Iceland Miracle Soccer Run Creating Havoc for Jersey Sellers
- Outsider’s Euro 2016 performance spurs spike in demand for kit
- 80-1 underdog to face host France after shocking England
Iceland's forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring the 1-2 during Euro 2016 round of 16 football match between England and Iceland at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice on June 27, 2016.
Photographer: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty ImagesIceland’s improbable run in soccer’s European Championship has drawn parallels with Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League title win. And like it was for the English champion, the Nordic country is finding it hard to meet unexpected demand for its jerseys.
Iceland, a country the size of Leicester with a population of about 300,000, is playing in its first major soccer tournament. It shocked the world on Monday by eliminating heavily favored England with a 2-1 victory in a round of 16 game in Nice, France. The result cost England coach Roy Hodgson his job and meant even more orders for Sport Company Ehf, Iceland’s official jersey distributor, and Errea, the Italian sportswear company that makes the apparel.