter
Spain 1973
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1975 Did not qualify 5 1 4
Belgium 1977 5 3 2
Italy 1979 Did not enter Did not enter
Czechoslovakia 1981 Did not qualify 4 3 1
France 1983 5 2 3
West Germany 1985 4 1 3
Greece 1987 9 4 5
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1989 3 0 3
Italy 1991 4 0 4
Germany 1993 4 2 2
Greece 1995 5 3 2
Spain 1997 6 3 3
France 1999 15 3 12
Turkey 2001 15 4 11
Sweden 2003 6 0 6
Serbia and Montenegro 2005 Division B 4 2 2
Spain 2007 Division B 8 4 4
Poland 2009 Division B 8 3 5
Lithuania 2011 Did not enter Did not enter
Slovenia 2013 Did not qualify 10 1 9
FranceCroatiaGermanyLatvia 2015 24th 5 0 5 4 2 2
FinlandIsraelRomaniaTurkey 2017 24th 5 0 5 6 4 2
Czech RepublicGeorgia (country)ItalyGermany 2022 Did not qualify 8 3 5
CyprusFinlandPolandLatvia 2025 To be determined To be determined
Total 2/31 10 0 10 141 49 92

Championship for Small Countries

FIBA European Championship for Small Countries
Year Position Pld W L
Malta 1988 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 4 1
Wales 1990 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 5 0
Republic of Ireland 1994 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 3 2
Total 15 12 3

Results and fixtures

  Win   Loss

2024

Iceland  v  Hungary
22 February 2024 Iceland  70–65  Hungary Reykjavík, Iceland
19:30 (UTC±0) Scoring by quarter: 16–19, 17–18, 16–14, 21–14
Pts: Hermannsson 17
Rebs: Hlinason 11
Asts: Friðriksson 8 		Boxscore Pts: Golomán, Perl 12
Rebs: Golomán, Hopkins 8
Asts: Perl 6 		Arena: Laugardalshöll
Attendance: 2,000
Referees: Andris Aunkrogers (LAT), Ariadna Chueca (ESP), Zdenko Tomašovič (SVK)
Turkey  v  Iceland
25 February 2024 Turkey  76–75  Iceland Istanbul, Turkey
16:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 16–16, 19–14, 19–17, 22–28
Pts: Şanlı 20
Rebs: Şanlı 12
Asts: Sipahi 7 		Boxscore Pts: Hermannsson 15
Rebs: Hlinason 10
Asts: Friðriksson 5 		Arena: Sinan Erdem Dome
Attendance: 13,300
Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Geert Jacobs (BEL), Petar Pešić (SRB)
Iceland  v  Italy
22 November 2024 Iceland  vs.  Italy Iceland
Boxscore
Italy  v  Iceland
25 November 2024 Italy  vs.  Iceland Italy
Boxscore

2025

Hungary  v  Iceland
20 February 2025 Hungary  vs.  Iceland Hungary
Boxscore
Iceland  v  Turkey
23 February 2025 Iceland  vs.  Turkey Iceland
Boxscore

Team

Current roster

Roster for the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers matches on 22 and 25 February 2024 against Hungary and Turkey.[11]

Iceland men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
PG 3 Ægir Steinarsson 32 – (1991-05-10)10 May 1991 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Stjarnan Iceland
F 6 Kristófer Acox 30 – (1993-10-13)13 October 1993 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Valur Iceland
G/F 8 Tómas Þrastarson 18 – (2005-09-19)19 September 2005 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Þór Þorlákshöfn Iceland
G/F 9 Þórir Þorbjarnarson 25 – (1998-05-26)26 May 1998 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Tindastóll Iceland
PG 10 Elvar Már Friðriksson 29 – (1994-11-11)11 November 1994 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) PAOK Greece
G 14 Kristinn Pálsson 26 – (1997-12-17)17 December 1997 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Leeuwarden Netherlands
G 15 Martin Hermannsson 29 – (1994-09-16)16 September 1994 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Alba Berlin Germany
SF 18 Sigurður Pétursson 21 – (2002-03-08)8 March 2002 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Keflavík Iceland
F 23 Hjálmar Stefánsson 28 – (1996-01-05)5 January 1996 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Valur Iceland
PG 24 Hilmar Smári Henningsson 23 – (2000-09-03)3 September 2000 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Bremerhaven Germany
SF 29 Orri Gunnarsson 20 – (2003-08-21)21 August 2003 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Swans Austria
G 30 Jón Axel Guðmundsson 27 – (1996-10-27)27 October 1996 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Fundación Lucentum Spain
C 32 Tryggvi Hlinason 26 – (1997-10-28)28 October 1997 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) Bilbao Spain
F 34 Styrmir Snær Þrastarson 22 – (2001-08-02)2 August 2001 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Mons-Hainaut Belgium
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 22 February 2024

