“Icelandic Supporters Have Taken Over The Place,” Says UEFA Reporter

As the kickoff of Iceland’s first Euro 2016 match against Portugal draws closer, Jóhann Ólafur Sigurðsson has been reporting on the ground for the official UEFA website.

Johann said, reporting on the UEFA pre-game live feed: “It feels like a carnival over here in St.Etienne. Icelandic supporters have certainly taken over the place! Let’s hope this is only the beginning for the atmosphere tonight!”

Follow the live feed here.

The game kicks off at the 19:00 (Icelandic time) at the 42,000 capacity Stade de Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, and will be overseen by Turkish referee Cüneyt Çakır. 26,985 Icelanders applied for tickets to watch Iceland’s games—just over 8% of the country’s population.

WHERE TO WATCH IT

In Public: There’s a special “UEFA Fanzone” area at the Ingólfstorg square where games will be shown. Apparently, the aim is to recreate the terrace atmosphere of France right in the heart of downtown Reykjavík. They better have imported some cheese though, because seriously, the stuff in Bónus is some weak shit.

In a Bar: There are some sports bars in Reykjavík—Bjarni Fel, The English Pub and American Bar are three of the main ones, all located on the Austurstræti/Bankastræti strip. But pretty much every bar is probably going to be screening the games. Check with your favourites for their schedule.

At the Cinema: All the Euro 2016 games will also be shown at Gamla Bíó, the converted opera house and cinema that’s more recently been used as a music venue. Entry is free for most games—but not Iceland’s group games, which are ticketed at 5,000 ISK with snacks, seats and refreshments included.

On TV: Iceland’s national broadcasting service, RÚV, will be screening games on RÚV2, presented by Haukur Harðarsson.

Read our 100% accurate guide to Iceland’s certain victory at Euro 2016 here.