The Reykjavik Einherjar, the only American football team on the island nation of Iceland, have been attracting more and more attention in recent months as word spreads of their remarkable program.
The team played Great Britain’s Ouse Valley Exiles last month, losing 27-20.
This past summer, three members of the Minnesota Vikings paid a visit to Iceland and made sure to attend one of the Einherjar’s practices.
Defensive end Danielle Hunter, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and tight end Kyle Rudolph made several stops on their tour, including a visit to the Einherjar.
With a population of only 300,000, Iceland is famous for its glaciers (10% of the land surface is covered), volcanoes, banking system and national soccer team although not always in that order.
Reykjavik is located on the 66th parallel just 150 miles from the Arctic Circle.
The soccer team famously reached the 2016 European Championship quarterfinals defeating Austria, the Netherlands and England before succumbing to the host French.
Check out this video about the team and how the Vikings visit impacted them
The Icelandic influence is definitely growing across the other way as well. In a recent game, Minnesota Vikings fans took up the Icelandic chant, made famous during the 2016 European Championship.
