The Danish-Swedish bid to host the 2029 Women’s European Championship faces a significant hurdle due to a lack of a stadium in Denmark that meets UEFA’s minimum capacity requirement of 20,000 spectators. Despite this shortfall, the Danish Football Association (DBU) remains optimistic about the bid’s overall strength.

Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, DBU director, acknowledged the stadium issue, stating that ongoing upgrade plans in Odense will not resolve the problem, as the stadium will still fall short of the required capacity. While UEFA requires host countries to have one stadium with a 50,000 capacity, three with 30,000, and four with 20,000, Denmark currently lacks a fourth stadium meeting the 20,000 requirement.

The MCH Arena in Herning is also being considered, but it does not currently meet the necessary standards. However, Rasmussen emphasized that this stadium capacity issue is not a dealbreaker for the bid.

Rasmussen highlighted that the joint bid has several other strengths, including the strong tradition of women’s football in both Denmark and Sweden. The DBU believes the bid has a good chance of success, and the final decision is expected in December. The final bid submission deadline is in August.