Sign-In
Cart
Ice, Fire, and Football: Iceland's Incredible Rise from Minnow to Quarter-Finalist
Paperback
Series: Football Nations: Stories of Glory and Strife
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781970852530
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Dec 26 2025
Pages: 360
Weight: 1.06
Height: 0.75 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
In a country where winter can swallow the calendar and the population is smaller than many European cities, Iceland did not wait for a once-in-a-century superstar to change its football fate. Instead, it built a repeatable system: indoor training halls that turned the long off-season into productive months, a coaching education culture that made skilled instruction normal at grassroots level, and a club-and-municipality network that treated football as a community priority rather than a luxury. The result was not a miracle, but a measurable transformation-one that carried Iceland from the margins of European football to the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2016 and onto the world stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
This book follows the rise as it actually happened: through policy decisions, facilities investment, and coaching standards that reshaped daily training from the ground up. It traces how Iceland's domestic game became a laboratory, how exporting players to stronger leagues fed experience back into the national team, and how disciplined identity-set pieces, structure, and collective resilience-became a competitive weapon. Just as importantly, it examines what came after the peak: the transition years, the play-off heartbreaks, and the proof that a durable model is measured not only by unforgettable nights, but by the ability to remain competitive when the spotlight turns harsh.
Written as a fact-based narrative case study, Ice, Fire, and Football reveals what small nations can actually control-time, teaching, and planning-and how Iceland used those levers to punch above its weight without relying on any single hero.
Also from
Romano, Gigi
The Beginner's Gym Machine Guide: Confidence, Form, and Simple Workouts Without Free Weights
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Strength Training for Women: Muscle, Confidence, Bone Health, and Real-Life Power
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Blue Moon Rising: The Definitive History of Manchester City in English Football
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Beginner's Guide to Strength and Nutrition: Training, Protein, Recovery, and Consistency
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Trail Running World: The Global Rise of Mountain Running, Ultra Events, and Off-Road Endurance
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Red and Black Forever: AC Milan, San Siro, and the Making of a Global Football Icon
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Flag Football Boom: How a Fast, Inclusive Game Became the Future of Football
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Rugby League Story: Thirteen Players, Northern Roots, and the Working-Class Game
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Longevity Fitness Plan: Strength, Cardio, Balance, Mobility, and Recovery for Later Life
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Trentside Glory: The Complete Story of Nottingham Forest's Rise, Struggles, and Return
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Trading Card Boom: Rookie Cards, Collectors, Grading, and the Return of Sports Card Culture
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Bowl Season: Tradition, Television, and the Strange Glory of College Football's Postseason
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
North London's Double Season: An Independent History of the 1960-61 League and Cup Triumph
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Functional Fitness Era: How Strength, Endurance, and Community Training Changed Modern Exercise
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Almost Champions: Stories of athletes and teams who came painfully close to greatness but fell short
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Walking and Weights Method: Simple Fitness for People Who Hate Complicated Plans
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Recovery Manual: Sleep, Rest Days, Deloads, and Why Progress Happens Between Workouts
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Zone Two Habit: Easy Cardio, Patience, and Building Fitness Without Burning Out
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Knights of the Red Cross: Malta's Long Football Journey without a Breakthrough
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Women's Sports Moment: Crowds, Investment, Media, and the Fight for the Main Stage
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Ashes Machine: Cricket, Rivalry, Memory, and the Longest Fight Between Bat and Ball
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Crescent and the Crowd: Turkey's Emotional Rollercoaster of a National Team
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Fortress on Cold Blow Lane: 140 Years of Heart, Fury, and Resilience in South London Football
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Elm Park to the Premier League: The Long Rise, Falls, and Fight of a Berkshire Football Club
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Forged in East London: The Complete Story of a Football Club Built on Grit, Glory, and Generations
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Black and White Legacy: A Comprehensive History of a Football Club, a City
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Albion Story: West Bromwich, The Hawthorns, and a Football Club Through the Ages
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Easter Road Story: A Football History of Edinburgh, Leith, and the Hibs Spirit
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
World Cup Dynasties: Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and the Making of Great Football Nations
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Beautiful Game's Biggest Rivalries: Historic Feuds, Iconic Matches, and Football's Greatest Divides
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Rome's Sky-Blue Eagle: A Fact-Based History of the Eternal City's White-and-Sky-Blue Football Legacy
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Claret, Amber, and Fir Park: The Story of a Team, a Town, and a Scottish Football Legacy
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Founders, Rovers, Champions: A History of Ewood Park, Lancashire Football, and a Club That Reached the Summit
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Also in
Soccer
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts
Schaerlaeckens, Leander
Hardcover
Soccernomics (2026 World Cup Edition): Why European Men and American Women Usually Win--And American Men Don't (Yet)
Kuper, Simon
Szymanski, Stefan
Paperback
The Shortest History of Soccer: From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport
Bunk, Brian D.
