Denmark vs North Macedonia – News and Probable Lineups

Denmark will host North Macedonia at Parken Stadium on Thursday night in a semi-final playoff for the 2026 World Cup.

The Danes were narrowly beaten to the top position in their qualifying group by Scotland, whereas the Red Lynxes found themselves behind both Wales and Belgium, despite suffering just one defeat in their eight matches.

Match overview

After a 4-2 defeat to Scotland in their final qualifying match, Denmark must navigate the playoffs for a chance to compete in this summer’s World Cup.

Brian Riemer’s team was leading Group C with two matches remaining, but a home draw against Belarus followed by a loss in Glasgow ended their unbeaten streak at seven games and saw them quickly lose their grip on the top spot.

The Scandinavian team aims to secure their third consecutive tournament qualification and hopes to improve upon their performance in Qatar, where they managed just one point and exited in the group stage.

Denmark has previously participated in the playoff rounds twice, successfully qualifying for the main tournament on both occasions, most recently edging past the Republic of Ireland 5-1 on aggregate in 2022.

Denmark has faced Thursday’s rivals on only one previous occasion, clinching a 1-0 victory in a European Championship qualifier back in 1995.

North Macedonia concluded their World Cup qualification group in third place after earning only two points from their last three matches, which included a disappointing 7-1 defeat to Wales in November. Belgium topped the group and will advance to North America this summer.

However, by finishing at the top of Group C in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, the Red Lynxes secured their ticket to the playoffs, where they will strive to qualify for the tournament finals for the first time in their history.

After conceding as many goals in Cardiff as they had in the previous 16 matches combined, the Balkan nation parted ways with head coach Blagoja Milevski. Goce Sedloski has since taken over and will be managing his first match on Thursday evening.

North Macedonia has reached the playoff stage only once before, achieving a notable victory over four-time champions Italy in 2022 before being eliminated by Portugal in the final. If they manage to overcome Denmark, they would potentially meet either the Czech Republic or the Republic of Ireland.

The last encounter between these teams occurred in 2013, where Denmark, featuring players such as Kasper Schmeichel, Daniel Agger, and Christian Eriksen, suffered a 3-0 defeat at the National Arena Toshe Proeski.

Team News

Five players from the Premier League have made it into the host’s squad, among them West Ham United goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who has won the starting position from Alphonse Areola at the London Stadium.

Denmark’s primary attacking threat is undoubtedly former Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund, who has netted 10 league goals for Napoli this season, marking the most successful league campaign of his career to date.

The 23-year-old has also shone during the qualification series, scoring five goals in as many matches, an impressive tally unmatched by any other player in Group C.

North Macedonia’s standout player is certainly Napoli’s attacking midfielder Eljif Elmas, who has participated in 26 league matches on loan at the Italian club this season.

Sedloski has also included former Leeds United defender Ezgjan Alioski and Rangers winger Bojan Miovski in his inaugural squad.

Denmark probable starting XI:

Hermansen; Hogsberg, Nelson, Andersen, Maehle; Norgaard, Wheelman; Isaksen, Eriksen, Lindstrom; Hojlund

North Macedonia probable starting XI:

Dimitrievski; Zajkov, Musliu, Velkovski, Alioski; Alimi, Bardhi, Elmas; Churlinov, Trajkovski, Miovski

Despite having shown a generally solid performance in their qualification campaign thus far, it appears challenging for North Macedonia to overcome a stronger Danish team on Thursday night.

We anticipate Riemer’s side to secure a victory at Parken Stadium, restricting the visitors to limited opportunities and positioning themselves to advance from the playoffs for a third time.