How Iceland's epic thunder clap made its way from Euro 2016 to the NFL

Thanks to the help of Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson, the Minnesota Vikings adopted the thunder clap after seeing the act go viral across Euro 2016 - and it's coming to London on Sunday

The Minnesota Vikings are bringing a piece of Iceland to London for the 2024 NFL International Series.

Back in the summer of 2016, at the European Championships, Iceland’s viking clap became a legendary war cry. The mesmerising chant quickly became a world sensation, with tens of thousands of Icelandic soccer fans performing the chant by clapping in unison while shouting a thunderous “HUH” to the sky.

The tradition started in 2014, when Icelandic side Stjarnan faced the Scottish Premier League 's Motherwell F.C. in a Europa League qualifying campaign. During the clash at Fir Park, Stjarnan's fans heard the clap - and decided to bring it back to Iceland.

When Iceland defeated England in the last 16, pulling off one of the greatest shocks in European Championship history, captain Aron Gunnarsson led a thunderclap heard and seen around the world. The clap has since been adopted by the NFL ’s Minnesota Vikings thanks to Gunnarsson, and the “Skol” chant will echo around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday against the New York Jets.

“Stjarnan took it back to Iceland,” Gunnarsson exclusively told Mirror Sport. “The majority of their supporters are in Tolfan, which is our supporter group in the national team, and they integrated that into the games for the national team.

“The first time we ever did it together as a team with the fans was after the Austria game, where we qualified for the last 16 against England. It's not as memorable, because obviously the big game is the England game. It showed the relationship between the fans in Iceland and the players was so good at that time. Obviously, knowing a lot of people in the stand, everything was going and gelling together, and that's why I decided to sort of see if we could do it all together at the same time.

“Ever since then, when we win the game, we do it with the fans. So it means a lot. It's more of a show of togetherness between the fans and the national team players. It’s special.”

Iceland’s Euro 2016 success coincided with the opening of U.S. Bank Stadium, 2,896 miles from Reykjavík in Minnesota and Vikings fans contacted the franchise about adopting the Icelandic chant as a result. As a result, the Vikings enlisted Iceland captain Gunnarsson along with strongman and actor Hafþór “Thor” Bjornsson, who plays “The Mountain” in the Game of Thrones. The NFC North franchise opened their new era against their rival Green Bay Packers, with a video by Gunnarsson and Bjornsson leading the way as the fans chanted “Skol” along with the clap.

“I got contacted by a friend of mine in Iceland who was working with Hafthor Björnsson, and the Vikings reached out to him and he reached out to me just to see if we could do any kind of a video,” Gunnarsson said. “They asked and told us what they were going to do with the Skol chant. And it just felt right, you know.

“Being the Viking club, called the Minnesota Vikings, I knew it was going to be good. And after that, they invited me and Hafthor to come to a game, which I never could. It just didn't work for my schedule. But I managed to go to a game in London when they played the Saints a few years ago. Me and Hafthor did a video when they were introducing it to the fans - and it worked well.”

For Gunnarsson, the Vikings adopting the clap makes sense. He added: “The Minnesota Vikings came and asked for permission, which was nice, even though it's not ours. It still felt really polite and mature of them to ask if they could make it in their own way. A a lot of teams have tried to do it, and I don’t feel the same when I see other teams do it than us.

“But I’ve seen videos of the Skol chant in Minnesota, and it looks amazing. I would like to live that moment with them. I'm sure I will in the future.”

While the thousands of fans in both Minnesota and Iceland enjoy the captivating clap, Gunnarsson insists the experience is very different when leading the chant on the field. “You get goosebumps. Every time we do it, I get goosebumps because it means we’ve won, but it also represents us being together with the fans. It's so special. I get goosebumps every single time we do it together. Looking back at it and seeing the videos of it, it's amazing.”