Sports

More than 8 percent of Iceland's population at Euro 2016

More than 8 percent of Iceland's population at Euro 2016

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Iceland's players celebrate at the end of the Euro 2016 Group F soccer match between Portugal and Iceland at the Geoffroy Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne, France, on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Photo: AP

Nearly 27,000 Icelanders bought tickets to watch their national team play in the European Championship. Not a lot? Try again. That's more than eight percent of the Nordic island's population of about 331,000, making Iceland the smallest country ever to compete in the Euros. Similar in size to US cities Riverside, California, and Corpus Christi, Texas, Iceland stunned Cristian Ronaldo's Portugal, playing to a 1-1 drawin its opening match Tuesday. Iceland fell behind 1-0 in the first half but midfielder Birkir Bjarnason scored the equaliser in the 50th minute. The goal was Iceland's first at a major tournament. Overall, 26,985 Icelandic fans had bought tickets for the tournament by the end of January, according to UEFA.