World Cup
2025-10-13 - Iceland vs France
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: World Cup Qualifier
Monday 13th October 2025 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV
Iceland
A remarkable World Cup Qualifier was played Reykjavik on Friday, although it will not be remembered as fondly by the Icelandic players compared with the Ukrainian counterparts. The 3-5 defeat means Iceland have it all to do in their battle to finish at least 2nd in this Qualifying Group and earn the right to fight through the Play Offs to secure a place at the next World Cup Finals.
Half of the World Cup Qualifiers within this section have been completed and Iceland are 3rd and a point behind Ukraine, but they need to find an upset or two in their bid to finish above the latter after the 3-5 home defeat. On the day, Iceland had fought back from 1-3 behind to level, but conceded twice in the final five minutes and waste all of the effort they had put into the match.
Iceland have lost 6 of their last 8 games in all competitions and that includes being Relegated from League B of the Nations League. They were playing in League A of that competition as recently as 2020/21, but perhaps highlights the drop within the squad compared with Iceland's heady heights of playing at Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup Finals. The team have lost 3 of their last 4 home games.
Andri Gudjohnsen is suspended.
France
Didier Deschamps has announced he will be stepping down as manager of the French national team following the World Cup next summer and his team are well on the way to Qualifying for the Finals. With the talent available to Deschamps, France will be one of the favourites to win the tournament in North America and there is a chance they can officially book their spot at the Finals by the end of Match Day 8 of the Qualifiers.
Only one team is guaranteed a spot at the World Cup Finals from each Group and France have moved 5 points clear of Ukraine with three games left to play. Winning in Iceland and Ukraine failing to beat Azerbaijan would secure France top spot and become one of the first UEFA nations to confirm their place in the Finals, although at this stage it looks an inevitability anyway.
France have won 4 in a row in all competitions since the stunning 5-4 loss to Spain in the Nations League Semi Final in June. They were 4-0 and 5-1 down in that Semi Final, but showcased the attacking threat to almost push the fixture into Extra Time. The team have won 4 of their last 5 away games, including beating Ukraine on neutral field in this Group.
Bradley Barcola and Kylian Mbappe have been ruled out, while Ibrahima Konate is another who picked up an injury and has been sent back to his club.
Head to Head
France came from behind to beat Iceland 2-1 at home last month.
These nations met in the Euro 2020 Qualifying Group and France won both fixtures, including a 0-1 win in Iceland.
Iceland have earned draws in 3 of the last 5 fixtures when hosting France.
Prediction
The oddsmakers are expecting another comfortable win for France following the 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan, which has placed them in complete control of this Qualifying Group.
However, that may be doing Iceland a disservice and especially as France will be travelling without their talismanic forward, Kylian Mbappe, and with a number of important attackers out of action.
The depth means France will still be dangerous, but Iceland are usually competitive in Reykjavik and can at least challenge a nation that has won 2 of their previous 5 visits here.
Both victories have come by single goal margins and Iceland were only narrowly beaten when travelling to France last month.
So while the likelihood is that France will pick up another three points and virtually secure their place at the World Cup Finals, Iceland do look a team capable of at least avoiding a big defeat.
The Asian Handicap line looks a little too big here and backing Iceland with the start at odds against will return half the stake in the event of a two goal defeat. In the last Euro Qualifying Group, France played 4 away games and only beat Gibraltar by more than two goals and they have historically found it tough when visiting Iceland to suggest a big away win is very unlikely.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Iceland 0-1 France
