France were unable to extend their grip of Group D of the European qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Iceland in Reykjavik on Monday, Afrosport reports.
Les Bleus were five points clear of Ukraine going into this game after defeating Azerbaijan 3-0 last time out in Paris. They were however behind after Victor Palsson put Iceland ahead in the 39th minute.
Didier Deschamps’ men were able to find their way back thanks to goals from Christopher Nkunku and Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 63rd and 68th minute respectively. It was however short lived as Kristian Hlynsson made it 2-2 for Iceland in the 70th minute.
France’s lead at the top of Group D shrunk to three points after Ukraine’s 2-1 win over Azerbaijan in Krakow.
Meanwhile, in Group A, Nick Woltemade’s 31st minute effort gave Germany a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland and are joint top with Slovakia who defeated Luxembourg 2-0.
In Group B, Kosovo stunned Sweden 1-0 in Goteborg to maintain second place while Slovenia and Switzerland played out a goalless draw in Ljubljana.
In Group J, Belgium stayed on top with a 4-2 win over Wales in Cardiff, Kevin de Bruyne netting a brace while Thomas Meunier and Leandro Trossard scored the rest.
Which result stands out? 👀#WCQ pic.twitter.com/g0npBP5Wam
— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) October 13, 2025
The other group game saw North Macedonia and Kazakhstan play out a 1-1 draw, the former sitting in second place, just one point behind the Belgians.
