The co-hosts of the 2031 IHF Men’s World Championship (alongside Norway and Denmark) come to the tri-hosted 2025 edition looking to inspirational captain Aron Palmarsson to help guide them back inside the top 10 of the global elite.

Not since the 2008 Olympic Games silver medal-winning days have the European side been in a single-digit ranking at the world championship, a sixth-place finish in 2011 in Sweden, where Palmarsson and his Icelandic teammates were coached by Gudmundur Gudmundsson – coach at Beijing 2008.

Back at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, Gudmundsson told ihf.info that the national men’s team were undergoing a generational change and it would “take time”, their 20th-place ranking, their lowest-ever, evidence of that.

However, two years later, at Poland/Sweden 2023, Gudmundsson was proved right with the team showing vast signs of improvement, losing just twice (against Hungary and Sweden) to finish 12th with Bjarki Mar Elisson top-scoring with 45 goals.

Shortly after that campaign, Gudmundsson handed over the reins to 2008 Olympic Games silver medallist Snorri Steinn Gudjonsson who had a long playing career in Germany, France and Denmark.

And he made a steady start, securing a 10th place ranking at the 2024 European Championship, their second-highest rank in the previous four editions, although short of their previous (6th). In Germany last year they drew with Serbia (27:27), beat Montenegro (31:30), Croatia (35:30) and Austria (26:24), but lost to Hungary (25:33), Germany (24:26) and France (32:39).

To qualify for Denmark/Croatia/Norway 2025, Iceland easily saw off Estonia 87:49 on aggregate across two legs – their 50:25 first leg win at home doing the damage (including 12 from Omar Ingi Magnusson) with a follow-up 37:24 win in Tallinn to confirm their progress.

Perhaps a better marker of where the team are at going into 2025 is their pair of 2026 European Championship qualifiers played in November.

Ten years on from their elimination from qualifying for the 2015 IHF Men’s World Championship at the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they faced them again. A goal ahead (24:23) with 10 minutes remaining, the Bosnians pushed Iceland all the way, but a 5:0 run including four goals in a row from key player Thorsteinn Leo Gunnarsson (who ended with eight) ensured a 32:26 (12:12) victory.

Omar Ingi Magnusson’s seven goals in a 30:25 victory away in Georgia a few days later – which included their 2500th goal in EHF EURO Qualifiers – took their winning streak in EHF EURO Qualifiers to five matches.

At Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, Iceland will face Slovenia, Cape Verde and Cuba. Two years ago, they dispatched the African side 40:30 in the main round at Poland/Sweden 2023 and hopes are high that 2025 provides the right mix of youth and experience from the squad which plays their club handball around Europe – Palmarsson the global icon, with the 34-year-old now playing at Veszprem.

Unfortunately, Magnusson, who has recorded 88 national team appearances, will miss the world championship after injuring his right ankle while playing for club side SC Magdeburg in early December. But there is still wealth of experience in the 35-man extended squad, including Bjorgvin Pall Gustavsson (273 appearances) and Veszprem teammate Bjarki Mar Elisson (118).

“The team is well-composed of experienced players mixed with young players,” said captain Palmarsson, who has 177 appearances and 674 goals in the senior team to his name, to ihf.info. “It is always a great honour for players to play at the world championship and together as a team, we hope to achieve great things there.”

“We showed in the EHF European Championship that we have a good team, mixed with young players and experienced ones,” added coach Gudjonsson to ihf.info. “But we have very strong opponents in the preliminary group so achieving a good result will not be easy. We must work hard as a team to make big things happen.”

And with the Iceland women’s team taking their first-ever win at a European Championship in December, the national sport in the island nation will once again be front and centre with everyone involved hoping the men’s side can keep their upward trajectory on the global stage.

“Icelandic handball has been on the rise in recent years in both men's and women's handball,” said the Iceland Handball Federation President Gudmundur B. Olafsson to ihf.info. “The entire nation follows our teams and demands success in major tournaments. It will be fun to follow the men's national team in Croatia.”

Iceland’s final preparation will see them come together in Iceland on 2 January before heading to Sweden (8 January) to play two friendly matches against the hosts, on 9 January in Kristianstad and 11 January in Malmo, before they head to Zagreb.
  
Coach: Snorri Steinn Gudjonsson

Key players: Viktor Gisli Hallgrímsson (goalkeeper), Aron Palmarsson (left back), Gisli Thorgeir Kristjansson (centre back)

Qualification for Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025: European Qualification Phase 2 vs Estonia (87:49 on aggregate)

History in the competition: 1958: 10th, 1961: 6th, 1964: 9th, 1970: 11th, 1974: 14th, 1978: 13th, 1986: 6th, 1990: 10th, 1993: 8th, 1995: 14th, 1997: 5th, 2001: 11th, 2003: 7th, 2005: 15th, 2007: 8th, 2011: 6th, 2013: 12th, 2015: 11th, 2017: 14th, 2019: 11th, 2021: 20th, 2023: 12th

Group at Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025: Group G (Cape Verde, Cuba, Iceland, Slovenia)