Iceland men's national basketball team

Iceland

FIBA ranking	49 1 (1 March 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA	1959
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	KKÍ
Coach	Craig Pedersen
Nickname(s)	Strákarnir okkar (Our Boys)
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	2
Medals	None
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances	3
Medals	Gold: (1988, 1990) Bronze: (1994)
Games of the Small States of Europe
Appearances	14
Medals	Gold: (1991, 1993, 2007) Silver: (1987, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2015) Bronze: (1989, 1995, 1997, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Home Away
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

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 1963 Did not enter Did not enter 1967 1970 Did not qualify Did not qualify 1974 Did not enter Did not enter 1978 Did not qualify EuroBasket served as qualifiers 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2019 6 2 4 2023 20 12 8 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 1960 Did not enter Did not enter 1964 1968 1972 1976 Did not qualify 5 0 5 1980 Did not enter Did not enter 1984 1988 1992 Did not qualify 6 0 6 1996 to 2016 Did not qualify 2020 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 1987 3 2 1 1989 3 2 1 1991 4 4 0 1993 5 5 0 1995 4 3 1 1997 4 3 1 2001 5 4 1 2003 5 4 1 2005 4 3 1 2007 5 5 0 2009 4th 5 3 2 2013 4 2 2 2015 3 2 1 2017 5 2 3 2019 4 2 2 Total 63 46 17

EuroBasket EuroBasket Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1959 Did not enter 1961 1963 Did not enter 1965 1967 1969 Did not qualify 3 1 2 1971 Did not enter Did not enter 1973 1975 Did not qualify 5 1 4 1977 5 3 2 1979 Did not enter Did not enter 1981 Did not qualify 4 3 1 1983 5 2 3 1985 4 1 3 1987 9 4 5 1989 3 0 3 1991 4 0 4 1993 4 2 2 1995 5 3 2 1997 6 3 3 1999 15 3 12 2001 15 4 11 2003 6 0 6 2005 Division B 4 2 2 2007 Division B 8 4 4 2009 Division B 8 3 5 2011 Did not enter Did not enter 2013 Did not qualify 10 1 9 2015 24th 5 0 5 4 2 2 2017 24th 5 0 5 6 4 2 2022 Did not qualify 8 3 5 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 1988 5 4 1 1990 5 5 0 1994 5 3 2 Total 15 12 3

Results and fixtures

  Win   Loss

2024

Iceland  v  Hungary

22 February 2024 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	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 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	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 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Iceland	vs.	Italy	Iceland
		Boxscore

Italy  v  Iceland

25 November 2024 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Italy	vs.	Iceland	Italy
		Boxscore

2025

Hungary  v  Iceland

20 February 2025 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Hungary	vs.	Iceland	Hungary
		Boxscore

Iceland  v  Turkey

23 February 2025 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	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 F 6 Kristófer Acox 30 – (1993-10-13)13 October 1993 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Valur G/F 8 Tómas Þrastarson 18 – (2005-09-19)19 September 2005 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Þór Þorlákshöfn G/F 9 Þórir Þorbjarnarson 25 – (1998-05-26)26 May 1998 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Tindastóll PG 10 Elvar Már Friðriksson 29 – (1994-11-11)11 November 1994 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) PAOK G 14 Kristinn Pálsson 26 – (1997-12-17)17 December 1997 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Leeuwarden G 15 Martin Hermannsson 29 – (1994-09-16)16 September 1994 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Alba Berlin SF 18 Sigurður Pétursson 21 – (2002-03-08)8 March 2002 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Keflavík F 23 Hjálmar Stefánsson 28 – (1996-01-05)5 January 1996 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Valur PG 24 Hilmar Smári Henningsson 23 – (2000-09-03)3 September 2000 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Bremerhaven SF 29 Orri Gunnarsson 20 – (2003-08-21)21 August 2003 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Swans G 30 Jón Axel Guðmundsson 27 – (1996-10-27)27 October 1996 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Fundación Lucentum C 32 Tryggvi Hlinason 26 – (1997-10-28)28 October 1997 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) Bilbao F 34 Styrmir Snær Þrastarson 22 – (2001-08-02)2 August 2001 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Mons-Hainaut	Head coach Craig Pedersen Assistant coach(es) Pavel Ermolinskij Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 22 February 2024

Depth chart

Head coach position

• Hilmar Hafsteinsson – (1984)
• Einar Bollason – (1985–1987)
• László Németh – (1988–1990)
• Torfi Magnússon – (1990–1995)
• Jón Kr. Gíslason – (1995–1999)
• Friðrik Ingi Rúnarsson – (1999–2003)
• Sigurður Ingimundarson – (2004–2009)
• Peter Öqvist – (2011–2013)
• Craig Pedersen – (2014–present)

Individual records

Players with the most caps (games played)

• Players in bold are still active.

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

• Sport in Iceland
• Iceland women's national basketball team
• Iceland men's national under-20 basketball team
• Iceland men's national under-18 basketball team
• Iceland men's national under-16 basketball team

References

External links

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

This page was last edited on 10 March 2024, at 18:53