Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand steps down ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand decided to leave the job Friday and not take the team into qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Hjulmand said in a statement that the team needed new energy after the European Championship, where Denmark was eliminated in the round of 16 by Germany after a game that featured one of the tournament’s most controversial refereeing decisions.

The 52-year-old coach took Denmark to the semifinals of the previous Euros played in 2021 — when he was widely lauded at home for the way he dealt with the emotional aftermath of midfielder Christian Eriksen suffering cardiac arrest during the team’s opening game. He also led the team to the 2022 World Cup where the Danes were eliminated in the group stage.

The Danish soccer federation said it promoted Hjulmand’s assistant coach Morten Wieghorst to take charge for the Nations League program through November. Denmark is in a top-tier group with European champion Spain, Switzerland and Serbia.

At Euro 2024, Denmark drew all three group games against England, Slovenia and Serbia.

Against host Germany the game was stopped for 25 minutes during a severe lightning storm, then swung on back-to-back video decisions early in the second half of a 2-0 loss. A goal by Joachim Andersen was disallowed for a marginal offside call before a penalty was awarded against the defender for a handball when a cross struck his arm.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer