Greenland, a vast expanse of ice and snow for much of the year, transforms into a vibrant hub of football activity during its brief summer months. The sport is deeply ingrained in the island’s culture, with nearly 10 per cent of its 56,000 residents registered players.
However, this passion was met with a significant setback in early June when the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) unanimously rejected the Greenlandic Football Association’s application for membership.
The decision, a crushing blow to the island’s sporting aspirations, has been met with speculation that geopolitical tensions may have played a role. Some have linked the rejection to US president Donald Trump’s repeated expressions of interest in acquiring the strategic, mineral-rich territory. Concacaf operates as one of six continental federations under Fifa, the global governing body for football.
President Trump has not ruled out military force in relation to Greenland, despite strong rebukes from both the Danish government, a Nato ally, and Greenlandic leaders. Both parties have unequivocally stated that the island is not for sale and have condemned reports of increased US intelligence gathering on the semi-autonomous Danish territory. The intersection of sporting ambition and international diplomacy continues to shape Greenland’s future on the global stage.
But Patrick Frederiksen, captain of the national team, thinks Concacaf’s rejection came down to money.
“We all know it’s really expensive to travel to Greenland,” he said.
Earlier this month, the first direct flight from the US to Greenland by an American airline landed in the capital, Nuuk. The one-way ticket from Newark International airport in New Jersey costs roughly $1,200 (£875). The return flight from Nuuk had a $1,300 to $1,500 price tag. Other flights require a layover in Iceland or the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
Concacaf didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Greenland, technically a European territory, might have been expected to seek membership of Uefa. But the European federation only allows members from countries recognised as independent under sovereignty rules introduced in 2007. Concacaf has no such restrictions.
Despite the recent headlines, the Arctic island’s inhabitants are more concerned this summer with getting to the nearest field. They want to take advantage of the 24-hour sunlight, even if the temperatures hover around 5 to 10C (41 to 50F) in Nuuk.
“We meet outside and play football all night long,” player Angutimmarik Kreutzmann said. “It’s not getting dark and we have so much freedom.”
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Patrick Frederiksen, captain of Greenland’s national team, thinks Concacaf’s rejection came down to money (AP)From youth clubs to the national team, football energises the entire island.
Picturesque outdoor fields, featuring views of drifting icebergs and snow-capped mountain peaks even in late June, range from artificial turf to dirt to real grass, though older players remember dribbling across gravel pitches.
“You should come watch a game,” said Oscar Scott Carl, coach of the B-67 club in Nuuk. “You can see how much people go into the game, how much cheering from the attenders.”
“It’s also a big part of creating unity in the country, having a sport to gather around and celebrate wins and being a part of something bigger than only football, to be honest,” he added.
The Kalaallit Arsaattartut Kattuffiat, Greenland’s national football association, was founded in 1971 and regulates multiple men’s and women’s teams. Community projects are also important to the island’s football culture, and national team players serve as role models for local youth.
“They want to take pictures with us or get our autograph,” Frederiksen said. “We get a lot of attention and a lot of support from the kids.”
During the long winter, many players turn to futsal. The sport is a form of indoor football, generally played with a special ball on a handball court with five players on a side.
Even the national team plays: they travelled to Brazil in March for the Intercontinental Futsal Cup.
Action on the pitch has to compete with snow-capped mountain peaks for fans’ attention (AP)The fact that the national team of the Faroe Islands, a semi-independent Danish territory in the North Atlantic, is a member of Fifa and Uefa is a sore spot for Greenlanders, especially after Concacaf’s decision. The Faeroe Islands team joined the tournaments more than three decades ago, before there were requirements such as a stadium with tens of thousands of seats, among others.
Visit Greenland, the government’s tourism agency, said that a national stadium has “long been on the wish list for many in Greenland”. But with such a small population, an arena with a minimum of 40,000 seats – more than 70 per cent of the island’s inhabitants – “is sadly not in the pipeline”, the agency wrote on its website.
Still, Jimmy Holm Jensen, chairman of Nuuk’s B-67 club, wishes Greenland’s teams could at least play in international football tournaments. Right now, they can only compete in friendly matches abroad.
“I think we have something to show the world,” he said.
