2013. 2017. 2022. And now, 2025. Dagný Brynjarsdóttir is ready to embark on her fourth UEFA Women’s Euros with Iceland.
The midfielder, who has accumulated more than 100 caps for her country, had netted her first three goals for Iceland in the lead-up to her debut tournament, 12 years ago.
In 2013, following a draw and defeat to Norway and Germany in Group B, Iceland knew they had to pick up a result in their final group-stage clash against the Netherlands to stand a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals in Sweden.
The clock reached the half-hour mark at the Växjö Arena as Brynjarsdóttir, with 14 on her back, ghosted in between two defenders to head her side in front, and secure Iceland’s first-ever victory at the European Championships.
“I’d been in and out of the starting line-up and I kind of nailed my spot right before the Euros,” said Brynjarsdóttir, recounting the tournament.
“In the last game of the group stage, we played the Netherlands and had to win to qualify for the quarter-finals. I scored a really good header and we won the game 1-0. That was a big game for me. I was only 21 years old and I was like, ‘I’m here to stay’.”
And stay she did.
Brynjarsdóttir was ever-present for her country after staking her claim in 2013. She netted seven times in qualification games for both the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2017 UEFA Women’s Euros before giving birth to her first child, Brynjar, in June 2018.
She made a blistering comeback, scoring five goals to help Iceland qualify for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, which included a first-half hat-trick against Latvia in September 2020. The lifelong Hammer then netted in the 2022 finals against France in their final group-stage match, a 102nd-minute equaliser that - gut-wrenchingly - was not enough to help her country qualify for the last eight.
“It was a bit heartbreaking,” she reflected. “We didn’t lose in the group stage, we drew three times, but that was the first time ever that wasn’t enough to get you out of the group. But I really enjoyed it (the 2022 Euros) being in England, especially after living here for so long.
“Women’s football has grown massively and comparing the Euros in 2022 to my first one in 2013, it’s a different tournament. In 2013, there were not many people in the stadiums, teams wouldn’t get much attention. And then in 2022, every single stadium was almost sold out.
“And for me playing in the league here, I can see how the league got bigger after the Euros, and that was exciting to be a part of. I can’t imagine how big these Euros will be. Compared to all the Euros, I think this one will be the biggest.”
Despite her legacy with Iceland, the 33-year-old would have been forgiven for thinking the shot at a fourth Euros with her country was potentially in doubt. She was away from international action for nearly two years after giving birth to her second child, Andreas, in February 2024, but worked incredibly hard to get herself back into the fold in February 2025.
Her return to Iceland colours came after she scored her first West Ham goal since Andreas’ birth - slamming the ball home in the women’s team’s 3-0 dispatching of Southampton in the Subway® Women’s League Cup in December 2024. It’s been a long road for Brynjarsdóttir, but her call-up has made the hard work all worth it.
“I’m very proud of myself for reaching this far,” she said. “I put a lot of work in, both on and off the pitch, and a lot of people don’t really understand how much work I’ve put in. I know, and the people who are closest to me, who helped me out the most [know]. So I’m very proud of myself of where I am, physically and mentally, because it hasn’t been easy.”
Brynjarsdóttir will be hoping to replicate the heroics of 2013 and take her side past the group stage at this summer’s tournament, which will be held in Switzerland from Wednesday 2 July - Sunday 27 July.
Iceland, placed in Group A, will be involved in the opening game of the tournament when they face Finland (Wednesday 2 July, kick-off 5pm BST) at Stockhorn Arena in Thun, ahead of clashes against Switzerland (Sunday 6 July, 8pm BST) at Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, and then Norway (Thursday 10 July, 8pm BST), also to be played at Stockhorn Arena.
“In that group, all the teams are quite even and that makes it very exciting," added our No10. "We have four nations who normally don’t make it out of the group stage, and we all have a big chance of making it out of the group stage.
“In the end I think it depends which nation has the best gameplan for each game, and which team plays the best football, because every game will be hard.”
