WEST Belfast Ireland Supporters' Club (WBISC) have welcomed the appointment of Heimir Hallgrímsson as the new Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team.
The 57-year-old from Iceland, is a qualified dentist but is best known for being joint-coach of the Iceland national team which coincided with one of their most successful periods – famously reaching the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016, eliminating England in the last 16.
During his time in charge, Iceland also qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and reached a qualification play-off for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Over the course of his time with Iceland, the team reached its highest ever FIFA ranking of 18th.
Most recently, Hallgrímsson was the Head Coach of Jamaica (2022-2024), where he led the team to qualification for this summer’s Conmebol Copa America 2024. His time with Jamaica also saw the team rise from 64th to 53rd in the FIFA World rankings.
Paul Loughran and Kevin Lawlor from WBISC are hopeful Hallgrímsson can bring success to the Irish team.
"Finally, after over eight months after Stephen Kenny’s last game in charge, a 1-1 draw with New Zealand, and John O’Shea stepping in as caretaker in the interim, the FAI have finally appointed a new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson," said Paul.
"Hallgrímsson was identified as the FAI’s number one candidate earlier this year with his experience aligning perfectly with the Association’s search criteria.
"These criteria included, amongst other factors, previous international Head Coach experience, an ability to move international teams up the FIFA world rankings, a track record of qualifying and competing at major tournaments and experience in the development and progression of young players."
Kevin added: "Players from the League of Ireland could get exposure to senior international football if Heimir Hallgrímsson gets his way. The new Ireland manager is hoping to follow the Nordic model of a winter camp. Ireland do not play international matches between November and March, but it’s a tradition for Nordic countries to have senior friendly games in January, using home-based players. Crucially, caps are awarded for the matches.
"He will lead the team for the UEFA Nations League and FIFA World Cup 2026 campaigns and will assume charge of his first competitive fixture this September as Ireland face England in the UEFA Nations League.
"Thankfully, football is not coming home but hopefully Heimir will bring success back to Irish soccer."
