Nearly 27,000 Icelanders bought tickets to watch their national team play in the European Championship.
Not a lot? Try again. That’s more than eight per cent of the Nordic island’s population of about 331,000, making Iceland the smallest country ever to compete in the Euros.
Similar in size to U.S. cities Riverside, California, and Corpus Christi, Texas, Iceland stunned Cristian Ronaldo’s Portugal, playing to a 1-1 draw in its opening match Tuesday.
Iceland fell behind 1-0 in the first half but midfielder Birkir Bjarnason scored the equalizer in the 50th minute. The goal was Iceland’s first at a major tournament.
Overall, 26,985 Icelandic fans had bought tickets for the tournament by the end of January, according to UEFA.
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