Icelandic Champions Vikingur Reykjavik Face Setback Ahead of Be'er Sheva Champions League Clash

Vikingur Reykjavik, the reigning Icelandic champions and upcoming opponents of Israel's Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, suffered their first league defeat this season on July 18, 2026. The loss came against bottom-placed Thor Akureyri, who beat Vikingur 2-1. Vikingur's coach, Solvi Ottsen, fielded a largely rotated squad with seven changes, resting many starters to conserve energy for the upcoming European fixture. The goals against Vikingur arrived late, in the 83rd and 89th minutes, with Dadi Berg Jonsson scoring a consolation goal in the 90th minute after returning from a long injury layoff of over a year.

Despite the defeat, Vikingur maintains a comfortable seven-point lead atop the Icelandic league after 15 rounds. This loss ended a 13-match winning streak this season, following an opening draw in April, and marked their first league defeat since August of the previous season. Prior to this, Vikingur had gone 21 matches unbeaten (19 wins, 2 draws), scoring 66 goals and conceding 16. The team recently made headlines by eliminating Hungarian champions Győr in the first qualifying round of the Champions League with a 1-0 home win and a 2-2 draw away.

Coach Ottsen expressed disappointment, citing technical errors and lack of sharpness, and acknowledged the impact of squad rotation but took full responsibility for the loss. He emphasized the challenges of balancing European and domestic competitions and the need for mental resilience. Vikingur has rescheduled their next league match against Keflavík to Friday evening and will travel to Hungary for the second leg against Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Tuesday, July 27, 2026, at the Haladás Stadium in Szombathely, near the Austrian border.

Meanwhile, Hapoel Be'er Sheva has already arrived in Iceland and is preparing for the first leg at Vikingur's home ground, Vikingsvollur Stadium in southeastern Reykjavik, which has a synthetic pitch and a capacity of 2,000 spectators. The Israeli champions traveled on a charter flight accompanied by several dozen fans, with hundreds more expected to attend the return leg in Hungary next week.