France beat Azerbaijan 3-0 on Friday to edge closer to qualifying for FIFA 2026 World Cup, but Kylian Mbappe injured.
Published On 11 Oct 202511 Oct 2025
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Kylian Mbappe will miss Monday’s qualifier in Iceland, where France could book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup, after taking another knock to his sore right ankle, the French team confirmed.
Already suffering from a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan in Paris, where he opened the scoring but was substituted before the end of the match.
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The France captain’s absence adds to the long list of forwards unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola.
Mbappe “will not be able to play Monday against Iceland”, a French Football Federation (FFF) statement read.
After returning to the Clairefontaine training ground on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with (coach) Didier Deschamps,” who “acknowledged his absence”.
Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced”, the FFF added.
The French superstar had already been rested for training with Les Bleus during the week with the same issue.
Mbappe scored on the stroke of half-time and was then struck by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He took another knock to the same ankle late in the game and was replaced by Florian Thauvin.
“He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps said after the French victory.
Adrien Rabiot and the substitute Thauvin were also on the scoresheet as Deschamps’s men remain unbeaten after three games and top of Group D.
Les Bleus will book their passage to the United States, Canada and Mexico next year if they win in Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fail to beat Azerbaijan.
Paul Dhaliwal, Chief Commercial Officer at Iceland Foods, said: “Our customers expect variety and flavour without breaking the bank, and this year we’ve delivered just that. We’ve perfected the festive staples and added new twists that will impress and bring joy to every bite.
“From classic centrepieces and irresistible desserts to brand-new creations and party essentials, there’s something to suit every kind of Christmas celebration, no matter your style or budget.”
What’s on the menu?
Iceland‘s menu this year offers customers everything they’ll need for Christmas lunch or dinner from beloved Christmas classics to some new additions.
This includes everything from their Sweet Chilli Sticky Prawns and Pizza Chicken Wedges to TGI Fridays Cheeseburger & Chip baskets.
Shoppers will be able to sink their teeth into a range of Christmas meats, pigs and blankets and all the trimmings on top.
And if you are thinking of throwing a festive bash this year, customers can take advantage of their mix-and-match deals on select products like three items for £10.
Or shoppers can stock up with their £1 party range and luxury platters.
But among the showstoppers of this year’s Christmas range is the Luxury Perfect Turkey Crown.
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For £28, you can get your hands on 2.2kg of frozen boneless skin on turkey crown with added water topped with sunflower oil and herb and spice marinade.
We also have a feeling that many will be eyeing up the Bailey’s Iced Yule Log for £12.
It features mouthwatering Baileys salted caramel mousse, a dark chocolate sauce and chocolate flavoured meringue.
Baltic and Nordic leaders in Denmark’s Copenhagen are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is on a diplomatic drive trying to cement security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“The heads of state and government will discuss how the Nordic-Baltic countries can ensure further support for Ukraine on the frontline and in the negotiating room,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The gathering brings together the leaders of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden – with Zelenskyy to discuss Ukraine’s future.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Tuesday that progress was being made on security guarantees for Ukraine, but he stressed that such measures would only be implemented after a peace agreement is reached.
“We need to coordinate the security arrangements with the United States, which essentially will provide the backstop for this … We’re focusing on these issues with our chiefs of defence, which are drawing the concrete plans of what this type of operation might look like,” Stubb told reporters.
“We’re making progress on this and hopefully we’ll get a solution soon,” he said, while cautioning that he was not optimistic about a ceasefire or peace agreement with Russia in the near term.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speak at a news conference on July 3, 2025, in Aarhus, Denmark [Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images]
The ‘coalition of the willing’
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he expected clarity at a summit of Ukraine’s allies on Thursday “or soon after” on what security guarantees Europe can offer Kyiv once the war halts.
“I expect tomorrow, or soon after tomorrow, to have clarity on what collectively we can deliver,” Rutte said at a news conference with Estonian President Alar Karis in Brussels. “That means that we can engage even more intensely, also with the American side, to see what they want to deliver in terms of their participation in security guarantees.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will co-host Thursday’s mostly virtual meeting of leaders of the so-called “coalition of the willing” – a collection of Western states working on long-term guarantees for Ukraine, and NATO. Zelenskyy moves on to meet Macron tonight in Paris ahead of that summit.
