Sigurbjörn tops Icelandic sports income rankings

Sigurbjörn Bárðarson, Iceland’s 1993 Sportsman of the Year and national coach in equestrian sports, had the highest income among Icelandic sports figures last year, according to calculations published by mbl.is.

Sigurbjörn earned just over 5.1 million Icelandic krónur per month. Strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson ranked second with just over 3.9 million per month.

Football coaches Halldór Árnason and Óskar Hrafn Þorvaldsson followed. Halldór, the former Breiðablik coach and incoming Valur coach, earned nearly 2 million per month, while Óskar, who coaches KR, earned 1.9 million.

The income figures, shown in thousands of krónur per month, were:

Sigurbjörn Bárðarson, Iceland’s national equestrian coach, 5,054

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, strongman, 3,913

Halldór Árnason, former Breiðablik coach, 1,948

Óskar Hrafn Þorvaldsson, KR coach, 1,906

Gunnar Lúðvík Nelson, martial artist, 1,844

Þorvaldur Örlygsson, chairman of the Football Association of Iceland, 1,839

Arnar B. Gunnlaugsson, Iceland men’s national football coach, 1,813

Sigursteinn Arndal, FH handball coach, 1,716

Logi Ólafsson, former Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð sports teacher and former football coach, 1,675

Viktor Karl Einarsson, Breiðablik footballer, 1,651

The figures come from Frjáls verslun’s income publication, which examined the incomes of 5,570 Icelanders.

The publication said the figures represent taxable income in 2025 and do not necessarily reflect the individuals’ regular salaries. Differences may result from payments for committee work and other additional jobs, as well as benefits from stock option agreements.

The figures are based on the taxable income recorded in the assessment register. They do not include capital income, such as interest, dividends or proceeds from share sales. One-off payments from withdrawing private pension savings may also be included.