It was supposed to be a comeback. After the heartbreak of the 2022 Euros, the Denmark women’s national football team arrived in Switzerland for the 2025 European Championship with a quiet confidence and a squad that felt, on paper at least, like it could actually do some damage. Instead, fans watched a nightmare unfold. Three matches. Zero points. A dead-last finish in Group C.
Football is cruel. One minute you're the 2017 finalists scaring the life out of the elite, and the next you're staring at a 3-2 loss to Poland in Lucerne, wondering where the defensive spine went. Honestly, if you followed the team through 2025, you saw the cracks forming long before the first whistle in Basel. It wasn't just bad luck; it was a systemic stall.
The 2025 Euro Collapse and Why It Stings
Look, losing to Sweden 1-0 in the opener isn't a crime. Sweden is a titan. But the way it happened—a stifled offense that couldn't find a way past the Swedish low block—set a grim tone. Then came Germany. A 2-1 defeat that felt closer than it was, mostly because Maja Bay Østergaard was doing backflips in goal to keep the score respectable.
The real gut punch was the final group game against Poland. Denmark needed a win to salvage some pride, maybe sneak through as a best third-place team. They scored twice. Pernille Harder, ever the talisman, tried to carry the world on her shoulders. But the backline disintegrated. Giving up three goals to a Polish side that most expected Denmark to handle? That's when the "crisis" talk officially started in the Danish press.
They finished the tournament with zero points and a -3 goal difference. It was their worst Euro performance in decades.
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A New Era Under Jakob Michelsen
Andrée Jeglertz had already announced he was leaving before the tournament even started. That's a weird vibe to have in a dressing room—a "lame duck" coach trying to motivate a veteran squad. He’s gone now, heading back to club football in Sweden.
Jakob Michelsen is the man in the hot seat now. He inherited a team that is currently ranked 14th in the world but feels like it’s drifting. Michelsen’s task isn't just about winning games; it’s about figuring out what life looks like after the "Golden Generation" starts to fade. He’s known for tactical discipline, but he needs more than just a good shape. He needs to find a way to stop the team from being so "Harder-dependent."
The Pernille Harder Paradox
Pernille Harder is a legend. Period. With 81 goals and over 150 caps, she is the sun that the entire Danish system orbits around. But here’s the problem: when she’s marked out of a game, Denmark often looks lost. At 33 years old, she’s still world-class, but she can’t sprint for 90 minutes like she did in 2017.
We saw a glimpse of hope in the late 2025 Nations League matches. Denmark actually smashed Finland 6-1 in October. Why? Because players like Sara Holmgaard and Kathrine Møller Kühl finally stepped up. Holmgaard has been a revelation at wing-back. She’s got this incredible delivery from the left—basically a cheat code if you have Signe Bruun or Amalie Vangsgaard waiting in the box.
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Vangsgaard is the one people need to watch more closely. She’s 29, reaching her peak, and has that physical presence that Harder lacks. If Michelsen can figure out how to feed Vangsgaard while Harder drops into that "number 10" pocket to create, Denmark might actually become scary again.
Defensive Woes and the 2026 Outlook
You can’t talk about this team without mentioning the defense. It’s been... shaky. Simone Boye Sørensen and Stine Ballisager are veterans, but they’ve struggled against high-press teams. In 2025, the team’s win ratio dipped below 35%. That’s a terrifying stat for a nation that considers itself a top-tier European power.
The 2026 World Cup qualifiers are the immediate priority. Denmark recently played a 0-0 draw against Norway in December 2025, which showed a bit more defensive grit, but the "go-go-go" offense of the past seems to have stalled.
What most people get wrong about Denmark:
They aren't "falling off." They're transitioning. The gap between the top 5 teams in the world and the next 15 has shrunk massively. Ten years ago, Denmark could sleepwalk past teams like Poland or Finland. Not anymore. The tactical floor of women's football has risen, and Denmark’s old-school reliance on individual brilliance is being punished by well-drilled, athletic mid-tier nations.
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Key Players to Watch Heading Into 2026
- Maja Bay Østergaard (GK): She’s the undisputed #1 now. Without her saves in Switzerland, those losses would have been embarrassments.
- Kathrine Møller Kühl (MF): The "Arsenal kid" isn't a kid anymore. At 22, she needs to become the engine room. Her passing accuracy is elite, but she needs to dictate the tempo of games more aggressively.
- Sofie Svava (DF/MF): Now at Lyon, she’s got the experience of the highest level. Her battle with Sara Holmgaard for the left-sided spot is actually making both of them better.
- Cornelia Kramer (FW): The wildcard. She’s 23 and brings a different energy off the bench. We need to see more of her in high-stakes moments.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you’re looking at where the Denmark women’s national football team goes from here, keep an eye on these three specific things:
- The Michelsen Blueprint: Watch the first three friendlies of 2026. If he sticks with a back three, it means he’s prioritizing wing-back width. If he goes to a flat back four, he’s trying to shore up the middle.
- The "Post-Nadim" Transition: Nadia Nadim has been the heart and soul of this team's personality for years, but her international career is winding down. Who takes over that vocal leadership?
- Youth Integration: Look for names like Isabella Bryld Obaze and Josefine Hasbo to get more starts. The "veteran" core needs fresh legs around them to compete with the pace of teams like Spain or the US.
The path to the 2027 World Cup starts with these tactical tweaks. Denmark has the talent, but the "Viking spirit" needs a modern upgrade if they want to get back to the podium.
For fans wanting to keep track, the next FIFA ranking update in April 2026 will be the first real indicator of whether the Michelsen era is actually moving the needle or if the Euro 2025 slump has become a permanent plateau. Don't write them off yet; this is a team that historically thrives when people start doubting them. They just need to find their rhythm again.