In their qualification to play in Euro 2004, Iceland finished third in their group, just one point ahead of Scotland. In the end, they were not able to secure an automatic playoff spot.
However, the next qualifying seasons will be more challenging for Iceland who will try to get the final spots of their respective groups, particularly in the Euro 2008 qualifiers where despite two surprise wins over Northern Ireland (3-0 in the opening fixture away, 2-1 at home on the way back) and a brave fight during the first and second game with the Spanish likely winners from the tournament (a one-sided draw in the home arena following being ahead, and the short loss of 0-1 away) The team was beaten numerous other losses which included two losses to Latvia who had been selected as a surprise team for Euro 2004 as a surprise (0-4 away, 2-4 at home) and one with Liechtenstein (0-3 away following a 1-1 draw at home).
The reason for the absence of performance of the team was due to the lack of professional players on the island. Icelanders enjoyed soccer as a pastime. Additionally, the harsh weather that lasts for eight months didn't help the growth of the sport. There were just two artificial fields, which forced players to practice on gravel and in the winter. In the decade 2000, Icelandic soccer will experience an incredible change. The growth in the economy will allow the authorities to build important structures that have artificial turf pitches indoors that allow soccer being played all year long without having to worry about the weather outside. These new facilities will can encourage youngsters to switch towards sports, and may even will result in a decrease in tobacco and alcohol consumption among teens.
The year 2014 saw Iceland nearly qualified for the first World Cup. In Group D, they finished second They played Croatia in a two-leg match to qualify. After playing to a 0-0 draw during the first leg at home but losing to Croatia 2-0 in the away leg.
Iceland was able to qualify to play in a major tournament for its first time back in 2015 , after finishing second in Group A of qualifying to Euro 2016, losing only two games and defeating the Netherlands who had placed third at the previous World Cup - twice. While qualifying the team reached their highest rank within the FIFA World Rankings, 23rd. Iceland were placed in the same group as Portugal, Hungary and Austria for the final match.
In the finals of the tournament, Iceland recorded 1-1 draws in their two group stage games with Portugal as well as Hungary. They made it to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win against Austria. Iceland was able to make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament following an upset victory of 2-1 over England at the end of the 16th round which resulted in England director Roy Hodgson resigning in disgrace shortly after the whistle blew. But they were defeated by the host country France in the quarterfinals, 5-1.
Iceland was selected to participate in qualifying for 2018 World Cup, their first appearance at the World Cup. They earned qualifying on the 9th of October, 2017 following a 2-0 victory over Kosovo. As a result they became the least-populated country to ever reach the finals. Iceland were chosen in a group that included Croatia, Argentina and Nigeria in a group often referred to for being"the "group that would die". Despite being a difficult team, Iceland were tipped to rise from the group by various journalist websites in light of their stellar performance at Euro 2016. Their first game in the World Cup was against 2014 runners-up Argentina and Iceland astonishingly keeping Argentina to a draw. But Iceland's chances of making it to the next round the group were hampered by an 2-0 loss to Nigeria which included several missed opportunities in the opening half, and a penalty in the second half not gotten by Gylfi Sigurdsson. The result forced Iceland to test their focus against already qualified Croatia. Iceland fell to Croatia during their last game of the group as well. Moreover, since Argentina defeated Nigeria, Iceland finished bottom of the group , with only one point.
Following Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, Iceland was predicted to be playing at Euro 2020. But the team is performing just prior to the fresh Nations League, where they are part of the Group 2 in League A with Switzerland and Belgium. However, the Strakarnir OKkar are showing alarming indicators: the post-World cup period is extremely difficult, because Iceland has conceded four defeats in four games, including an early setback against Switzerland (0-6) in which they were thoroughly dominated by all aspects of the match with the Helvetians. The Icelandic team's international performances were marred by the constant absence of a few of their most important players, usually because of injuries. Meanwhile, Iceland's defense, which is usually a formidable force in the game Icelandic defense, usually impossible to beat in previous crucial games has been demonstrating difficulties in replacing the key players of its past with a new group of young defenders. Because of the new rules that was finally approved in the hands of UEFA, Iceland is not removed from League B for the 2020-2021 edition.
