The Most Popular Sports for Betting in Iceland

Considering Iceland has a small population of around 360,000 people, many outsiders wrongly believe the country isn’t competitive in the sporting world. The freezing climate only adds to expectations that Icelanders would not be good at outside sports, except maybe skiing or ice-skating.

> Football

Icelanders love football and keenly follow the top European leagues, including the Premier League in England and La Liga in Spain. Their top home-grown players nearly all play abroad. One of the country’s most famous sports stars was footballer Eidur Gudjohnsen, who played for elite clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona.

Although the Úrvalsdeild karla (or Men’s Select Division) isn’t the most competitive league in the world, Iceland’s national footballers punch above their weight in international competitions.

Iceland lost to France in the quarter-finals of the 2016 European Championships after knocking out England in the previous round. Remember the Viking Thunderclap being performed by Iceland’s passionate football fans during the tournament?

Handball

Iceland’s handball team is one of the best in the world. The country won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and bronze at the 2010 European Championships. The domestic Premier League is contended by 12 teams.

Icelanders enjoy watching the sport, and all good international sports betting sites offer lots of markets on handball fixtures from around the world.

The best betting sites in Iceland offer live streams on the top fixtures, meaning you can watch the action and bet in-play. To ensure you get the most competitive handball odds, it’s worth joining several sites so you can compare markets.

> Basketball

It’s not just popular in the US and some Eastern European countries – basketball is also a big part of Iceland’s sporting landscape.

The main domestic basketball league, the Úrvalsdeild Karla (or Men’s Premier League), is contested keenly by 12 teams, and there is a four-tier league system. The men’s international team has qualified for EuroBasket (European Basketball Championship) twice but has not made it to the FIBA World Cup.

Basketball fans in Iceland will be pleased to see that online betting sites give extensive coverage to the sport, with odds offered on fixtures from around the world, including the NBA.

> Athletics

Icelanders love athletics and have adored home-grown stars from track and field. The country’s record has spawned a keen interest in betting on athletics events.

Shot putter Gunnar Huseby was one of the country’s first big champions, winning gold at the European Athletics Championships in 1946 and 1950. Others saw success in the long jump and the decathlon. Vilhjalmur Einarsson was an Olympic and European triple jump medallist, while Vala Flosadottir won a pole vault medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Iceland has also appeared in all but one of the Winter Olympics, missing out only in 1972. But despite so much snow and ice, Icelandic athletes are yet to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.