Iceland, a beautiful island country, has shocked the world with their display at the Euro 2016 soccer tournament. Iceland is just over half the size of Washington state, with a population of about 332,000 people (about half the population of Seattle). While people mostly know Iceland for their stunning views of volcanoes and lakes, this Nordic country has made a name for itself in the realm of soccer. From its qualifying journey in September 2014 to its upset against England in the Euros, the Icelandic soccer team has given the world an underdog team to get behind.

In 2011, the Football Association of Iceland hired coaches Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson (a part-time dentist in his hometown of 5,000 people and double the puffins). Lagerback immediately took initiative to take the necessary steps to make Iceland a serious competitor on the world stage of soccer. He upgraded nearly every aspect of how the national soccer team operated. The treatment rooms were updated, a private chef was hired for their cafeteria, the team flew on chartered flights, and he revamped the country's love of soccer. Indoor soccer facilities were built all over the country, where Icelandic people were able to play soccer even in the harshest of weather conditions.

This boom of soccer encouraged many coaches to attain their UEFA B licenses, marking over 600 license holders. Having such a sparse population, there are only 20,000 professional soccer players that are eligible to play for Iceland (compared to England’s 53 million-player pot to pick from). Many of the athletes play overseas, as it offers a wider variety and more competition, but Lagerback has put together a team that is a force to be reckoned with. Iceland had never qualified for a major tournament before the Euro 2016 soccer tournament in France. Iceland nearly qualified for the 2014 World Cup, but fell short by one point.

Iceland’s UEFA Euro qualifying group included Turkey, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Latvia, and Kazakhstan. Iceland began with their fairytale journey in September 2014 when they won 3-0 against Turkey, a team that is not easy to beat (especially against such a small country). Even more impressive, Iceland beat the Netherlands (finishing third in the 2014 World Cup), twice without conceding a goal, and also beat the Czech Republic. Overall, Iceland finished second in their group, below the Czech Republic and above Turkey, while the Netherlands failed to qualify for the Euros at all. Having qualified for their first major tournament in their history, the Icelandic national team were already heroes to their country. Whatever happened when they went over to the mainland, everyone was already immensely proud of what they had accomplished. Iceland is the smallest country to ever qualify for a major tournament in history.

Approximately 10 percent of Iceland's population traveled to France to watch their team play in the Euro soccer tournament, a true testament to the country’s love and support for their team. Iceland’s group included Hungary, Portugal, and Austria, all teams with distinguished histories and players. Their first match was up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, in which they frustrated the great soccer player by tying them 1-1, flashing their defensive colors to the world, and scoring their first major tournament goal. Iceland then took on Hungary, who beat Austria 2-0, leaving their starting lineup unchanged and again tied 1-1. Finally, Iceland played Austria, whom they beat 2-1 and finished group stage play in second (above Portugal and below Hungary). This set them up for a round of 16 matchup with England, the birth land of soccer itself.

England and Iceland were the last round of 16 games to be played before the quarterfinals began on Thursday. Icelandic fans were already immeasurably proud of their players -- the team had nothing to lose going into the game, which makes them a dangerous team to play. The game started quickly with England scoring a penalty kick in the fourth minute, but Iceland responded to the European giants with a goal in the sixth minute. And in the 17thminute a mistake by the English goalkeeper would unpredictably put Iceland on top and ultimately be the winning goal of the game. Iceland mostly played a defensive game, focusing on slowing down the elite English players. And they did their jobs well, although it also helped that everyone on the English side played a horrendous game.

As the final whistle blew, a sea of blue Icelandic fans erupted in euphoria, and the Icelandic players rushed to celebrate with their fans, as English players fell to their knees in despair. It is said to be the biggest upset in soccer history. How can a country that has never even qualified for a major tournament beat a team that gave us the game itself? This small country has certainly given the world a huge surprise, as well as hope for other non-favored teams. Iceland is being compared to Leicester City’s football team in the BPL this last season. Leicester is roughly the same size, about 330,000 people, and they had a 5,000-to-1-odd chance in August 2015 that they would win the Premier League title. Leicester went on to beat all the odds and took the championship title in May 2016 for themselves, for one of the greatest sport stories of all time. Could Iceland mimic Leicester City’s fairytale story?

Iceland faces the host country France in the quarterfinals on Sunday, July 3, at 12 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Iceland has never beaten France before in a competitive match, but Iceland is clearly capable of beating the odds. Nothing can be predicted with this Icelandic team as they have shown us heart and hard work. A team without expectations is dangerous because they have nothing to lose, so the pressure is truly on France to perform. No matter what happens, the Icelandic national team will be given a heroes’ warm welcome whenever they go home. Can Iceland continue to upset these great soccer countries? Or will France take the reigns and send these hardworking players home?