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Tryggvi Hlinason Ragnar Nathanaelsson Tómas Þórður Hilmarsson
PF Kristinn Pálsson Kristófer Acox Ólafur Ólafsson
SF Jón Axel Guðmundsson Gunnar Ólafsson Haukur Pálsson
SG Martin Hermannsson Kári Jónsson Hörður Vilhjálmsson
PG Elvar Már Friðriksson Ægir Steinarsson Sigtryggur Arnar Björnsson

Head coach position

Individual records

Players with the most caps (games played)

  • Players in bold are still active.
Rank Player Years Caps
1. Guðmundur Bragason 1987-2003 169
2. Valur Ingimundarson 1980-1995 164
3. Jón Kr. Gíslason 1982-1995 158
4. Logi Gunnarsson 2000-2018 147
5. Torfi Magnússon 1974-1987 131
6. Hlynur Bæringsson 2000-2019 125
7. Guðjón Skúlason 1988-1999 122
8. Jón Sigurðsson 1968-1984 120
9. Teitur Örlygsson 1986-2000 118
10. Friðrik Stefánsson 1997-2008 112
11. Herbert Arnarson 1991-2002 111
12. Falur Harðarson 1989-2000 106
13. Jón Arnar Ingvarsson 1990-2000 102
14. Jón Arnór Stefánsson 2000-2019 100

Past rosters

2015 EuroBasket: finished 24th among 24 teams

3 Martin Hermannsson, 4 Axel Kárason, 5 Ragnar Nathanaelsson, 6 Jakob Sigurðarson, 8 Hlynur Bæringsson (C),
9 Jón Arnór Stefánsson, 10 Helgi Már Magnússon, 13 Hörður Vilhjálmsson, 14 Logi Gunnarsson, 15 Pavel Ermolinskij,
24 Haukur Pálsson, 29 Ægir Steinarsson (Coach: Craig Pedersen)

2017 EuroBasket: finished 24th among 24 teams

1 Martin Hermannsson, 3 Ægir Steinarsson, 6 Kristófer Acox, 8 Hlynur Bæringsson (C), 9 Jón Arnór Stefánsson,
10 Elvar Már Friðriksson, 13 Hörður Vilhjálmsson, 14 Logi Gunnarsson, 15 Pavel Ermolinskij, 24 Haukur Pálsson, 34 Tryggvi Hlinason, 88 Brynjar Þór Björnsson (Coach: Craig Pedersen)

See also

  • Sports portal
  • flagIceland portal

References

  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Iceland Fall But Still Make History". FIBA Europe. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  3. ^ Ísland spilar í Helsinki á EM 2017 í körfubolta
  4. ^ Ísland á EM í annað sinn í röð
  5. ^ Eurobasket 2017 Qualifiers
  6. ^ "Iceland at the EuroBasket 2017". Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Iceland during the 2019 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Martin Hermannsson, and Iceland stun Switzerland". Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Iceland eliminates Portugal to set up winner take all match against Switzerland". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Iceland during the EuroBasket 2022 Pre-Qualifiers". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Iceland during the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers in February 2023". Retrieved 22 February 2024.

External links

  • Official website (in Icelandic)
  • Iceland FIBA profile
  • Iceland National Team – Men at Eurobasket.com
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