A FAROE FAIRY TALE

The little islands who are still dreaming big on world stage

- KEITH WEBSTER

IT STARTED with keeper Jens Knudsen and his bobble hat in one of European football's most unusual settings, where fans watched from a hillside in Toftir.

Almost 40 years later, their 3,000-strong following in Torshavn, and millions of neutrals around the globe, hold out hope that it will culminate in an appearance for a tiny nation at the 2026 World Cup finals.

With the best will in the world, the flickering flame in the Faroe Islands fairy tale will probably be put out by Croatia on November 14.

But in a time of nine-figure transfer deals, the stifling pall of VAR and a sport that sometimes appears more business than entertainment, allow the dreamers to imagine for a moment that it is still possible.