Western officials have said such guarantees are aimed at deterring Russia from launching another war after hostilities end, whether through a ceasefire or a permanent peace deal.
They are expected to centre on continued military support for Kyiv, along with an international force to reassure Ukraine. However, European leaders have made clear that such a force would only be feasible with US participation.
United States President Donald Trump last month promised American involvement, but Washington has yet to spell out what it would contribute. Rutte sought to reassure eastern NATO members that resources for Ukraine’s security guarantees would not come at the expense of the alliance’s own defences.
“We have to prevent spreading our resources too thinly, and this means that we always have to look at what the impact will be on the NATO plans,” he said.
Moscow, meanwhile, rejects the idea of European peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine, and insists that any future settlement must reflect what it calls “new territorial realities”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper that regions annexed by Russia – Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson – must be “recognized and formalized in an international legal manner” for peace to last.
Trump has suggested any eventual deal would involve Ukraine ceding some territory, but many analysts believe one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s core demands will be Ukrainian recognition of Moscow’s control over the parts of Donbas still under Kyiv’s authority.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected such concessions, warning that losing any territory would embolden Russia to launch new attacks in the future. The Ukrainian constitution also forbids it.
Russia takes more territory in Kherson
As diplomacy continues behind the scenes, Russia’s assault continues to intensify across eastern Ukraine. Its forces claim to have encircled and now captured “about half” of Kupiansk, a strategic city in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Moscow’s Ministry of Defence also claimed its forces had seized the settlement of Fedorivka in Donetsk.
In the skies, Russia launched a sweeping overnight air campaign, striking targets across nine regions. Ukrainian officials said at least four railway workers were injured, while Poland scrambled defence aircraft as explosions echoed near its border.
Ukraine’s emergency services reported that five people were injured and 28 homes damaged in an attack on the Znamianka community in the Kirovohrad region. In Khmelnytskyi, transport services faced “significant schedule disruptions” after strikes damaged residential buildings and triggered fires.
Local authorities said two people were killed in Russian shelling of Polohivskyi district in Zaporizhia, while separate attacks caused deaths in Kherson, Kyiv region and Donetsk. The independent news outlet Kyiv Independent reported at least five civilians killed across the country in the latest wave of strikes.
Russia said it had shot down 158 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, while claiming that Ukrainian attacks across its border killed 12 people and wounded nearly 100 in the past week. In the Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone strike injured three people in the village of Proletarsky.
The diplomatic manoeuvring comes as Putin seeks to deepen ties with North Korea and China. His meeting on Wednesday with Kim Jong Un in Beijing, alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping at a grand military parade, underscored the growing partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Trump responded by accusing the three leaders of conspiring against the United States – a claim dismissed by the Kremlin.
In some locations, the bakeries were enduring one robbery every twenty minutes – prompting the change.
One Greggs worker told The Sun: “The stealing before was so bad.
“I couldn’t put a number on how many thieves came in every day.”
At the time, a spokesperson for the bakery said: “This is one of a number of initiatives we are trialling across a handful of shops which are exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour.
“Safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority.”
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Iceland regularly stocks frozen products from a range of brandsCredit: Alamy
Residents in the nearby fishing town of Grindavik and guests at a luxury geothermal spa resort are evacuated.
The Sundhnukur volcano has erupted near Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, the 12th volcanic eruption in the North Atlantic island nation since 2021, the Icelandic Meteorological Office says.
The agency said in a statement on Wednesday morning that an eruptive fissure in southwestern Iceland is 700 to 1,000 metres (765 to 1,095 yards) long.
“Lava is mostly flowing to the southeast and is not approaching any infrastructure,” it added. “Based on GPS measurements and deformation signals, it is likely that this was a relatively small eruption.”
Live images showed flows of lava and smoke being belched into the sky.
People were evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, a luxury geothermal spa resort, and the nearby fishing town of Grindavik, according to the public broadcaster RUV, which quoted police.
