An Amazing 99.6% Of Iceland's Population Watched Their World Cup Debut On Saturday

Iceland were the internet kings of Euro 2016 and if their performance in their World Cup debut is anything to go by, they'll take some beating in Russia as well.

We've all heard the statistics: everyone from Iceland except Björk and Sigur Ros are at the tournament, their population is roughly the size of your front room, all their players were playing Sunday League until they got the call to go to the World Cup...

You get the point: there is a lot of made up guff about this Iceland team that does somewhat distract from the fact that they are a very, very well organised squad that knows exactly what they are doing and is capable of executing their plan to perfection.

Gylfi Sigurdsson cost Everton £50 million last summer, while they also have players who are regulars in the Bundesliga, Premier League, SPL and Serie A.

PA

What is truly amazing about Iceland is the way that, despite the successes and despite the usual separation between fans and players caused by massive wealth, they have a bond that seems unbreakable.

To wit: there are reports coming out of Iceland that 99.6% of the population watched their 1-1 draw with Argentina on Saturday.

99.6% is an astounding number - especially when you factor in that the other 0.4% are probably actually in Russia supporting the team.

The Icelandic Football Federation tweeted as much this afternoon:

They weren't left disappointed either. Despite going behind to an early strike from Manchester City star Sergio Agüero, the Scandinavian minnows managed to fight their way back into the game just a few minutes later via Alfred Finnbogason and then hold out for a more than deserved one all draw.

Their next fixture is this coming Friday afternoon against Nigeria, who struggled in their opener, a 2-0 defeat to Croatia. Should the Icelanders win, they would see themselves on the brink of qualification to the next round.

Which would almost certainly cause the other 0.4% of unpatriotic, football-hating Icelanders to switch over.

Topics: SPORT, TV and Film, World Cup, TV, Russia

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]