History awaits — Iceland target back-to-back EUROs after 14 years

14 years ago, Iceland played their second of two consecutive Women’s EHF EUROs, having contested the 2010 and 2012 editions. Between those events, in 2011, they made their first appearance at the Women’s World Championship. And then all was quiet on the Nordic front.

A wild card for the 2023 Women’s World Championship saw Iceland return to a major tournament for the first time since 2012 — a wild card that occurred as they were in the midst of a promising qualifiers campaign aiming to reach the EHF EURO 2024.

“We always had the goal to go to the European Championship. That’s what our goal was from the start. This [World Championship wild card] is just an extra win for us. So, to be on a stage like this, this is what we want — we want to be here all the time,” then goalkeeper Elin Thorsteindottir told the IHF at the time.

“It’s amazing to be here and we are so proud that we got the chance to be here and that we are fighting like we are doing right now.”

Centre back Sandra Erlingsdottir, who is the side’s second top scorer in the current qualifiers campaign, added: “It’s just one step forward and then there are many more steps forward after this.”

“Many more steps forward after this”

Iceland did take many steps forward after that, with the 2023 World Championship marking the start of a new era. They went on to end the long wait to qualify for the EHF EURO, playing the 2024 event and ranking 16th out of the 24 teams. Iceland then backed that up with a qualification for the 2025 World Championship.

Discounting the Olympic Games as its own level of competitiveness when it comes to qualifying, Iceland now target their fourth major tournament in a row — something they have never achieved before.

Playing in the highly competitive group 4, Iceland will face Portugal in the Highlight Match of round 6 on Sunday at 18:00 CEST. Iceland enter the round fourth with two points; Portugal sit third with four.

Both of group 4’s guaranteed EHF EURO 2026 berths were booked in round 5, with Montenegro defeating Portugal to clinch their place and the Faroe Islands beating Iceland and profiting from Montenegro’s win to secure theirs.

Iceland and Portugal are therefore in the difficult position of not being entirely in control of their fate, as whoever ranks third on the table must hope their performances have been enough to place them as one of the best third-ranked teams across the qualifiers. The teams will nevertheless be ready to play the “final” of their lives — and hope that fate takes care of the rest.

A challenging journey through the closest qualifiers group

For Iceland, the round 5 result — a 35:30 defeat on Faroe Islands’ turf — was difficult to face.

“I’m disappointed with many aspects of our game. We were too soft for too long, and that’s where we lost it. Defensively, we didn’t perform at the level we needed. We had a clear plan, knowing their strengths, but it didn’t work,” said coach Arnar Pétursson.

Erlingsdottir found it came down to small details: “I’m very disappointed. We prepared well and know this team inside out, but today we failed on many of the small details we had talked about.”

When the teams met in round 1, the outcome was similar, with the Faroe Islands taking a two-goal win. Those were not the only heart wrenching defeats for Iceland during the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers, as in round 2, they lost to Portugal by just one goal, 26:25.

Iceland’s first taste of victory came in round 3, when they beat Montenegro 28:27, before suffering their clearest loss of the qualifiers, 33:24 at the hands of the Balkan side. But Iceland are the only fourth-ranked team to have gained points against the table leaders, showing just how competitive group 4 is.

“A huge point in the fight to qualify for the European Championship. Before the game, it didn’t look good for us, but we were determined to do everything we could, which resulted in this performance,” said coach Pétursson after the round 3 win.

Centre back Elín Þorkelsdóttir highlighted the importance of the home advantage — which they will also enjoy in the critical round 6 game — in the victory against Montenegro: “There was a great turnout in the stadium that gave us such extra energy when we entered the final part of the game. We were incredibly strong and determined defensively, which resulted in easy goals.”

A shared goal between rivals

The one-goal loss to Portugal means that, in the round 6 match, Iceland only have to beat the side by two to gain the upper hand in the direct head-to-head. However, Portugal are equally determined to recover from their round 5 defeat and take the necessary result on Sunday.

“This is a very bitter result because we were confident heading into this match,” said Portugal back Carmen Figueiredo after the round 5 clash against Montenegro.

“However, it cannot leave us with our heads down because we are going to make it. On Sunday, we will give everything because we believe 100 per cent in this qualification, and we are united in achieving this goal.”

For both teams, qualification for the EHF EURO 2026 would highlight their development over the last years, as it was not only Iceland who ended a long wait to reach the EURO in 2024 — Portugal did so as well. At the final tournament, Iceland ranked 16th and Portugal 22nd.

But while Iceland have also contested the last two Women’s World Championships, Portugal have yet to qualify for the global event. Iceland may therefore be a touch more experienced — but if any match shows that it is not about anything but the 60 minutes unfolding on court in that very moment, it is the upcoming Highlight Match.

all photos © Mummi Lu