Paperback
Compete: Developing a Mental Playbook for Performance Under Pressure in Sport
Abrahams, Dan
Paperback
Relegated: One American's Pints-And-Pies Journey from the Top to the Bottom of English Football
Smith, Todd
Hardcover
The Ultimate Soccer Jersey Collection: Iconic Kits from the World's Greatest Game
Football Shirts, Classic
Hardcover
Your Guide to the 2026 World Cup: Everything You Need to Know about the Players and Teams
Stay, Shane
Paperback
It's a Numbers Game! Soccer: The Math Behind the Perfect Goal, the Game-Winning Save, and So Much More!
National Geographic Kids
Buckley
Hardcover
More Than a Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power
D'Urso, Joey
Paperback
The World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event, 2026 Edition
Lisi, Clemente A.
Paperback
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World
Longman, Jere
Paperback
Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams
O'Sullivan, John
Paperback
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy
McGinniss, Joe
Paperback
La Historia del Fã°tbol En 500 Partidos / The History of Soccer in 500 Matches
Wernicke, Luciano
Paperback
That World Cup Guy: Forty Years, Nine World Cups and One Fan's Incredible Journey
Milne, Andy
Paperback
The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
Robinson, Joshua
Clegg, Jonathan
Paperback
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
La Apasionante Historia de Los Mundiales / The Exciting History of the World Cups
Lati, Alberto
Paperback
Los Héroes Numerados (Crónica Y Ensayo) / The Numbered Heroes (Chronicles and Essays)
Villoro, Juan
Paperback
1000 Football Shirts Revised and Updated: From Vintage Classics to the Latest Releases
Lions, Bernard
Paperback
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
The Soccer Book of Why: The Answers to Questions You've Always Wondered about
Cuttone, Charles
Paperback
Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two Goats, and the Era That Remade the World's Game
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Paperback
Angels with Dirty Faces: How Argentinian Soccer Defined a Nation and Changed the Game Forever
Wilson, Jonathan
Paperback
Play With Your Brain: A Guide to Smarter Soccer for Players, Coaches, and Parents
Norsen, Travis
Paperback
The Game of Their Lives: The Untold Story of the World Cup's Biggest Upset
Douglas, Geoffrey
Paperback
Men in Blazers Present Gods of Soccer: The Pantheon of the 100 Greatest Soccer Players (According to Us)
Davies, Michael
Davis, Miranda
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
World Football Club Crests: The Design, Meaning and Symbolism of World Football's Most Famous Club Badges
Nilsson, Leonard Jägerskiöld
Hardcover
Jurgen Klopp - 102 Passing, Counter-pressing Possession Games, Speed & Warm-ups Direct from Klopp's Training Sessions
Soccertutor Com
Paperback
The Vision Of A Champion: Advice And Inspiration From The World's Most Successful Women's Soccer Coach (Latest Edition)
Dorrance, Anson
Averbuch, Gloria
Paperback
Pep Guardiola Attacking Tactics - Tactical Analysis and Sessions from Manchester City's 4-3-3
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport
Martinez, Andrés
Hardcover
It's Not about the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back Into Competitive Sports
Chastain, Brandi
Paperback
How to Win the World Cup: Secrets and Insights from International Football's Top Managers
Evans, Chris
Paperback
Coaching Positional Play - ''Expansive Football'' Attacking Tactics & Practices
Basile, Pasquale Casà
Paperback
Soccer Analytics with Machine Learning: Learning Predictive Modeling Techniques with Sports Data
Gao, Haipeng
Shen, Weining
Joury, Ari
Paperback
When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World
Lloyd, Carli
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
Pep Guardiola - Coaching High Pressing Tactics & Sessions Against Different Formations
Terzis, Athanasios
Paperback
Arsenal Quiz Book: 101 Questions That Will Test Your Knowledge of the Gunners.
Carpenter, Chris
Paperback
My Beautiful Sisters: A Memoir of Courage, Hope, and the Afghan Women's Soccer Team
Popal, Khalida
Hardcover
Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United
Ferguson, Alex
Moritz, Michael
Paperback
366 Historias del Fútbol Mundial Que Deberías Conocer / 366 Stories from World Football You Should Know
Relaño, Alfredo
Paperback
Saving Soccer: An insider's account of how the World Game went wrong - and how to set it right
Brennan, Mel
Paperback
American Huckster: How Chuck Blazer Got Rich From-And Sold Out-The Most Powerful Cabal in World Sports
Papenfuss, Mary
Thompson, Teri
Paperback
The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur: The Incredible Story of the World Famous Spurs
Welch, Julie
Hardcover
Lamine Yamal: A Soccer Book for Kids, Activity Book, and Guide to Working Hard and Dreaming Big
Bella Mente Press
Paperback
The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making--And Unmaking--Of the World's Greatest Soccer Club
Kuper, Simon
Paperback