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Iceland v England: Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifier – as it happened | Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifiers
Key events
That’s all from me today. Check out Suzanne Wrack’s match report.
Here’s a message from Kári Tulinius:
Being from a less than populous nation, you can’t rely on having quality anywhere in your national team. If there’s any one position where quality can transform a side’s chances, it’s in goal. I know that Iceland won’t be winning trophies, but that we have a brilliant goalkeeper in Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir, or Cessa as she’s known in Iceland, gives us license to dream big.
The opposition goalkeeper also played a pivotal role today. Hannah Hampton kept England in the game towards the end.
Full time: Iceland 0-1 England
England win their 500th game. Sarina Wiegman’s side dominated the first half, but were outplayed in the second. Iceland gave it a real go, bombarding England’s penalty area with long throws and corners. Ultimately, they couldn’t get an equaliser despite coming close a couple of times. England consolidate their position at the top of the table with another three points.
90+5 min: England are running down the clock now. All they need to do is keep the ball.
90+2 min: Wow! Jessen is through on goal and rounds Hampton, but the angle is tight and she can’t quite squeeze the ball into the back of the net.
90 min: There will be five minutes of additional time.
88 min: Jess Carter is on for Esme Morgan to shore things up at the back.
85 min: Substitute Arna Eiríksdóttir swings in a corner onto the head of one of the Iceland forwards. Hampton makes another crucial save before she’s bundled over by Jónsdóttir.
84 min: Iceland come at England again and win a corner late in the game.
83 min: All the momentum is with Iceland at the moment. Jóhannsdóttir shoots from the edge of the area and forces Hampton into an awkward save.
82 min: Iceland have another huge chance. Jónsdóttir causes more problems with her long throws and it falls to Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir. The midfielder shots from six yards out and Hampton makes an important save.
79 min: How has that stayed out! Jónsdóttir races past Bronze with ease and cuts the ball back for Jessen. The Iceland striker connects with it and hits the post with her strike. The ball still isn’t quite clear and Zomers’ shot is blocked by Hampton from six yards out.
77 min: Niamh Charles is on for Alex Greenwood.
75 min: Huge chance for Sandra Jessen! She takes the ball down from a cross and hits it straight at Hampton from point blank range. The England keeper makes a tremendous save before the offside flag goes up.
72 min: Walsh splits the Iceland defence with a delicious ball through to Park. Park tries to pick out a teammate with a cutback, but no one can connect with it.
69 min: Hemp does brilliantly on the left to get away from the defender. She clips the ball into the box for Beth Mead to attack. The Arsenal winger is first to the ball and heads it low to Rúnarsdóttir’s right.
67 min: Russo cuts the ball back to Stanway on the right, but the Bayern Munich midfielder blazes the ball over the bar.
65 min: England are starting to find their rhythm again. Greenwood whips in a cross, but it’s collected by the goalkeeper.
62 min: Glódís Viggósdóttir heads the ball wide from a corner. These are nervy moments for England. Beth Mead and Jess Park are on for Lauren James and Laura Blindkilde Brown respectively.
59 min: James lets fly with her left foot on the edge of the box. For a moment I expected a repeat of her stunner against Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter final. Instead, the ball sails well over the bar.
57 min: Hampton gives the ball away as England try to play out from the back. Iceland are gradually putting pressure on Sarina Wiegman’s side.
54 min: The second half has been more stop-start than the first. Iceland may sense that this is their best chance cause England problems.
51 min: Iceland are looking much more dangerous this half. They’ve had a number of set piece opportunities, but have failed to really test Hampton thus far.
49 min: Iceland win another set piece. Sædís Heiðarsdóttir whips a free kick in and Hannah Hampton catches the ball.
46 min: Sveindís Jónsdóttir causes problems with her long throw. The ball bounces around in the box before England clear it out for a corner.
Second half
Iceland get us going again. Lotte Wubben-Moy is on for Leah Williamson.
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Half time: Iceland 0-1 England
England are in charge of this game. They’ve had all of the ball and all of the chances, but crucially only have a one goal lead. If Iceland can find an outlet, they can get into this game.
43 min: Great play from England on the left. Keira Walsh of all people finds herself on the touchline and cuts the ball back for Greenwood. Greenwood receives the ball and drives past the fullback before sending in a cross. It’s cleared away for a corner.
38 min: Iceland take their first shot of the game! Dilja Zomers takes the ball down before hitting it wide of the post.
