REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Veteran coach Åge Hareide has resigned from the Iceland national team ahead of the start of World Cup qualifying, and said he plans to retire.

The Icelandic soccer federation announced the 71-year-old Hareide’s decision to leave in a statement late Monday.

“I have enjoyed my time with the Icelandic national team, but I believe that now is the right time to retire,” Hareide was quoted as saying in the federation statement.

He added that there are “exciting times ahead” for a team with emerging young leaders.

The next coach’s first games are against Kosovo in March in a promotion-relegation playoff in the Nations League where the winner advances to the second tier in the next edition of the tournament.

Iceland coach Åge Hareide resigns ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying games | iNFOnews.ca — Iceland’s Andri Gudjohnsen celebrates scoring during the UEFA Nations League Group match between Wales and Iceland at Cardiff City Stadium, Wales, Tuesday Nov. 19, 2024. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Iceland will be in the pot of third-seeded teams when FIFA makes the draw for World Cup qualifying groups for Europe on Dec. 13. Only group winners advance directly to the 2026 tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Iceland has played at one World Cup, in 2018 in Russia, becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify.

An international defender for Norway, Hareide coached the Norwegian national team for five years through 2008. He later took Denmark to the 2018 World Cup — losing to eventual finalist Croatia in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 — and helped it qualify for the European Championship played in 2021.

Hareide joined Iceland for the Euro 2024 qualifying program and the team was one game from the tournament, losing a playoff final against Ukraine in March.

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