France had to fight for their victory against a stubborn Iceland, ultimately securing a 2-1 win in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The win extends France’s unbeaten streak against Iceland to 16 matches and puts them in a strong position at the top of Group D.
The visitors’ defensive strategy at the Parc des Princes proved effective early on, frustrating France’s attempts to break through. A costly error from Michael Olise, who played a blind pass across his own penalty area, allowed Andri Gudjohnsen to put Iceland ahead with a clinical finish.
France’s frustration mounted, but just before halftime, they were awarded a penalty after Mikael Anderson fouled Marcus Thuram. Kylian Mbappe stepped up and confidently converted the spot-kick, leveling the score and moving to second on France’s all-time top goalscorer list with 52 goals.
The second half saw France turn the game around completely. Following a superb long ball from Aurelien Tchouameni, Mbappe set up Bradley Barcola, who tapped in from close range to give Les Bleus the lead. The hosts’ task was made more difficult when Tchouameni was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge.
Despite being a man down, France held on. Iceland had a late chance when Gudjohnsen scored, but the goal was disallowed due to a foul on Ibrahima Konate. The victory, while not their most convincing, was enough to secure three points and move France three points clear of Iceland in the group standings.
Iceland, despite the loss, can take confidence from a performance that challenged one of the world’s top teams and will continue their fight for a World Cup spot.
