Azerbaijan vs Iceland Prediction 13.11.2025 | WC Qualifiers Europe

For their first-ever appearance in a major international tournament, Azerbaijan will have to wait, having severely underperformed in this 2026 World Cup qualifying cycle. They have managed only a solitary point from their opening four matches.

Despite entering Matchday 4 with ambitions of staying in the race for a top-two finish and putting in a determined performance, Aykhan Abbasov’s side could not avoid a 2-1 defeat to Ukraine, extending their winless streak to 14 games — 11 of which ended in defeats.

Three of those setbacks came during this World Cup qualifying phase, with the heaviest blow delivered by Iceland, who hammered Azerbaijan 5-0 in Reykjavik. It is now clear that the Milli squad will head into their final pair of qualifiers without any realistic hope of progression.

For the remaining November qualifying fixtures, several new faces have been called up, including Varazdin midfielder Rufat Abdullazade, who could earn a place in the starting XI.

Meanwhile, Iceland have shown genuine signs of progress over the past decade, earning global admiration through their runs at EURO 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, but now they will need more than just momentum — they will need fortune on their side to return to football’s biggest stage next June.

After kicking off their World Cup qualifying journey with a statement five-goal demolition of Azerbaijan at home, Strakarnir okkar suffered back-to-back setbacks before reigniting their hopes with a resilient 2-2 draw against France, keeping their top-two ambitions alive in Group D.

Sitting three points behind second-placed Ukraine with just two matches remaining, Iceland know the equation is simple — anything short of victory is not an option, and they must also hope France get the job done on the same matchday to set up a decisive showdown with Ukraine in the final round.

Their away form hardly inspires confidence, having returned empty-handed from five of their last six competitive trips, but Arnar Gunnlaugsson and his squad are fully aware that Thursday's outcome could either fuel their World Cup dream or extinguish it completely.

Real Sociedad forward Orri Oskarsson remains sidelined as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury suffered early in the La Liga season, but Fiorentina’s Albert Gudmundsson stands ready to step in and carry the attacking burden as Iceland chase a lifeline.