Iceland Becomes Smallest Nation in History to Qualify for World Cup

Iceland beat Kosovo 2-0 in Reykjavik on Monday to confirm their position as Group I winners in UEFA qualifying and become the smallest nation to reach a FIFA World Cup finals.

The UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-finalists will be in Russia for the 2018 tournament, with Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence providing the remarkable stats behind the achievement:

Iceland were a revelation at the Euros in 2016, downing England in the last 16 before going out to eventual runners-up France.

They have continued their remarkable form during the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, heading a group that included Croatia, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland and Kosovo.

Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson's side won seven of their 10 qualifiers, drawing one and losing two.

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Johann Gudmundsson were the heroes on Monday as they netted either side of half-time to earn Iceland victory.