France came from behind and overcame a red card to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win over Iceland in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Parc des Princes today. The result stretches Iceland’s winless run against Les Bleus to 16 games, with 12 defeats and four draws.
Despite being tagged heavy favourites in the games preview, France made things extremely difficult, and Didier Deschamps’ men were made to work for the points, especially after gifting the visitors the lead.
Michael Olise’s careless pass across his own box was pounced upon by Andri Guðjohnsen, who produced a clinical outside-foot finish to silence the Paris crowd. Softfootball reports that France responded with intensity, but Iceland goalkeeper Elías Ólafsson twice denied Marcus Thuram before Manu Koné also saw an effort blocked.
Just before the interval, France were handed a lifeline. Thuram was clipped by Mikael Anderson in the area, and Kylian Mbappé calmly converted the penalty to draw level. The strike was his 52nd for the national team, moving him into second place on France’s all-time scoring list.
The turnaround was complete midway through the second half. Aurélien Tchouaméni’s precise long ball released Mbappé, who squared for Bradley Barcola to finish from close range. France’s joy was tempered soon after when Tchouaméni was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson, leaving the hosts to play the final stretch with ten men.
Iceland sensed an opportunity and came close through Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, who headed narrowly wide from a corner. Guðjohnsen thought he had equalised late on, only for his effort to be ruled out for a foul on Ibrahima Konaté in the build-up.
France will definitely take the result; even the team’s admin admitted via the team’s official X account that they will focus on the 3 points ahead of their next game in October.
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It was not a vintage display from France, but the three points keep them perfect in Group D, sitting three clear of Iceland after two matches. For Arnar Gunnlaugsson’s side, this narrow defeat offered positives as they continue their push for a second-ever World Cup appearance.
