Portugal and Denmark national football teams have met through many years and many of them are memorable. The World Cup qualifiers, European Championships, Nations League knockout rounds are some.
The timeline of Portugal and Denmark favours Portugal, but by a decent margin. As of 2025 late, Portugal has 11 won matches and Denmark has 4. 2 draws are there between the two.
The history of Denmark vs Portugal football teams is a whole different and unique history when we look at the timeline a little more deeply.
Table of Contents
Head-to-Head Portugal vs Denmark
Have a view of the main stats while we cover more below.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For (GF) | Goals Against (GA) | Goal Difference (GD) |
| Portugal | 17 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 36 | 21 | +15 |
| Denmark | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 36 | -15 |
The 2006-2009 Period: Denmark’s Moment
In 2006, the two had a friendly match. Denmark won against Portugal at 4 – 2. That was a warmup of what was to come.
In 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Denmark had one of the best ever football performances against Portugal football team. First in those, was the Lisbon match where Portugal got beaten by 3 – 2. That wasn’t easy. There was a draw then, at 1 – 1 in Copenhagen. Denmark directly qualified for the World Cup.
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A major Denmark player in this era was Jon Dahl Tomasson.
In Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo just started to become the focal point.
Euro 2012: The Group of Death, Portugal Wins
The Euro 2012 introduced another chapter in the Portugal and Denmark rivalry where the qualification rounds brought these two national football teams together again.
Denmark automatically qualified, while Portugal came second.
The tournament, however, was where the real drama happened. Both teams made it to the finals in Poland and Ukraine. These two teams were drawn into the ‘Group of Death’ and Germany and the Netherlands were alongside them.
The Lviv match was an important juncture. Portugal got up in rank with a 3 – 2 win against Denmark. Portugal got so much better, Denmark got kicked out of the tournament. Though Morten Olsen’s attack was tactical against Paulo Bento’s strides for Portugal, the result was disappointing for the Danish home crew and fans.
Portugal Takes Control: Euro 2016 Qualifying
The Euro 2016 qualification was the time when Portugal was seen as one who had already figured Denmark. Two matches, Portugal won 1 – 0. One in 2014 October and other in 2015, exactly one year later.
It was clear, Portugal didn’t need big wins. The job was simple, efficient.
Fernando Santos, at this time, was the manager of Portugal. His approach was more pragmatic. That was something that led Portugal to win in Euro 2016
In this one, Denmark finished third but missed out on automatic qualification. They were forced to go through the playoffs and Sweden won.
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Portugal’s football team dominated in these qualifiers. That showed a shift in the balance of the yesteryears. This is the era of Ronaldo’s peak career too and Denmark getting to win against Portugal national football team was getting even harder.
March 2025: Nations League Quarter-Finals
March 2025 was the time when the two teams met again in the very epochial timeline. This was one of the most recent and most exciting encounters between the two.
The UEFA Nations League quarter finals brought them together over two legs. It delivered everything fans could ask from a knockout tie.
The first leg between the two happened in Copenhagen at Parken Stadium. This time Denmark was managed by Brian Riemer, whose approach let the team get a 1 – 0 victory against Portugal. Rasmus Højlund scored one goal and it was the only one. Denmark took this slim advantage to Lisbon for the second leg.
At Estádio José Alvalade, the intensity between the two was wild. Portugal knew they needed to win. They were pretty aggressive. The match was even went to extra time and Portugal eventually won as 5 – 2. Their total was 5 – 3 total but this entire win was hard won against Denmark.
Francisco Trincão score twice coming twice off the bench. This is also important because, at 40 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo got on the scoresheet.
For Denmark, Christian Eriksen scored and pulled some strings and tightened it against Denmark.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The biggest wins in the Portugal vs Denmark timeline would be the few matches that actually stand out.
The recent 5 – 2 victory of Portugal over Denmark in the 2025 Nations League second leg is the most lopsided scorelines in the timeline. Others have been too close as wins.
The friendly victory of Denmark of 4 – 2 in 2006 was this year’s equivalent and the 3 – 2 Lisbon World Cup qualifying one for Denmark was most defining.
Venue-wise, the Portuguese venues, especially the Estádio José Alvalade has seen most intense battles. Portugal wins more at home. In Copenhagen, matches at Parken Stadium have been a little tight. The scores for both teams have been low.
The Unique Rivalry of Denmark and Portugal Football Teams
Portugal versus Denmark timeline has seen both working hard to win against each other.
Portugal has individual star power. Ronaldo is the main obvious example. They have talented players other than him though.
Denmark is moore about collective strength. The tactics and the discipline is what this football team is more known for.
Portugal has weapons to see a mile away. Denmark sets traps that aren’t too obvious.
The recent history favours Portugal more, but Denmark makes it more competitive, often making their rivals frustrated.
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The Road Ahead with Portugal and Denmark
Ronaldo’s eventual replacement is yet to come. And Portugal will produce more talented players with equal or more grit. Denmark is more concentrated on being organised. It’s not the fixture too look ahead where high-stakes exist.
FAQs for Portugal and Denmark Timeline
Who has the better record between Portugal and Denmark?
Portugal leads the all-time record pretty clearly. As of late 2025, they’ve won 11 matches compared to Denmark’s 4 wins, with 2 draws. But the head-to-head numbers don’t show how competitive many of these matches have been. Several games came down to late goals or went to extra time.
When did Denmark last beat Portugal?
Denmark’s most recent victory came in March 2025 during the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals. They won 1-0 at home in Copenhagen, with Rasmus Højlund scoring the only goal. However, Portugal turned things around in the second leg, winning 5-2 to advance on aggregate.
What was the highest-scoring match between these teams?
The 2006 friendly where Denmark won 4-2 was one of the highest-scoring matches, with six total goals. More recently, Portugal’s 5-2 victory in the March 2025 Nations League second leg produced seven goals and went to extra time. When these teams meet, goals tend to happen.
Did Denmark ever knock Portugal out of a major tournament?
Not directly. Denmark beat Portugal during World Cup qualifying in 2010 and topped their group, which sent Portugal to second place. But Portugal still qualified through their position. In tournament knockouts, Portugal has had the upper hand, most notably advancing past Denmark in the 2025 Nations League quarter-finals.