NORTHERN IRELAND women’s Nations League play-off clash against Iceland has been postponed after severe snowfall in Reykjavik.
The second leg clash was initially set to take place on October 28 but a picture of the pitch in the Laugardalsvollur Stadium showed the pitch covered in heavy snow.
The turf was deemed unplayable and the Northern Ireland FA agreed with UEFA to reschedule the clash to October 29.
Iceland’s capital has been experiencing record levels of snowfall in the last 15 hours, with some areas set to hit 50 centimetres within a 24 hour period.
However, conditions are expected to ease on Wednesday, which should allow for the game to go ahead.
The match will now kick off at the Prottur Stadium instead, with a kick-off time of 5pm.
A statement from the FA initially said: “Northern Ireland’s UEFA Women’s Nations League play-off against Iceland and Northern Ireland has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday 29 October, at the Þróttur Stadium (Laugardalur), a professional sports club in Reykjavik. The kick off time will be 5pm.
“The game, originally due to take place today, Tuesday 28 October, was postponed due to severe weather conditions in Reykjavík and the pitch at the original venue, Laugardalsvöllur Stadium, was rendered unplayable.
“Subsequently, and following considerable engagement with UEFA, the alternative venue, which has hosted UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures earlier this year, was agreed.”
Northern Ireland women’s boss Tanya Oxtoby said: “It’s been a challenging day, but one that has brought this already tight-knit group even closer.
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“The weather situation was, of course, beyond anyone’s control, and the conditions we’ve had to prepare in have been far from what I would consider a high-performance environment.
“However, through the efforts of Patrick (Nelson) and Conrad (Kirkwood), we’ve worked closely with UEFA throughout the day to find a solution.
“While it’s not an ideal scenario, we now have clarity, and the team will be ready and focused for the game.”
Northern Ireland have an uphill task for the game after losing the first leg 2-0 at home on Friday.
The team initially finished second in their Nations League group after six games played.
They ended up eight points behind leaders Poland after two wins, two draws and two defeats in Group E
Iceland, meanwhile, came third in Group B after winning no games, drawing four and losing twice.
