On Sunday, June 7, a friendly match between the national teams of Ukraine and Denmark will take place at the Odense Stadium in Denmark. The game will kick off at 19:30 Kyiv time. This is the first match for the Ukrainian team as part of the preparation for the Euro 2028 qualifiers, which will be held in Denmark.

Squad changes for the Ukraine national team

Before flying to Denmark, the Ukrainian national team received significant reinforcement. Ruslan Malinovskyi joined the squad; he missed the previous match against Poland due to an injury but has fully recovered and trained with the main group. Defender Ilya Zabarnyi also arrived, having been delayed due to his participation in the Champions League final with French club PSG. However, goalkeeper Andriy Lunin did not make it to this training camp.

Main intrigue: Andriy Yarmolenko's record

The main intrigue of the match in Odense is the potential historic record of Andriy Yarmolenko. Having scored a goal against the Poles, the veteran brought his total goals for the national team to 47. Now, the winger for Kyiv's Dynamo needs exactly one more precise strike to equal the all-time top scorer for the Ukrainian national team — Andriy Shevchenko, who has 48 goals to his name. A brace in the match against Denmark could make Yarmolenko the all-time top scorer for the "blue and yellows".

Denmark national team: generational shift and squad issues

The Danish national team has always been famous for a clear playing style that combines fighting spirit and high skill. However, in the context of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, the Danes suffered a setback: they dramatically missed out on a direct spot due to a defeat against Scotland (2:4), and in the play-off final, they lost to the Czech Republic on penalties (2:2, penalties 1:3). Now, head coach Brian Riemer is building a new team with an eye on the Nations League and Euro 2028. The Scandinavians are undergoing a massive generational shift: such iconic players as goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and midfielder Christian Eriksen have ended their careers with the national team.

Furthermore, the Danes have squad issues ahead of the match with Ukraine. Key midfielder Morten Hjulmand from Portuguese club Sporting left the camp due to injury. Winger Gustav Isaksen from Italian club Lazio will also not play due to an injury. In the previous friendly match against the DR Congo national team, Riemer's charges ended in a goalless draw (0:0).

History of the rivalry

The upcoming match in Odense will be only the fourth head-to-head duel between Ukraine and Denmark in history. So far, there is absolute parity between the teams: one win for each national team and one draw. The balance of goals scored and conceded is also equal — 2:2. Ukrainians and Danes first met in a friendly match in 2003, when the Scandinavians were stronger — 1:0. And in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, the "blue and yellows" snatched a draw in Copenhagen (1:1) and secured a victory in Kyiv (1:0).

Where to watch the match

The official broadcaster of the match in Ukraine will be the media service Megogo. Fans will be able to watch the game live in several ways.