Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Iceland
Match Time & Date:
2 September 2021
19:45
Prediction: 1-1
Romania
Iceland and Romania go head to head at Laugardalsvollur in what is expected to be a close World Cup qualifier. Iceland desperately needed a win against Liechtenstein, and they managed to get one, with the team keeping their qualification hopes alive. Arnar Vidarsson’s troops are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach against Romania as well, and we predict that they will find the net in Thursday’s qualifier.
The Tricolori, on the other hand, aim to make amends for back-to-back losses to Germany and Armenia. Given their attacking potential, we believe that punters from all four corners of the world can find value in betting on both teams to score. Reading attacker George Puscas misses the game through suspension. You should bear in mind that 11 goals in total have been netted in the previous three meetings between the two national teams.
Highlighted Player (Gylfi Sigurdsson):
Arguably one of Iceland’s most famous footballers ever, Gylfi Sigurdson was born In Reykjavik on 9 September 1989, but he never played for an Icelandic club on senior level. Having shown a great deal of potential while playing for FH and Breidablik youth teams, the attacking midfielder was snatched by Reading in 2008 and he has since spent the majority of his career in England.
Sigurdsson also went on to represent Hoffenheim and Tottenham Hotspur, but he played his best football during the two spells with Swansea City, scoring 25 goals in first 85 Premier League games for the Swans. Sigurdsson became famous for his dangerous free-kicks and killer passes in the final third, but he was never given a genuine opportunity to prove his worth while at Tottenham Hotspur.
The highly rated footballer had a key role to play as Iceland secured their first ever appearance at a major tournament finals, scoring 6 goals in 10 Euro 2016 qualifiers to ensure he would remain in the history books for years to come.
Highlighted Team (Romania):
Romania were one of just four European sides to take part at the first ever World Cup in 1930, and the team have since achieved respectable results on the international stage, albeit failing to challenge for major trophies.
Led by arguably their best ever footballer Gheorghe Hagi, the Tricolorii narrowly missed out on the semi-finals at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, losing to Sweden on penalties. Romania made a total of seven appearances at the World Cup finals, while qualifying for five European Championship tournaments. The Tricolorii went the farthest in 2000, when they were eliminated by Italy in the quarter-finals.
Tied at the top of the goalscoring charts, Gheorghe Hagi and Adrian Mutu are the only two Romanian footballers to have gained worldwide recognition, but Dorinel Munteanu, Dan Petrescu, Gheorghe Popescu and Viorel Moldovan are also worth mention. Romania play their home games at the Arena National in Bucarest.
Auda
Larne 
Dinamo Minsk
Ludogorets
Linfield
Shelbourne
Aktobe
Legia
Ilves
Shakhtar Donetsk
CFR Cluj
Paks
