Poland vs Denmark facts

Poland and Denmark meet for the first time at a major international tournament as the Allmend Stadion Luzern plays host to their Matchday 3 contest in UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Group C.

As a result of Poland's 0-3 loss to Sweden and Denmark's 1-2 defeat by Germany on Matchday 2, neither team can progress to the quarter-finals.

Poland must win this match in order to overtake Denmark and claim third place.

Previous meetings

This is the fifth competitive meeting between Poland and Denmark, with the former yet to register a victory having scored just two goals to Denmark's 14.

It is also the teams' first encounter for nine years since they were paired together in qualifying for Women's EURO 2017. An April 2016 goalless draw in Tychy preceded a 6-0 Denmark win in Viborg two months later, with a Sanne Troelsgaard hat-trick (18, 27, 62) plus contributions from Pernille Harder (24, 41) and Johanna Rasmussen (53) for Denmark, who qualified for the finals by finishing second in Group 4, one place ahead of Poland.

The nations were drawn together in Group 3 in qualification for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Denmark, who won the group, opened their campaign with a 5-1 victory against Poland in Slupsk – Merete Pedersen scoring four – before a 3-1 triumph in Brondby.

Form guide

Poland

Poland are still waiting for their first finals point or goal, the debutants losing to Germany (0-2) and Sweden (0-3) so far, the latter contest in Lucerne ending their chances of progressing from the group.

Poland lost all six games in qualifying Group A4, scoring four goals and conceding 17, but were successful in the play-offs, beating Romania 6-2 on aggregate (2-1 a, 4-1 h) and Austria 2-0 (1-0 a, 1-0 h).

Poland have reached the finals for the first time at the 11th attempt. This is also their first participation in a major international tournament.

Having struck five times, including three during the play-offs, Natalia Padilla was Poland's top scorer during qualifying, while the nation's all-time top scorer – Ewa Pajor – managed four overall.

Nina Patalon's side were top of Group B3 in the 2023/24 Women's Nations League, picking up 16 points from a possible 18 in finishing ahead of Serbia, Ukraine and Greece.

Patalon has been in charge since succeeding Miłosz Stępiński in March 2021.

Denmark

After losing 0-1 to neighbours Sweden in Geneva on Matchday 1, the Danes scored their first Women's EURO 2025 goal against Germany on Matchday 2 when Amalie Vangsgaard put them in front after 26 minutes in Basel. The eight-time winners struck twice in the second half, however, ensuring that Denmark's participation will end on Matchday 3.

Denmark won four of their six qualifying games in Group A2, losing only to section winners Spain; they beat both Belgium and Czechia home and away.

With three goals apiece, Janni Thomsen and Vangsgaard were the Danes' top scorers in qualifying.

Denmark are featuring in Women's EURO for an 11th time, and eighth in a row since the introduction of a group stage in 1997. They have now progressed to the knockout stages in three of their eight attempts. They lost two of their three games in 2022, a team coached by Lars Søndergaard finishing third in Group B behind Germany and Spain.

Under Nils Nielsen, Denmark achieved their best Women's EURO result in 2017 when they finished runners-up, losing 2-4 to hosts Netherlands in Enschede. They also finished third as hosts in 1991 and also in 1993, and have reached at least the semi-finals on six occasions overall.

Harder – Denmark's all-time top scorer – was on target in that 2017 final defeat.

Second behind England in Group D of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Denmark lost 0-2 to Australia in the round of 16.

Head coach Andrée Jeglertz, who managed Finland in the 2013 finals, succeeded Søndergaard in September 2023. He will leave his post following the tournament to take over as Manchester City head coach.

Key facts

• Poland's Małgorzata Mesjasz played for Turbine Potsdam from 2019 to 2022, her final season there alongside Denmark twins Karen and Sara Holmgaard.

• Pernille Harder, the Denmark captain, played alongside her Poland counterpart, Ewa Pajor, at Wolfsburg from 2017 to 2020, winning four successive Bundesliga titles together.

• Denmark have never lost all three matches in a Women's EURO group. The only occasions they failed to win at least one match were 1997 and 2013.

• Denmark have lost five of their last six UEFA Women's EURO final tournament matches (W1).