What Happened: Denmark 2-0 Wales

Denmark got their 2026-27 Nations League campaign off the mark at a rain-slick Parken, but they were made to wait. Wales — winless in six and bottom of Group A4 — rode a stubborn first-half shape before two Mikkel Damsgaard set-pieces settled a nervy night for Brian Riemer’s side.

Takeaway: Two set-piece goals papered over a shaky Danish display; Wales’ winless run rolls on and relegation is now a live threat in Group A4.

Two Sides That Need a Response

The Nations League does not wait. Norway put three past Denmark in Oslo on Thursday; Portugal edged Wales by the single goal in Lisbon. Two days later both beaten sides land in Copenhagen, and only one of them can leave Parken with the response the Group A4 table is demanding.

This is what the league phase was designed to do — compress the margin for error until every matchday feels like a cup tie. Denmark were beaten by the best striker on the planet doing striker things; Wales were edged by the defending champions’ first-half cuteness. Neither loss is fatal. A second one, this early, starts to look like a pattern.

Matchday 1: How Both Teams Got Here

Denmark fell 3-2 in Oslo, with Erling Haaland striking in the 18th and 74th minutes (full recap here). Brian Riemer will have taken more from the response than the result: his squad is young in the wrong places, and Sunday is its first chance to prove the Oslo defeat was an aberration rather than a trend.

Wales were edged 1-0 in Lisbon, João Félix’s 22nd-minute goal separating the sides (full recap here). Craig Bellamy’s side will argue the margin flattered Portugal — but League A does not do moral victories, and Wales now need something from Copenhagen to keep the top-two race alive.

Team News & Key Men

Riemer named a 24-man squad with the attacking upside everyone came for: Rasmus Højlund leads the line after Kasper Dolberg was ruled out with a knee problem and Alexander Bah with a shoulder injury, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Morten Hjulmand form the midfield spine, a young, injury-hit defence (Christensen among those out) and Mikkel Damsgaard carries the creative load — Christian Eriksen is still rehabilitating after collapsing during June’s friendly against Ukraine and is not in the squad. There is new blood too: Lyon’s Mads Bidstrup and Toulouse’s Thomas Jorgensen have been rewarded for strong club form.

Bellamy called up a 28-man group, with Jordan James back after missing June’s friendlies and Cardiff teenager Cian Ashford earning a first senior call-up. Harry Wilson (thigh), Joe Rodon (hamstring) and Nathan Broadhead (thigh) are all out, and Dylan Lawlor is a doubt after being forced off against Portugal. Ben Davies and Ethan Ampadu anchor the spine; Brennan Johnson and Dan James supply the sprint in behind; Kieffer Moore remains the outlet when the game gets ugly.

Head-to-Head

These two know each other better than most Group A4 pairs: Denmark won both meetings in the 2018 Nations League and then beat Wales 4-0 at the last-16 stage of Euro 2020 — still the most recent competitive meeting between the sides. Wales have never quite solved the Danes in the competitive era. Bellamy’s job on Sunday is to make Parken feel less like a rematch and more like a fresh start.

What We Expect

Denmark will have the ball and the territory; Wales will happily concede both and race at the back line through Johnson and James the moment possession turns over. The game likely hinges on whether Denmark’s defence — young and still settling in Christensen’s absence — can live with that pace twice a half. We lean Denmark, narrowly — but if Wales score first, this becomes a very different afternoon.

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