Ukraine take on the visitors Iceland in a World Cup 2026 qualification match. The match will be played on Sunday, November 16th at Stadion Wojska Polskiego (Warsaw).
Ukraine are under pressure — this generation includes an unusually high number of players who moved to strong Western European leagues and managed to establish themselves there. As a result, they’ve been labeled “the best generation in history,” a status they frankly do not fully justify. Yes, at last year’s Euros they earned 4 points for the first time — but still somehow failed to qualify for the playoffs. They started the Nations League terribly but eventually climbed to second place and even beat Belgium in the March playoff — only to be crushed in the return leg. The qualification campaign also began poorly, with a clear defeat to France and a draw against the group outsider, Azerbaijan. Fortunately, in October Malinovskyi “caught fire,” with his goals and assists helping secure two wins, including one in Iceland. Against France they fielded a rotated squad, hoping to hold on for a 0-0 draw, and they managed to resist for over 50 minutes. But in the end they lost heavily, 0-4. In recent months Ukraine have shown a pattern of fluctuating form, mixing disciplined, compact matches with inexplicably passive stretches. Their ability to raise the tempo in key moments is evident, but sustaining control against strong opponents remains an unresolved issue.
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Iceland hope to take revenge. The “Ice Boys” made a bright debut at the Euros almost a decade ago — in 2016 they immediately reached the playoffs. They then qualified for the World Cup, but showed nothing there, and afterward their results became completely average. They could have broken the stagnation last year, but after reaching the decisive playoff round and scoring first, they were defeated by Sudakov and company. Their current results are contradictory. In Reykjavik they again lost to Rebrov’s side in a spectacular but unsuccessful battle — 3-5. But they also thrashed Azerbaijan so badly that Fernando Santos was finally dismissed. They fought well against France too, losing only at the end away and drawing at home. After a calm 2-0 win in Baku, the team secured second place — and will lose it only if they are defeated. Iceland’s recent matches show improved attacking ambition, with the team increasingly confident in transition phases. At the same time, defensive lapses remain problematic, often turning promising performances into narrow and avoidable defeats.
The sides have met six times, with the islanders winning only once. Ukraine have three victories, including both of the most recent matches. The “Yellow-Blues” are the favorites, but they are not particularly good at dominating possession. The value lies in backing the visitors with a “+1 goal” handicap.
Prediction for the match: Iceland to win with +1.0 handicap.
