Could you and your mates from down the road hold your own at the World Cup?
That’s practically the question facing the men of the Faroe Islands after they stunned Czechia to take a step closer to next year’s competition.
They beat the relative giants 2-1 on Sunday night – despite being ranked 97 places below them – to keep their World Cup dream alive going into the last game of UEFA qualifying.
The miniscule North Atlantic island nation has a population of around 55,000, a total smaller than Somerset town Taunton.
And there are only around 7,000 men aged between 20 and 39 living in the archipelago, according to Statista. The term underdogs doesn’t do them justice.
Their hopes are narrow. Going into their final game in November, they are third in Group L and a point behind Czechia. Eyoun Klakstein’s men travel to giants Croatia for their final assignment while Czechia host lowly Gibraltar, who have no points.
The Faroe Islands are just a game away from a potential World Cup play-off position
On Sunday they beat Czechia 2-1 to put themselves just a point behind them with a game to go
The North Atlantic island nation has a population of 55,000 – smaller than Somerset’s Taunton
But crucially, the dream is still alive. If the stars align in November, they will go into the UEFA play-offs, and who knows what upset they could cause there?
If they make it to the World Cup, they will be by far the smallest nation ever to qualify. Iceland are the current smallest, having done so in 2018 with a population of around 335,000.
But even if they come up short, this has been an incredible journey. The Faroe Islands have won four of their seven qualifiers so far – previously they have never won more than two.
Throughout history, they have won only 41 of their 257 games – a win rate of just under 16 per cent. They have lost 181.
Most of their starters from Sunday play in the Faroese domestic league, with others scattered around Iceland, Denmark, Poland, and Slovenia.
Their heroes against Czechia were defenders Hanus Sorensen and Martin Agnarsson.
The duo are both from footballing families – Sorsensen played in the academy of Danish club Midtjylland with his brother, while Agnarsson featured alongside his at Faroese outfit B36 Torshavn.
In truth, the Faroe Islands have been enjoying a gradual rise. Between 2009 and 2014, they won only two of 35 games, and even lost to Thailand’s under-21s.
But something has changed since then. In November 2014 they beat Greece 1-0 away from home; the followinng June they vanquished them 2-1 at home.
In 2016 they rose to a highest-ever FIFA world ranking of 83rd, having been 194th in 2007. Today they are 136th but you can be sure they will be rewarded for their fine form.
This team is already toppling records. They have now achieved a personal record points total for a qualifying group and won three games in a row for the first time ever.
Can they go all the way?
