Meet Natasha Anasi-Erlingsson - the former U.S. junior all in for Iceland

From Texas to Iceland – Natasha Anasi-Erlingsson’s football journey to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 has been one of a kind.

A little more than 10 years ago, the defender never would have thought she would play at the European championships one day. At that time, the Texas-born footballer was pursuing her goals with the U.S. U23 squad and hoping to play in the National Women's Soccer League.

When the deal fell through, she got an offer to move to Europe. The young player ended up in Iceland, a stark contrast from the warmth of Texas where was raised by parents of Kenyan descent.

“I looked for an agent and started looking at moves abroad. When the offer from Iceland came, initially I definitely found it a bit random. But after I did my research, I thought there was something really charming about it and I ended up taking the plunge,” she said in an interview with FIFA.com.

“The landscape and the weather here could hardly be any more different from Texas… But I came here with the mindset of just wanting to explore and have a great time. I was lucky too that the team I joined had a real family environment and took great care of me, so I settled in and enjoyed it right from the start.”

The now 33-year-old acclimatised quickly and ended up staying longer than expected. She married an Icelander and, in 2019, was granted citizenship and received her first call up to the national team.

“There was a brief thought of, ‘Am I really going to do this?’ But at the same time there was no hesitation at all,” said the mother-of-two. “My roots here are so deep now that I really do feel like I’m an Icelander.

“I’ve learned the language and my teammates are constantly praising me about how well I do with it. And I love that they all speak to me in Icelandic. Even if I ever struggle to get a word out, they just help me – they never switch to English. They’ve embraced me as an Icelander from the first minute I met them.”

Anasi-Erlingsson is the experienced spine that Iceland will be counting on as they play in their fifth consecutive UEFA Women's EURO. The national team, coached by Thorsteinn Halldórsson, are seeking their first win at the EUROs since 2013.

Iceland kicks off the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 against Finland in Group A on Wednesday, 2 July in Thun, Switzerland.

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