Rather than flowing from a central crater, lava from fissure eruptions like Wednesday’s appears from long cracks in the Earth’s crust.
Iceland, which is often referred to as a land of ice and fire, has now recorded a dozen volcanic eruptions since geological systems on its Reykjanes Peninsula reactivated four years ago.
The Reykjanes eruptions have so far neither posed a threat to nearby Reykjavik nor have they caused air traffic disruptions, unlike the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which grounded planes across Northern Europe for almost a week.
Grindavik was home to almost 4,000 people before an evacuation order was issued in 2023. Now, it is mainly deserted because of the threat of lava flows and related earthquakes.
In early April, a volcanic eruption penetrated protective barriers close to Grindavik, and the emergency services evacuated its residents and those staying at the Blue Lagoon spa.
Experts have said eruptions on the peninsula could continue for decades.
Every year, Iceland, which has a population of nearly 400,000 people, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to explore its volcanic landscape.
In 2024, almost 2.3 million foreigners travelled to the island, according to its tourist board.
Host nation Switzerland eliminate Iceland with two second-half goals from Geraldine Reuteler and Alayah Pilgrim in their second Group A match at Euro 2025 in Bern.
The trend for ‘coolcations’ has seen holidaymakers shun beach resorts in favour of destinations with less tourists this time of year
‘Coolcation’ holidays on the rise as travellers seek cooler summer getaways(Image: Craig Hastings via Getty Images)
As the summer holidays approach, folks are gearing up to flock to sunny coastal resorts or enjoy a UK seaside staycation. But, some are bucking the trend and opting for chillier locales as soon as the British heat kicks in.
The travel scene’s seen a real shake-up recently with ‘coolcation’ destinations gaining steam among Europeans looking to dodge the scorching sun. Google’s been ablaze with a whopping 624% surge in searches for these cooler getaways this year.
Inghams Walking has delved deep, scrutinising almost 100 spots across Europe to reveal where the cool crowd will head come 2025.
Inghams Walking’s Head of rambling, Laura Mason, chimed in: “While countries like Greece and Spain have offered holidaymakers a chance to soak up the sun and get some much-needed Vitamin D, the heatwaves rippling across Europe in the past couple of years have undoubtedly shifted travellers to alternative travel for their summer breaks.
Iceland’s Akureyri has had a massive increase in popularity(Image: Getty)
“Coolcations allow holidaymakers to foster a deeper connection with nature, often prioritising exploring the outdoors and personal wellbeing, and we hope our findings inspire those looking to mix up their typical travel this summer.”
Iceland’s Akureyri, fondly referred to as the ‘Capital of the North’, tops the chart as the most popular ‘coolcation’ hotspot. Inghams experts have revealed a staggering 264.13% surge in interest for Akureyri as travellers seek cooler climes for their summer holidays.
This idyllic city, with its mild summer temperatures of 10-12°C, boasts the northernmost botanical garden in the world, an eye-catching church by the architect of Reykjavik’s famed Hallgrímskirkja, and some of Iceland’s finest whale-watching excursions,” reports the Express.
Akureyri is Iceland’s second largest city(Image: Getty)
Tisvilde, known as the ‘Danish Riviera’, is next on the list, offering tourists the perfect mix of urban exploration and relaxed coastal vibes.
Experts at Inghams extol Tisvilde’s virtues: “Tisvilde is rich in culture and has several palaces and castles, charming colourful beach houses, miles of sandy beaches, and restaurants serving fresh catches from the surrounding waters.”
With average summer temperatures ranging from 19 to 21°C, Tisvilde provides a warm yet comfortable beach experience, avoiding the intense heat found in more traditional European destinations.
Tisvilde is another popular ‘coolcation’ spot(Image: Getty)
From seaside towns on Iceland’s ‘Arctic Coast Way’ to unspoilt and rugged landscapes in the Scottish Highlands, there are plenty of choices for those looking for the perfectly cool getaway.
Iceland was proclaimed an independent republic on June 17th 1944.
