March 31, 2026
Rain delays galore as Iceland and Haiti draw at BMO Field
If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again – that should have been the mantra this afternoon as Iceland and Haiti eventually played to a one-all draw at BMO Field, one of the stadiums to host games at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This was a match that very nearly didn’t take place, as heavy rains and thunderstorms consistently pounded Toronto. Delayed not once, not twice but thrice before finally getting underway, thanks in large part from the grounds crew and staff at BMO Field that worked hard to salvage the game.
See Also: Canada and Iceland battle to a draw at BMO Field
Early in the day, a decision had been made to refund fans who had purchased tickets to the match, and play it behind closed doors. That is testimony to how close this match came to being called off altogether. Still, as they say, the show must go on – and once underway, the weather behaved itself long enough for the match to play, give or take a sprinkling or two throughout.
It was a strange sight, seeing the massively expanded stadium empty for an international friendly this close to the World Cup, but probably the wise choice given the weather.
Once the delays had been dealt with, the two sides emerged to warm up, again, only this time the game reached kick-off. Just four minutes into the game, Gylfi Sigurðsson came close to scoring for Iceland on the first shot of match, but his shot rolled just wide of the post.
Iceland had several opportunities in the first half, but kept making offside plays to nullify their chances. While Iceland earned the majority of the chances in the first half hour of play, Haiti turned up the heat and were looking more and more dangerous as the half drew to a close.
Louicius Don Deedson appealed for a handball on Icelandic defender Hjörtur Hermannsson late in the first half, that took place inside Iceland’s box and prevented a goal, as goalkeeper Hjörtur Hermannsson was in no position to stop it, but ultimately referee Carly Shaw MacLaren was reluctant to make the call and ruled for the game to play on. Perhaps a penalty would have been a harsh call as the ball appeared to strike Hermannsson in the chest, but either way, Iceland had escaped and were lucky to reach the half on equal terms with Haiti.
The second half began much like it had ended, with the Haitian side earning great chances. None better, perhaps, than Duckens Nazon who broke through the Icelandic defense, sped his was to the box, only to fire a good shot just to the outside of the far post. Haiti had come within a whisker of taking the lead. Haiti’s all-time leading scorer nearly made his mark once again.
Moments later, as is often the case, Iceland had their chance to take the lead and they took it. Gylfi Sigurðsson was alone in the middle of the box, waiting for Logi Tomasson to notice, and as soon as he did, he sent a hard pass in for Sigurðsson, who cracked a hard low and accurate shot into the wide open net. Iceland now held the lead in Toronto.
In the 85th minute, Iceland thought they had gone up by a pair, when Jón Dagur Þórsteinsson’s shot deflected into the net off his teammate Brynjólfur Darri Willumsson but the play was ruled offside. Iceland’s offsides had come back to bite them. They had been an issue all match long, and now a second goal was denied by the smallest of margins.
With just two minutes to play in regulation, Haiti finally broke through when Wilson Isidor dribbled through three Icelandic defenders, into the box, where he beat goalkeeper Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson. For teh second time in the game, a great chance at one end of the pitch, resulted in a goal at the other. Haiti had tied the game right at the cusp.
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As was the case at halftime, there wasn’t to be any added time in this heavily delayed match up. It was unfortunate that the fans weren’t able to participate in the game, but also a stoke of luck – with a helping of hard from the BMO Field gang, that this game took place at all.
Hosts Canada were set to play Tunisia on this very pitch later in the day, and fingers and toes were crossed, hoping that weather would stay decent enough for that game to take place as well.
