After winning Friday's match against Turkey Iceland is one step closer to securing a spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Iceland crushed the Turkish national team 3-0 at an away game in Turkey, thus advancing to the top spot of Group I. The top teams of each group advance automatically to the World Cup, while the runners-up play off against one another for four additional spots. The crushing defeat was all the more notable as Turkey had not lost one home match in the World Cup qualifiers.
Read more: Watch: Viking war cry goes viral. Video shared 17 million times
Iceland's next game in the qualifiers is tonight, against Kosovo. If Iceland wins the game against Kosovo the Icelandic national team has secured Iceland will play at the World Cup for the first time. The game will begin at 18:45 tonight, and is played at Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavík. The Icelandic team beat Kosovo at an away game in March, 1-2.
Read more: Watch BBC Scotland News at 3: Iceland beating England in football only good thing in 2016
Kosovo ranks 184th on the FIFA world ranking, while Iceland, the top ranked Scandinavian nation, ranks 22. Bookkeepers put the odds of Kosovo winning at just 1-26. Locals are therefore understandably excited.
Watching the game
Tickets to tonight's game are long since sold out, and according to local news scalpers have been selling tickets for as much as 50,000 ISK (470 USD/400 EUR). But football fans need not despair. The City of Reykjavík is installing a giant screen in downtown Reykjavík, at Ingólfstorg Square. The square has previously been used as a FanZone during national football games, most memorably during the 2016 Euro.
The downtown Ingólfstorg FanZone is probably one of the best places in the world to watch the game and watch Iceland fight for it's first real opportunity to play for World Cup, and then celebrate with Icelanders! (We at Iceland Insider certainly hope there will be reason to celebrate!)
A second FanZone is in front of Laugardalsvöllur stadium. This zone is designated as family-friendly, with activities for the kids, including face-painting and a bouncy castle.
All sports bars in Reykjavík will also offer screenings of the game. Some of the best are American Bar, the English Pub and Jói Fel in the city center and Lebowski bar on Laugavegur street.
After winning Friday's match against Turkey Iceland is one step closer to securing a spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Iceland crushed the Turkish national team 3-0 at an away game in Turkey, thus advancing to the top spot of Group I. The top teams of each group advance automatically to the World Cup, while the runners-up play off against one another for four additional spots. The crushing defeat was all the more notable as Turkey had not lost one home match in the World Cup qualifiers.
Read more: Watch: Viking war cry goes viral. Video shared 17 million times
Iceland's next game in the qualifiers is tonight, against Kosovo. If Iceland wins the game against Kosovo the Icelandic national team has secured Iceland will play at the World Cup for the first time. The game will begin at 18:45 tonight, and is played at Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavík. The Icelandic team beat Kosovo at an away game in March, 1-2.
Read more: Watch BBC Scotland News at 3: Iceland beating England in football only good thing in 2016
Kosovo ranks 184th on the FIFA world ranking, while Iceland, the top ranked Scandinavian nation, ranks 22. Bookkeepers put the odds of Kosovo winning at just 1-26. Locals are therefore understandably excited.
Watching the game
Tickets to tonight's game are long since sold out, and according to local news scalpers have been selling tickets for as much as 50,000 ISK (470 USD/400 EUR). But football fans need not despair. The City of Reykjavík is installing a giant screen in downtown Reykjavík, at Ingólfstorg Square. The square has previously been used as a FanZone during national football games, most memorably during the 2016 Euro.
The downtown Ingólfstorg FanZone is probably one of the best places in the world to watch the game and watch Iceland fight for it's first real opportunity to play for World Cup, and then celebrate with Icelanders! (We at Iceland Insider certainly hope there will be reason to celebrate!)
A second FanZone is in front of Laugardalsvöllur stadium. This zone is designated as family-friendly, with activities for the kids, including face-painting and a bouncy castle.
All sports bars in Reykjavík will also offer screenings of the game. Some of the best are American Bar, the English Pub and Jói Fel in the city center and Lebowski bar on Laugavegur street.