Iceland actually gained independence from Denmark much earlier, on December 1st 1918 with the signing of the Act of Union with Denmark. The Act recognised Iceland as an independent state under the Danish crown.
The formation of the republic in 1944 was based on a clause in the 1918 Act which allowed for a change to the relationship between Iceland and Denmark in 1943.
Due to the German occupation of Denmark in 1943, a vote on the revision to the Act was delayed until after the Second World War finished.
The referendum was held in at the end of May 1944. Voters were asked whether the Union with Denmark should be abolished and whether to adopt a new republican constitution. Both measures were approved with more than 98% in favour and a voter turnout of 98.4%.
Although he would have preferred a different outcome in the referendum, King Christian X of Denmark sent a letter on June 17th 1944 congratulating Icelanders on forming their Republic.
The June 17th date was already a significant date in Iceland’s history as it is the birthday of Jón Sigurdsson who was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement which led to the 1918 Act of Union. Sigurdsson died in Copenhagen in 1879.
June 17th, was therefore chosen as Iceland’s National Holiday as a fitting date to mark the Independence from Denmark, the proclamation of the Icelandic republic and to recognize Jón Sigurdsson’s efforts toward Icelandic independence.
The day has been a legal public holiday since 1971, though it had been a tradition for most employers to give their workers a day off since 1945.
SUPERMARKET chain Iceland is closing two stores starting in days as shoppers share their devastation.
The frozenfood specialist is shutting a location in Margate on the Kent coast on June 21.
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Iceland is closing two stores starting in daysCredit: Getty
Meanwhile, a further branch will close for good in Inverness, Scotland, on July 12.
The retailer said in a statement that staff at both sites have been offered roles at surrounding stores “where possible”.
But news of the closures has still been met with heartbreak from locals and shoppers.
One, posting on Facebook about the Margate closure, said: “Margate is losing everything bit by bit.”
Read more on Store Closures
Another added: “Can the town centre get any worse with empty buildings.”
Commenting on the Inverness branch shutting, one shopper said: “Very sad to hear this news.”
Another chipped in: “I’m so gutted.”
The closure of the Inverness branch means there will no longer be any Iceland stores in the Scottish city.
The nearest Iceland store will be in Aberdeen while there is a Food Warehouse, run by Iceland, in Inverness’s Telford Street.
It’s not the first store closure made by Iceland in the past few months.
Britain’s retail apocalypse: why your favourite stores KEEP closing down
It pulled down the shutters permanently on its site in Welling at the start of the year.
A site in Borehamwood and another in Exeter permanently shut around the same time.
The latest closures means Iceland has shut more than 20 stores since the start of 2023.
It’s worth bearing in mind retailers often shut branches in underperforming areas and open them where they think they’ll get more footfall and sales.
For example, it’s not all bad new for Iceland as in 2024 it announced plans to open more of its Food Warehouse format stores across the UK.
Food Warehouse stores, run by the Iceland Foods Group, are generally larger than Iceland shops and usually found in retail parks.
OTHER RETAIL CLOSURES
The retail sector has struggled in recent years due to the onset of online shopping and lockdowns during the coronaviruspandemic.
Higher inflation since 2022 has also hit shoppers’ budgets while businesses have struggled with higher wage, tax and energy costs.
The Centre for Retail Research has described the sector as going through a “permacrisis” since the 2008 financial crash.
Figures from the Centre also show 34 retail companies operating multiple stores stopped trading in 2024, leading to the closure of 7,537 shops.
This was the highest number of stores affected in a calendar year since the Centre started collecting this data in 2007.
On top of these more than 7,500 stores, over 11,000 independent shops closed in 2024.
This is in addition to almost 7,800 independent stores that closed in 2023.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce showed that more than half of companies planned to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms also found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
“I think back of when we were successful in 2016 and we were really, really hard to beat.
“We knew what we were good at and I see similarities in this team. There are a lot more legs and more youthfulness now, but there’s a similarity in being really hard to beat.”
As a former Northern Ireland Euro 2016 favourite and Premier League player with Leeds United, Stuart Dallas knows what it takes to be successful.
