Iceland take on the visitors Ukraine in a World Cup 2026 qualification match. The match will be played on Friday, October 10th at Laugardalsvöllur (Reykjavík).
Iceland made headlines back in 2016, when they made a stunning debut at the Euros. They even managed to qualify for the World Cup afterward, though without much success. Then came a steady decline, as the team slipped back to a fairly average level. There was a chance to return to the “big stage” last year, but in the decisive playoff round in spring, they fell tamely… to Ukraine, of all teams! After that came another disappointment in the Nations League — 3rd place in a group with Wales, Turkey, and Montenegro in autumn, followed by two defeats in the play-out against Kosovo in March. Still, they began the new campaign with a confident 5-0 home win against Azerbaijan. Moreover, they gave France quite a scare in their next game, creating plenty of problems before ultimately losing 2-1 to the heavy favorites. Recently, the Icelandic side have been improving their attacking transitions and efficiency in front of goal, which has long been their main issue. The emergence of several young talents from the domestic league has also given the squad more depth and energy, making them look far more dangerous at home.
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Ukraine have mostly disappointed rather than impressed under Rebrov. The “Blue-and-Yellows” have been giving rather mixed impressions under their current manager. Yes, they managed to eliminate Bosnia and Iceland, as mentioned earlier, to qualify for yet another Euros. They even collected four points there for the first time — but a heavy opening defeat to Romania left them bottom of their group. Then came a dramatic Nations League campaign, where they narrowly grabbed 2nd place and even defeated Belgium 3-1 in March — only to be thrashed in the return leg. September brought more frustration: they lost to France without much fight, and then dropped points against group outsiders Azerbaijan in a dull 1-1 draw. One could argue about the refereeing decisions, especially the penalty controversy involving Zinchenko, but the result still sparked a wave of criticism. Lately, Ukraine have struggled to maintain consistency, looking solid in one match and disorganized in the next. The defensive line remains a weak point, and the lack of creativity in midfield often leaves their forwards isolated against compact defenses.
So far, Ukraine have had the upper hand — two wins and one loss in five encounters. The “Yellow-and-Blues” remain the favorites on paper. However, given their current inconsistency, it seems likely that the hosts will avoid defeat in this one.
Prediction for the match: Iceland to win with 0.0 handicap.
