Víkingur Reykjavík: Meet The New Saints’ Europa Conference League opponents

The New Saints will travel to Reykjavík next week as they face Icelandic top-flight side Víkingur Reykjavik on Thursday, July 21. 

The Saints were just minutes away from advancing to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, but suffered defeat in extra time to Linfield, seeing the Oswestry-based outfit fall into the Europa Conference League. 

TNS now face a two-legged tie against Icelandic champions Víkingur Reykjavík, playing the first leg out in Iceland, and the second leg at Park Hall on Tuesday, July 26. 

As the champions of Wales prepare to take on Icelandic opposition in Europe for only the second time in their history, we take a closer look at the Fossvogur based side. 

History

Founded in April 1908, Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur, commonly known as Víkingur are one of the oldest sports clubs in Iceland. 

The club operates teams in a variety of sports, including handball, tennis, table tennis, karate, and skiing. 

Víkingur have consistently been in the first and second divisions of Iceland. The Icelandic champions are currently enjoying an eight-year spell in the top-flight after earning promotion in 2014. 

Last season saw Víkingur crowned champions of Iceland for the sixth time in their long history, and it was their first top-flight league title in 30 years. They are also three-time champions of the Icelandic Cup, having won the trophy in 1971, 2019, and 2021. 

Prior to this season, Víkingur hadn’t recorded a single victory in Europe, but advanced through the preliminary round of the Champions League with a 6-1 win over FCI Levadia of Estonia, and a 1-0 win over Andorran side Inter Club d’Escaldes. In the first qualifying round, they fell to a 6-5 aggregate defeat to Swedish champions Malmö. 

Víkingur are already 12 matches into their season, and find themselves in second place, six points behind Breiðablik. 

Víkingsvöllur 

The club play their matches at Víkingsvöllur Stadium, Reykjavík, located in Fossvogsdalur, south-east of the city center. 

Víkingsvöllur opened in 2001, and has since been renovated in 2019, with the surface being upgraded to artificial grass. 

There are 1,149 seats in the stadium, with the capacity believed to be around 2000. 

The record attendance at Víkingsvöllur came in 2021, when 2,023 tickets were sold for Víkingur’s match against fellow Reykjavík side Leiknir Reykjavík. 

The Manager 

Since 2018, Víkingur have employed 32-time Icelandic international, and former English Premier League footballer Arnar Gunnlaugsson as their manager. 

During his playing career, Gunlaugsson amassed 45 Premier League appearances, representing Bolton Wanderers and Leicester City. The 49-year-old also turned out for Feyenoord and 1. FC Nürnberg, as well as enjoying a couple of loan spells with Stoke City. 

After taking charge in 2018, Gunlaugsson has led Víkingur to their first top-flight trophy in 30 years. He also led the club to two Icelandic Cups, as well as winning Úrvalsdeild Coach of the Year in 2021. 

Key Players 

Icelandic midfielder Júlíus Magnússon is the club captain and has started in all four of Víkingur’s European matches this season. Magnússon recently made his international debut, appearing as a substitute in Iceland’s 1-0 win over San Marino in June. 

25-time El Salvador international Pablo Punyed has been an important part of the midfield throughout their European campaign this season. The 32-year-old has also started all four matches and has provided three assists in the process. 

Danish forward Nikolaj Hansen joined the club in 2017 enjoying his best season last year. The 29-year-old was named the league’s best player and won the golden boot as he netted 16 goals in 19 matches, earning him a ratio of 0.8 goals per game. 

(Image: Nordic Football Stadiums page)