Now retired, he’s watching Michael O’Neill’s “new era” Northern Ireland gear up for World Cup qualifying, and he likes what he is seeing.
After a 2-1 defeat in Copenhagen to Denmark, O’Neill’s young side had to dig deep to beat Iceland at Windsor Park.
After Isaac Price’s latest moment of brilliance lit up a drab first-half, the game turned when Brodie Spencer was sent off in the 57th minute and Iceland piled on the pressure.
It was a new challenge for his young team and, as Dallas adds, “they had to show a different side to them”.
It was a test they passed with flying colours.
“This team have a strong character and desire when things are going against them to stay in the game,” said O’Neill.
“There’s a lot of things we can do better, but we can’t ask any more in terms of character and defending as a team and a unit.”
One savvy shopper spotted the tasty treat in their local Iceland and shared a photo on Snack Reviews Facebook page.
“I need,” one wrote, adding the eyes emoji.
“I want these for me, not the kids,” another joked.
Nesquik was a huge hit in the 2000s and is known for its range of flavoured milk drink powders, particularly the iconic chocolate variety.
It has been a staple in many British households for decades, often associated with childhood memories and nostalgic comfort.
In addition to the classic powders, Nesquik in the UK has expanded its product range to include ready-to-drink bottles and cereal, further cementing its presence in the breakfast and snack categories.
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This comes as Nesquik’s creator Nestle revealed it hiked the cost of its chocolate and coffee for customers.
TheSwisscompany said it’s raised its prices by 2.1% overall – but for some items the hikes are in the double digits.
It blamed surging costs of coffee beans and chocolate.
“Despite the significant level of the increases in many markets, the actions were implemented with limited customer disruption,” Nestle said.
Nestle produces a range of products, including chocolates, sweets, cereals, drinks, ice cream and pet foods.
Among its popular brands are Aero, Milkybar, Smarties, Milo, Haagen Dazs, San Pellegrino, and Felix cat food.
The company said it had better-than-expected sales growth of 2.8% in the first three months of the year.
The higher prices accounted for much of the rise.
Nestle said it had seen demand drop significantly following the price increases but it is now bouncing back.
It also warned there could be further impacts on customers due to higher global tariffs.
Donald Trump recently launched a global trade war when he announced major tariffs on dozens of countries.
The move has raised fears of a global recession, sent stock markets tumbling and caused economic uncertainty for businesses trading internationally.
Mr Trump has called on American companies to produce their products in the US to avoid costly tariffs.
But for chocolate makers this is near impossible as the key ingredient, cocoa, can only be grown in tropical climates.
On top of this, the price of cocoa has soared in recent years.
Farmers in West Africa, where 70% of the world’s cocoa is harvested, have been struggling with climate-related issues that have decimated their cocoa production.
It’s estimated 400,000 tonnes less of cocoa has been produced over the last few years, hiking the price significantly.
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Finding deals and offers can be tricky if you don’t know where to look.
Here’s a list of hacks you can use to become a bargain-hunting pro and save on your shopping bill:
Of the uncapped players, Miller undoubtedly has the most hype around him.
Motherwell’s 18-year-old midfielder has improved at a remarkable rate since making his senior club debut aged just 16.
He won the PFA Scotland young player of the year award last month after a season in which he scored four goals and assisted seven in 36 games.
Miller is expected to leave Fir Park for a sizeable transfer fee, one which could be bolstered should he make his Scotland bow against Iceland or Liechtenstein.
“I could maybe, in a couple of months, be the best player there,” Miller said after his first Scotland call-up in March.
He later clarified his comments, saying the speed of that claim was a “mistake”, but reiterating his desire to be the best player he possibly can be.
Short of confidence, he is not.
Bowie is another who will fancy making an impact, should the opportunity arise.
Quick, strong and imposing, he scored six goals in his first season for Hibs after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained playing for Scotland Under-21s.
“Any time I watched the Under-21s he always stood out,” Clarke said when naming his squad. “He’s big, physical and strong with good attributes to his game.
“Going into the summer, you’ve got Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet, I know what they can bring, so it was just to have a look at something a little bit different and see if we can expand the pool of players.
