France lost 2-2 to Iceland on Monday, missing out on a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The result in Reykjavik halted France’s perfect start to European qualifying, which had seen them win three straight. The two-time world champions defeated Iceland and could have qualified had Ukraine not defeated Azerbaijan. Ukraine won 2-1.
Runner-up in 2022 world cupFrance still leads Group D with 10 points, three points ahead of Ukraine.
France was without captain Kylian Mbappé, who scored in Friday’s 3-0 win over Azerbaijan. But he limped off the field. Due to injury to right ankle.
Iceland took the lead in the 39th minute with a goal from Viktor Palsson, but the visitors fought back with goals from Christopher Nkunku in the 63rd minute and Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 68th minute. Iceland equalized a few minutes later with Kristian Frisson.
Iceland maintains four points after four games, three points ahead of Azerbaijan.
Switzerland also had a chance to qualify for the World Cup, but they could not get a better than 0-0 against Slovenia.
Switzerland would have qualified if they had beaten Slovenia and Kosovo had not beaten Sweden. Kosovo won 1-0 and now have seven points in Group B, three points less than Switzerland. Slovenia have three points, while Sweden, who is also undefeated, has one point.
Liverpool’s Alexander Isak denied three dangerous chances for hosts Sweden against Kosovo.
The 12 group winners will automatically qualify and the 12 runners-up will participate in the play-offs along with the top four of their 2024-25 Nations League group.
The 16 teams will be divided into four playoff passes of four teams each to determine the remaining four European qualifiers. The play-off matches will be played as a single-leg semi-final, followed by a single-leg final in March 2026 within the same international window.
Germany defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 in Belfast thanks to Nick Waltemade’s first-half goal, and are tied at the top of Group A with Slovakia on nine points. Slovakia defeated Luxembourg 2-0.
In other results, North Macedonia drew 1-1 with Kazakhstan, while Belgium came from behind to beat Wales 4-2 thanks to two penalties from Kevin De Bruyne.
The game was briefly delayed after a rat entered the field as Belgium led 2-1 in the second half. The rat was spotted outside goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ area. The Belgian tried to pick up the rat, but the rat ran away. Wales forward Brennan Johnson eventually drove off down the sideline as the crowd cheered.
Belgium lead Group J with 14 points, one more than North Macedonia and three more than Wales.
“I’m proud of the players,” said Wales captain Ben Davies, who made his 100th senior appearance. “Belgium showed us a lot of respect and sat back and counter-attacked us, which doesn’t happen very often. Their game plan worked tonight. It’s another big learning curve for a young group.”
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This is the first time that the number of participating teams has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
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