In the group H in the Euro qualifiers , which includes World champions France, Turkey, Albania, Andorra and Moldova, Icelanders are confident that they are accounting on par and don't seem to be awed by the smallest of opponent (Moldova as well as Andorra). However, they are facing greater difficulties in the away (like the 0-6 record in Switzerland) and they lost three games, which included the two matches in the game against The Les Bleus (4-0 on the Stade de France and 1-0 at home, courtesy of penalties after an hour of play, at the conclusion of a tense game) as well as a brutal defeat away to Albania 4-2, however they are still able to beat Turks with four points from six feasible and also being the only undefeated team in the group as and the only team in the group that has not suffered an defeat on this team. They are third behind Turkey and France and France, the Icelanders defeated France 2-1 in their first match of their playoff against Romania because of the brace of Gylfi Sigurdsson during the first period (16th and 34th minutes) even despite the Romanian reduced score by a penalty kick during the second half following consulting with the VAR and they will need to travel to Hungary who won against the hands of Bulgarians (3-1) as well as also made an impressive impression at home in the group E in the Euro 2020 qualifiers by beating Croatia (2-1) and Wales (1-0). On the 12th of November, 2020, in their playoff match with Hungary, Iceland came agonisingly close to being able to qualify for Euro 2020, as it was 1-0 ahead for all of the game, thanks to the direct free kick of Gylfi Sigurdsson, who was assisted by a mistake made by the goalkeeper of the opposition, Peter Gulacsi (11th minute) before Hungary had two goal in just five minutes. The first within the final minute of the game of Loic Nego to stun Iceland and the second one in seconds of additional time, scored by Dominik Szoboszlai. Both proved as the victor. Hungary defeated Iceland with a score of 2-1.
Iceland also had suffered disappointing results during the UEFA Nations League campaign in League A, having lost every game in their group stage and failing to score even a single point. This resulted in their being relegated into League B the following season. Director Erik Hamren ultimately resigned, after their poor performance the previous year.
The beginning of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers was also not fully appreciated by Iceland that had two losses at the start of the tournament. They lost away to Germany (0-3) as well unexpectedly at home against Armenia (0-2). But it appears that the Strakarnir Okkar have returned to the race after winning 4-1 against Liechtenstein and a corresponding defeat from Romania as well as Germany. The critical preparation for the September tournament which Iceland was able to benefit from playing all three games in their home stadium after a string of away matches and some friendly matches throughout June. The preparations were interrupted by extra-sporting events involving key players who were accused of sexual assault and therefore not participating in the month's matches. The allegations also led to the resignation of a number of senior members of the Icelandic Football Association, including the president. In the midst of this, Romania took revenge for the Euro play-off that they lost nearly a year before and beat Strakarnir Okkar with a score of 2-0. The hosts were faced with a draw (2-2 after being trailed 0-2) with North Macedonia before falling heavily against Germany (0-4) and also pointing towards the final spot in the group, having 4 units available with just 4 days left in the qualifying games, drastically decreasing Iceland's chances of being able to qualify for the following World Cup. Then Iceland was able to bounce back in the two games in October, taking on Armenia (1-1) which beat them by 2-0 in March and later by scoring a hefty win over Liechtenstein (4-0). However, Iceland is still 5th in the group and nearing elimination. In spite of everything they held their ground from Romania despite the clear dominance of the Romanian team (0-0) however, they were mathematically eliminated in the final day remaining since the Strakarnir Okkar had to win their two last games and hope for slip-ups by their direct rivals to finish second in the group.
The troubling results are due to a variety of elements, both sporting and non-sporting. One of them is the generational renewal of the older management team that is hindered by the limited number of footballers because of Iceland's population demographics; and the questionable tactics of the coach who is new and inexperienced that have led to the absence of a sense of urgency in the new players who aren't used to playing in a group and lack of a normal team as well as sexual assault scandals which have effectively secluded many of the team's top players and perpetuated the negative cycle.
