Why has Northern Ireland’s Nations League playoff against Iceland been cancelled? | OneFootball

Tanya Oxtoby was preparing Northern Ireland for a Nations League playoff in Iceland

Northern Ireland women have been left disappointed as their Nations League play-off against Iceland has been postponed due to heavy snowfall.

The match had been scheduled to kick off on Tuesday at 18:00 in Reykjavik.

In a statement, the Icelandic Football Association (KSI) said: “This decision has been made by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), in consultation with KSÍ and the Northern Irish Football Association (IFA).

“The situation and the future are being examined and KSÍ will publish an announcement on its media as soon as the outcome is available.”

The fixture may be rearranged for as soon as Wednesday this week. The more likely solution however is for the game to be moved to the next international window, which runs through the end of November and into December.

Further snowfall is expected in Reykjavik through Tuesday night and into Wednesday. With fans and players safety a paramount, KSI decided to postpone the fixture for now.

Iceland currently hold a 2-0 advantage in the tie following their victory in Ballymena on Friday, with goals from Glódís Viggósdóttir and Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir.

What next for Northern Ireland?

Tanya Oxtoby’s youthful Northern Ireland team remain hopeful of securing promotion to League A for the first time.

It seems unlikely that the team will be able to turn around the play-off with a two goal deficit away from home but there is still a chance they can cause an upset.

Overturning the two goal loss from their first leg would be a huge ask for Northern Ireland but the rewards for success are certainly worth it.

League A teams can qualify for the World Cup directly from the Nations League.

Only the top four nations advance to the 2027 World Cup automatically, but playing against the best players in the world is also sure to improve Northern Ireland on the whole.