Iceland become smallest nation to qualify for 2018 World Cup

Iceland became the smallest nation ever to progress to a World Cup after beating Kosovo to win their qualifying group for Russia 2018.

The Euro 2016 quarter-finalists, who knocked out England in the last 16, have a population of about 335,000.

They are the only country to qualify for a World Cup with a population of fewer than one million.

Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson and Burnley’s Johann Gudmundsson got the goals on Monday evening.

Sigurdsson settled the nerves with a neat finish just before half-time and then turned provider for Gudmundsson to ensure victory with a close-range strike.

Iceland have won seven of their 10 Group I games in World Cup qualifying, BBC reports.