USWNT to face Iceland in first two post-Olympics matches

The team’s first two games after the Olympics have been announced

The U.S. women’s national team has announced a pair of October friendlies against Iceland, with a third match to be announced at a later date.

The three games will be the team’s first after the Olympics, which kick off on Thursday with a match against Zambia.

The USWNT will take on Iceland on October 24 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, before facing the same opponent on October 27 at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

The third match will take place on October 30, with the opponent and venue to be announced soon.

Iceland, which per the FIFA rankings is 14th in the world and eighth in Europe, will be available for the October FIFA window after qualifying for Euro 2025 and avoiding UEFA’s playoffs.

Þorsteinn Halldórsson’s side beat Germany 3-0 earlier this month, making a major statement ahead of next year’s European Championship.

It will be the fifth consecutive Euros for Iceland, which is still awaiting its first appearance at a World Cup.

The USWNT and Iceland most recently met in February 2022, with the U.S. securing a 5-0 win in the SheBelieves Cup.

[lawrence-related id=78128,78524,35822]

England vs. Iceland: How to watch international friendly, live stream

The Three Lions have one last tune-up before Euro 2024 kicks off

England will have its final tune-up for Euro 2024 on Friday when it takes on Iceland in a friendly at Wembley.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate named his final 26-player squad for the tournament on Thursday, with seven players cut from the initial 33-man provisional roster.

Those 26 players will aim to go one better than three years ago, when Southgate’s side fell to Italy in the final in heartbreaking penalty shootout at Wembley.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch England vs. Iceland on Prime Video” link=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/offers/?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=reviewedcom03-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=74f2e165fe84fa9270a7eccc4b8ecc18&camp=1789&creative=9325″]

England’s penultimate tune-up came earlier this week, when it defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 in a match that was closer than the final score may indicate.

Following Friday’s game, England kicks off its Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16.

Iceland, meanwhile, did not reach Euro 2024, losing to Ukraine in a playoff in March. That made it three straight major tournaments the country has missed, after also failing to reach Euro 2020 and the World Cup in 2022.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.

England vs. Iceland (international friendly)

  • When: Friday, June 7
  • Where: Wembley Stadium (London, England)
  • Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: ViX (Watch on Prime Video)

[lawrence-related id=72631,74672,51491]

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

8 shocking Iceland volcano eruption photos with magma flowing everywhere

The Iceland volcano eruption resulted in some frightening images.

Frightening images are coming out of Iceland as a volcano in the southwest erupted in the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is close to a town called Sundhnúkagígar and only miles away from Grindavík.

There have been earthquakes felt around the country, which led to the famed Blue Lagoon closing for a time, and Grindavík has been evacuated as magma.

Per the Associated Press: “The most disruptive [eruption] in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.”

We’re hoping everyone there is safe as magma continues to flow. Here are some images captured by photographers:

Alperen Sengun excels in limited FIBA minutes as Turkey crushes Iceland

Young #Rockets big man Alperen Sengun had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and a block in only 15 minutes Saturday, helping Turkey crush Iceland in FIBA play. Here’s our look at his top moments.

Jalen Green (United States), Dillon Brooks (Canada) and Jock Landale (Australia) aren’t the only Houston Rockets players participating on the international stage in the 2023 NBA offseason.

After a late change in plans, Alperen Sengun is playing for Turkey’s national basketball team in August’s FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. On Saturday, Houston’s talented young big man had 10 points, 7 rebounds and a block in 15 minutes as Turkey crushed Iceland, 99-72, in the opening tournament game for both teams.

Based on the talent mismatch, Sengun was only asked to play in the first half. The big man connected on 2-of-4 shots (50%) Saturday while going 6-for-6 on free-throw attempts.

Turkey’s pre-qualifying tournament games all take place in Istanbul from Aug. 12-20. Turkey is battling with Ukraine, Bulgaria and Iceland in Group C action. Group D features Croatia, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands. The two top teams from each group advance to a knockout stage, and the tournament winner earns a ticket to next year’s qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics.

As for the Rockets and the NBA, Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last year. He remains Houston’s expected starting center entering training camp for the 2023-24 season, which begins in October.

From Saturday, here’s a look at Sengun’s highlights versus Iceland.

Bundle up for a seriously cool adventure to Vatnajökull in Iceland

What’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold.

Vatnajökull, also known as Vatna Glacier, might be one of Iceland’s coolest natural landmarks. The name translates to “Glacier of Lakes,” a fitting name for this frosty ice cap. As Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull covers approximately 7,900 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) of land. But aside from Vatnajökull’s sheer size, what makes the glacier special? See for yourself by virtually exploring Vatnajökull’s snowy landscapes and fascinating ice structures.

Vatnajökull National Park welcomes guests for an adventure through the ice. Stunning glacier rivers run through frozen valleys and feed into gorgeous lagoons and waterfalls. Adventurous visitors can even seek out ice caving tours. Peruse these seven pictures for a glimpse of what you’ll find on a trip to Vatnajökull.

[vertical-gallery id=776]

Iceland put together a stunning video to present its new national team logo

Behold, dragons!

Iceland has been a fan favorite since their run in Euro 2016 and their first ever qualification for the World Cup in 2018. Even for those with a passing interest in all things related to soccer, it was almost impossible not to root for the tiny island nation that seemed to pull a team out of thin air. In addition to being everyone’s Cinderella pick, Iceland had awesome jerseys and an incredible Viking chant that paid tribute to their sea fearing heritage.

Sports has been quiet lately, but Iceland, a nation that has practically eliminated coronavirus, is back to with an incredible video announcing their new national team crest to brighten up a pretty dreary sports landscape.

The two-minute video has everything and more crammed into it, including dramatic voice over, sweeping landscape panoramas and, of course, dragons.

I mean, I’m not even close to being a huge Iceland fan but I’m ready to run through a wall.  Who doesn’t want to belong to a country that embraces giants and dragons?! That is just straight up dope.

The new Iceland team crest combines a bull, an eagle, a dragon and a giant, all meant to symbolize the forces protecting the land.  I bet it will look great on so much team swag!

 

Anyway, fingers crossed that Iceland qualifies for whatever international tournament finally happens once every other country figures a way out of this pandemic nightmare.