37 min: Russo has another chance. James threads a ball through to her but the England striker hesitates before firing towards Rúnarsdóttir’s near post. It’s easily saved by the Iceland keeper.
36 min: Russo breaks free from the Iceland defenders again and cuts the ball back for a teammate. It’s behind everyone though and the chance is wasted.
30 min: Hannah Hampton has barely had a touch of the ball so far. Iceland are yet to register a shot.
27 min: Alex Greenwood whips in a corner that is half dealt with by the Iceland defenders. The ball falls for her in the box and she fires the ball straight at the keeper.
23 min: Rúnarsdóttir keeps on putting herself under pressure needlessly. The Iceland goalkeeper gives the ball away again and England win a corner.
GOAL! Iceland 0-1 England (Russo, 21)
Lauren Hemp receives the ball brilliantly in her own half and bursts away from the Iceland defenders. Russo makes a run off of Hemp and receives the ball obligingly. The England striker turns and swivels before rifling her shot into the bottom left corner.
18 min: James has been dangerous so far. She beats Gudrún Arnardóttir with a stepover before drilling a cross along the box. It’s cleared away for another corner.
17 min: Emilía Ásgeirsdóttir makes an incredible block. This time it’s Lauren Hemp who is thwarted.
15 min: James plays a great through ball to Russo. The Arsenal striker runs on to it but her shot is blocked and the ball ricochets off her before going out for a goal kick.
12 min: Iceland are defending resolutely. The England forwards are probing but haven’t had a clear-cut opportunity as yet.
7 min: Lauren James glides past a couple of players with ease. She does a quick give-and-go with Russo but the referee blows the whistle for a foul as the England winger uses her strength to nudge one of the Iceland defenders off the ball.
5 min: Almost a huge mistake from Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir! She stumbles over the ball on her goal line and Russo almost punishes her with a tap in. The Iceland goalkeeper eventually manages to poke the ball away from danger.
3 min: England are already dominating possession while Iceland will likely rely on counter attacks and set pieces.
1 min: England have an early half chance. Lucy Bronze delivers a ball into the box and Alessia Russo’s volley is blocked and out for a corner.
Kick off
England get us under way, kicking from right to left.
The two teams are out and singing their respective national anthems.
Here’s some pre-match reading courtesy of Suzanne Wrack.
It’s been a great week for England Women’s football. The U23s won the European Competition title yesterday after they beat Sweden 3-0 in the final.
The Lionesses are warming up in special pre-match shirts to commemorate their 500th game. The shirt is available in black and white and features the Three Lions logo and number 500 inside of a Tudor rose pattern.
Team news
Iceland: Runarsdottir, Arnardottir, Viggosdottir, Sigurdardottir, Heidarsdottir, Hermannsdottir, Johannsdottir, Asgeirsdottir, Jonsdottir, Boama, Zomers
Subs: Ivarsodottir, Birkisdottir, Eiriksdottir, Jessen, Tryggvadottir, Vilhjalmsdottir, Georgsdottir, Eiriksdottir, Olafsdottir Gros, Antonsdottir, Palmadottir, Halldorsdottir
England: Hampton, Bronze, Greenwood, Walsh, Williamson, Morgan, James, Stanway, Russo, Blindkilde Brown, Hemp
Subs: Le Tissier, Moorhouse, Wubben-Moy, Carter, Hinds, Kelly, Kendall, Mead, Park, Roebuck, Charles, Parkinson
Preamble
Hello and welcome to minute-by-minute coverage of Iceland v England in the Women’s World Cup qualifier at the Laugardalsvöllur Stadium.
Today’s game is the Lionesses’ 500th of all time. In the build up to this one, the players have paid tribute to and heard from some of the pioneers who came before them. Lucy Bronze, who has 146 caps for England, said: “It’s crazy in two ways. On the one hand it’s only been 500, but at the same time – oh my God – it’s 500 games.” A win today would maintain a 100% record in Group A3 for Sarina Wiegman’s side as they push for automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Iceland need to put in a strong performance to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat against England six weeks ago. Their only win in the group came four days ago in the form of a 1-0 victory over Ukraine. Thorsteinn Halldórsson’s side will take heart from England’s previous struggles against similarly ranked teams such as Belgium and Portugal.
Kick off is at 5:30pm BST. Send me an email with your thoughts and keep refreshing the page for updates.
