Photo by Larry Jaffee
On July 2, Iceland competed in the World Cup. Not the FIFA World Cup underway in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. No, Iceland competed in the Basketball World Cup at Laugardalshöllin. Still riding a mental high that my beloved New York Knicks won the NBA championship, I attended Iceland’s games.
The size of the arena reminded me of a Division 3 NCAA college gymnasium. Arriving about 20 minutes before game time, Laugardalshöllin was pretty close to its capacity of 2,300 spectators, many of whom were wearing the Iceland team jersey. I should have asked someone where they bought the shirt. The concessionaire only sold beverages and pizza. I’d estimate about 30 percent of the spectators were kids.
Back in the stands, a fellow American, Mike, informed me that the Iceland team upset Italy in November, beating them in Italy 81-76 for another qualifier. The headline on the FIBA website: “Iceland Shock Italy.”
> The headline on the FIBA website: “Iceland Shock Italy.”
In March, FIBA ranked the Iceland men’s team 45th overall among 160 countries and 24th within the 47-team European zone, compared with Italy at 15th overall and 10th on the continent.
Echoes of the Knicks’ recent last-minute victories characterised Iceland versus Italy in the November game; Iceland built up a 10-point lead late in the third quarter, but trailed in the final quarter. In what they call in sportswriting vernacular “a nail-biter,” Elvar Friðriksson’s three-point play with 65 seconds left put Iceland ahead 77-76. Elvar added four free throws in the final 13 seconds to lock up the win. He led the team with 29 points and Tryggvi Hlinason contributed 16 points for Iceland.
In Tryggvi, the Iceland roster features a legitimate seven-foot center, but on July 2, the muscular center found himself in early foul trouble only five minutes into the game. As a result, his height advantage was a non-factor. The hometown crowd enjoyed a competitive first quarter, with Italy up by only two. Point guard Martin Hermannsson shot well in the first half, but then got cold, finishing with 22 points and five assists. Ultimately, Iceland was overwhelmed and lost 102-83.
Three days after losing to Italy, Iceland travelled to Manchester and got a stunner, upsetting Great Britain, 88-86. The British were ranked in March as the 23rd best overall team in the competition. Jón Axel Guðmundsson led Iceland with 25 points with 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Against Italy, Jón Axel scored 12.
On July 7, FIBA announced the 32-team field was reduced to 24 after the first round. Iceland made the cut with its 3-3 record!
Let’s not forget that Iceland also has a women’s team that was ranked by FIBA on April 1 as 63rd overall and 30th in Europe. On July 7, the women’s team beat Italy (ranked 14th overall, 6th in Europe) 86-79 in Lithuania, with Berglind Hlynsdóttir leading the way with 32 points and Sara Logadóttir contributing 18 points. But the next night the women’s team lost to Turkey (ranked 16th overall and 7th in the European zone) 84-62, even though Iceland led at the close of the first quarter. Severely outplayed in the second and third quarters, the women’s team replicated the emotional roller coaster that’s characterised the men’s season.
While it is clear the women’s team is on the right track, they did not make the second round of the FIBA World Cup, with a record of 1-3 in tournament play.
Like the Knicks, Iceland’s teams apparently play better on their opposition’s home court.
Meanwhile, there’s a lot of professional Iceland basketball to play, as this 2027 World Cup carries well into next year. 
The Icelandic Men’s Basketball team plays Serbia August 28, 2026 in the second round of the FIBA World Cup. Details beyond the opponent and date are TBD.