During a visit to Iceland, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström met with the presidents and general secretaries of all six Nordic Member Associations (MAs), visited several purpose-built football facilities and attended two football matches taking place in the capital. The occasion was the annual conference of Nordic Member Associations, which took place in and around Reykjavik on 15-16 August. Mr. Grafström, who holds Swedish nationality, was hosted by Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ) President Thorvaldur Örlygsson. They were joined by executives, board members and administrative staff from the Danish Football Association (DBU), Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF), Football Association of Finland (SPL), Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), Swedish Football Association (SvFF), KSÍ and UEFA. The productive weekend began on the evening of 14 August for Mr Grafström, when he attended the UEFA Europa League qualifier between Breiðablik and HŠK Zrinjski Mostar in Kopavogur, just south of downtown Reykjavik. Work commenced the following day, which featured meetings and presentations covering topics of mutual strategic and developmental interest. This was followed by an audience with the President of the Republic of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, at her official residence in Bessastaðir, herself a former player in college and who remains a keen football fan today.

Mr Grafström also took the opportunity to visit KSÍ headquarters, where he spent time with Mr Örlygsson, General Secretary Eysteinn Pétur Larusson and federation staff. Mr Örlygsson’s invitation followed up on his April 2024 meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the FIFA Secretary General in Paris, France. There, the pair discussed Iceland’s impressive improvement on the international stage, as well as the KSÍ’s application to join FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS) and the island nation’s critical football infrastructure. Back in Iceland this month, Mr Grafström saw some of their ingenious, climate-controlled infrastructure in person, including the Midgardur sports hall in nearby Gardabaer. Midgardur was completed in 2022 and is large enough to accommodate a full-size pitch. The year-round play made possible by such spectacular facilities has forever altered the landscape and fortunes of Icelandic football. The Nordic conference concluded on 16 August at Laugardalsvöllur, the national stadium, where Mr Grafström and colleagues saw Breiðablik defeat FH, 3-2, in an engrossing Icelandic Women’s Cup final.