Denmark's manager, Kasper Hjulmand, has stepped down following his team's elimination in the last-16 round of Euro 2024, as confirmed by the Danish Football Federation.
After a remarkable run to the Euro 2020 semi-finals, where they lost to England, Denmark barely advanced to the Euro 2024 knockout stage, finishing second in Group C behind England.
Despite not winning any of their three group matches drawing with Serbia, England and Slovenia, Denmark managed to advance due to a slightly better disciplinary record than Slovenia.
This placed them in a challenging last-16 match against hosts Germany, which was temporarily halted by a thunderstorm in Dortmund. Eventually, Denmark lost 2-0, with goals from Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala.
Controversy surrounded Denmark's exit, with many feeling Joachim Andersen was unfairly penalized for a handball that led to Havertz's penalty. Andersen also had a goal disallowed. Following this disappointing campaign, Hjulmand announced his resignation, stating that the team needed fresh ideas before the 2026 World Cup.
"It has been an incredible honor to coach our national team for four years. I've given everything to achieve success and unite the people around the team," Hjulmand said on Denmark's official website. "Representing one's country is the greatest honor. Looking ahead to the World Cup, I believe the team will benefit from new leadership and ideas to write a new chapter. It's about what's best for the team, not me."
Hjulmand expressed gratitude for the support he received and reflected on his efforts to make the national team more relevant to the population. "We aimed to inspire the children and youth, and while we didn't succeed in everything, we made significant progress. Thank you for the tremendous support I've received everywhere," he added. Hjulmand also thanked the Danish Football Union (DBU), the staff, and the players he worked with.
Hjulmand took over as Denmark's head coach in August 2020, succeeding Age Hareide. He led the team to the Euro 2020 semi-finals and the 2022 World Cup, though they exited early in Qatar. Under his leadership, Denmark also achieved notable Nations League victories against France, finishing just behind Croatia in League A Group 1.
Hjulmand leaves with a record of 33 wins, eight draws, and 14 defeats from 55 matches, boasting the highest win rate of any Denmark coach with over 50 games. His assistant, Morten Wieghorst, will serve as caretaker manager for the rest of the year, overseeing six Nations League matches between September and November.
Denmark's League A Group 4 campaign starts with a match against Switzerland on September 5, followed by a game against Serbia in Copenhagen three days later.
