Viking Clap: Football chant made famous by Iceland, video and how to do it

Football chants are as varied and unique as the teams that play the sport, with supporters delving deep into the creative well for ideas that will help to inspire players on the pitch. The Viking Clap is a classic example of a rousing, stadium-trembling chant.

Having come to prominence at Euro 2016 in France and later at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the chant has been adopted by the fans of many teams, such is its inspirational quality.

So what exactly is it, which teams are associated and how is it done? GOAL brings you everything you need to know.

What is the Viking Clap chant?

The Viking Clap, or Viking Thunder Clap, is a chant which gained notoriety at the European Championship in 2016, when Iceland players and supporters combined to perform it in a show of cohesion after games.

Fans of the island nation would perform the chant during games and it became a tradition for the players to then salute their loyal following, whether they won, lost or drew a game.

The clap chant subsequently became synonymous with the Iceland team, with a massive crowd performing it as part of their 2016 homecoming event.

You can see the Iceland women's team perform the Viking Clap with their supporters at Euro 2022 in the video below.

How to do the Viking Clap chant

The Viking Clap is a chant which involves a slow build up of simultaneous claps and 'huh' sounds.

Generally, one fan will prompt the crowd to clap and make noise in unison with two quick beats of a drum, with the gap between each prompt getting shorter each time, building to a crescendo of cheers and applause.

Which teams' fans do the Viking Clap?

While the Viking Clap is now synonymous with the Iceland national football teams, it has, in fact, been a feature of many football grounds across the world over the years.

Fans of French team Lens have performed slow claps with shouts of "Lens!" (instead of 'huh!'), while supporters of Scottish team Motherwell have also famously performed a slow clap chant for decades.

Since being beamed to a global audience at Euro 2016 thanks to Iceland, however, the chant has been adopted by more teams, with teams across Europe, North America and Asia doing it.

Toronto and Seattle Sounders fans notably perform a similar chant in MLS, while Irish team St Patrick's Athletic frequently play to the sound of the clap.

Supporters of Rangers in Scotland, Kerala Blasters in India and Persepolis of Iran also deploy the chant.

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