Iceland vs Ukraine prediction 10.10.2025 | World Cup 2026 qualifiers

Iceland opened their Group D campaign in style with a commanding 5:0 win over Azerbaijan before pushing France all the way in a narrow 2:1 defeat four days later. Andri Guðjohnsen’s early strike gave Arnar Gunnlaugsson’s side a surprise lead against the two-time world champions before Les Bleus fought back to take the points.

With ambitions of securing a top-two finish, this fixture is vital for Our Boys ahead of their next home clash with France on October 13. Iceland enjoyed a golden spell between 2016 and 2018, reaching the Euro 2016 quarter-finals and qualifying for the World Cup, but they’ve missed the last three major tournaments.

A lack of consistency remains a big issue, though.The hosts lost five of their last seven games, including a 3:1 home defeat against Kosovo earlier this year.

As a result of some defensive fragilities, five of Iceland's last seven games finished with BTTS. 

Head coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson has a 24-man squad available this weekend. Lech Poznan midfielder Gísli Þórðarson is the only uncapped player included in the selection.

Ukraine make the trip to Iceland still searching for their first victory in Group D. Serhiy Rebrov's men slipped to a 2:0 home defeat against France before a disappointing 1:1 draw against Azerbaijan in Baku last month. 

The Blue and Yellows have not qualified for a World Cup since their memorable quarter-final run in 2006, though they have featured in each of the last four European Championships.

Like the home nation, Ukraine have struggled to find much consistency in performance over the past year, although they have managed to avoid defeat in seven of their last ten games. Five of their seven most recent fixtures also finished with BTTS.

Head coach Rebrov is able to call on a 24-man selection on Friday. Oleksandr Zinchenko is a notable absentee from the Ukrainian selection.