The French team is continuing its 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday (8:45 p.m.) against Iceland, the provisional leader of the group after hearing Azerbaijan.
Despite its victory over Ukraine last Friday (0-2), the French team is not at the top of the group D of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The fault of Iceland on the same day against Azerbaijan (5-0). In Reykjavik, the country’s capital, the Icelandic team, held in check after 45 minutes (0-0), dropped the horses thereafter.
A trompe-l’oeil success. Azerbaijan is only 122e World nation, has not won for a year and has lost matches against Belarus (0-2), Estonia (3-1) or Haiti (0-3). Iceland has therefore respected logic, but it really has something to bomber the torso for all that. Last March, Kosovo caused its relegation to the League of Nations.
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The beautiful course at Euro 2016 seems far away
After a painful group phase, marked by defeats against Turkey (3-1 and 2-4) and in Wales (4-1), Iceland had to play its place in League B during a round-trip barrier against the modest Kosovo … which won the two matches (2-1 then 1-3). “Since this has not been fine for the football team, we no longer feel this fervor behind the players”underlined Aurélien Norest, deputy coach of the Icelandic club Vetri, in the columns of Ouest-France .
Long nonexistent on the football planet, this country of 400,000 inhabitants (less than Lyon or Toulouse) had known its hour of glory at Euro 2016, in France. His qualification for the competition was a surprise in itself, his career until the quarterfinals even more, until he falls on the Blues (5-2).
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The nation with 130 volcanoes has not replayed a European championship since since, has not exceeded the first round at the 2018 World Cup and did not qualify for the Qatari World Cup in 2022. In the FIFA ranking, SA 18e Place reached in 2018 is only a distant memory: it is 74e Today.
Haraldsson, the Lille of Iceland
Last January, Arnar Gunnlaugsson, a former international striker who passed by Sochaux (1995-97), was appointed coach. The “Strakarnir Okkar” (“our boys” in Icelandic) somewhat abandoned their old ultra-defensive style, associated with counterattacks and precise set kicks. “There is an evolution in the abilities they have to bring out on the ground and build actions”underlined Didier Deschamps on Monday.
Iceland has struggled to materialize its intentions so far, despite the presence of an asset in its round that France knows well: Hakon Haraldsson, which Deschamps did not fail to quote at a press conference. The Lille attacking midfielder is versatile, technically easy and remarkable endurance. At just 22 years old, he was appointed vice-captain by Gunnlaugsson and scored two goals in three games with the LOSC on the start of the season. The Blues know the main opposing danger.
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