Key events
10 mins: Udogie goes down in the area after nipping in front of Minteh. He wants a penalty, but again the referee is happy for play to continue and VAR isn’t going to overrule him. Looks like there’s a brief tug of his shorts as he breaks into the area, but it would have been an extraordinarily generous penalty decision if given.
7 mins: Absolutely excellent what-me-guv innocentface from Gomez after he concedes a free-kick. Beautiful technique.
5 mins: A big punt forward from Kinsky towards Solanke, who seems to pretty deliberately take out van Hecke. They both go down and the ball bounces forward, with Simons haring after it. He’s not far away from getting it, either, but Verbruggen comes out to huff it away in the nick of time. Again, the referee lets play continue.
3 mins: Lots of people running around as the game starts with a high tempo. But then Danso stops Minteh completing a one-two and thereby concedes a free-kick on halfway.
1 min: Peeeeeep! Action time! Brighton kick off, with at least one Spurs player several yards into their half. The referee lets it go.
Right then. Action time (almost).
The players are on their way out. The home fans have been given flags to wave, and they are doing so enthusiastically. It’s quite a sight. Now they need their players to show similar commitment.
Fabian Hurzeler has a chat!
It’s very important, I just said to the group, it’s not about being in form it’s about habits, it’s about showing the right habits today. I expect Tottenham to have a clear style of play, Roberto is known for that. He did a brilliant job here but today it’s Brighton against Tottenham, it’s a focus on trying to get three points and that’s the only focus we’ve got.
The relegation trapdoor is ready to swing into action: Wolves’ defeat today means they will go down if Spurs win today. Roberto de Zerbi has had a quick chat, and this is what he said about Maddison’s return:
James is one of the leaders, of the most important players in the squad. I think he can give us energy, quality, because when he is available to play his quality is amazing, and in this moment we need everyone. We need all players focused on Tottenham, and especially an important player like James.
James Maddison returns to Spurs squad for first time this season
Look who’s back! As it happens, Roberto De Zerbi was asked yesterday about James Maddison and the possibility of him returning from injury. This is what he said:
I don’t know yet. I don’t want to push too much. I’m used to waiting for the players when they are available, totally available to play and to restart the training, because it’s better to lose one game more than to take a risk for another new injury.
Which sounded to me like a no. And yet, here he is.
The teams!
The team sheets have been handed in to the referee and can no longer be changed unless someone asks very nicely. And here are those teams:
Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Gallagher; Kolo Muani, Simons, Bissouma; Solanke. Subs: Austin, Bergvall, Dragusin, Gray, Joao Palhinha, Maddison, Spence, Tel, Richarlison.
Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Gomez, Ayari, Hinshelwood, Gross, Minteh; Welbeck. Subs: De Cuyper, Kostoulas, Mitoma, O’Riley, Baleba, Rutter, Steele, Veltman, Igor Julio.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
VAR: Jarred Gillett.
Hello world! And welcome to today’s episode of Who Wants to Win a League Game in 2026!
Spurs are very close to using all their lifelines and they’ve still had no lucky, but with the two teams immediately above them, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, playing on Monday and Sunday respectively today is an opportunity to turn up the heat in the relegation dogfight, or indeed to deflate the pressure in the relegation dogfight balloon, depending how it goes.
The bad news for Spurs is that, well, they’re rubbish. Since that last league win, a 1-0 success at Crystal Palace on 28 December, they have taken a shameful five points from 14 games, by a massive margin the worst record in the division, while in the same period and also playing 14 times Brighton have 22 points, the fifth-best record in the land (above Everton on goal difference).
The good news is that Brighton begins with the letter B. Even while letting Bournemouth do the double over them Spurs have overperformed against B-sides this season, averaging 1.29 points per game, the record of a solidly mid-table side. Against non-B-sides they’ve taken just 0.84 points per game. But Brighton have won their last three and five of their last six, and ride into this reunion with their former coach Roberto De Zerbi on a wave of form.
Here’s what De Zerbi had to say about this game:
I’m positive. I’m ready to fight. I believe to keep the Premier League, I believe in my words, what I said the last week was the focus is to win one game. I don’t know if tomorrow we are able to win, I hope and I think we have the quality enough to win a game.
I think it’s crucial to win a game, not just for the table – OK, one part for the table for sure – but because we have to feel again what is nice to win a game and what they can do, because I have no doubt about the qualities of the players. OK, now is a tough moment, but to achieve the great target you have to pass through difficult times.
So here’s to a fun couple of hours, and an end to difficult times.
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