World Cup 2026 live updates: The latest news and analysis ahead of this week’s opening game
Christian Eriksen is conscious and “doing well under the circumstances” after collapsing on the pitch during Denmark’s friendly match against Ukraine on Sunday, the Danish Football Association (DBU) has said.
The fixture was abandoned after the 34-year-old midfielder, who plays for German side Wolfsburg, collapsed to the ground in the 65th minute of the match at the Odense Isstadion after appearing to hold his chest.
Medical staff from both teams attended to him within seconds and he was given treatment on the pitch. He then walked to a waiting ambulance which took him to hospital for tests.
Players from both teams formed a privacy corden as he did so.
Eriksen was fitted with a heart starter — also known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a small device that regulates abnormal heart rhythms — after suffering a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match for Denmark against Finland in 2021.
In this latest incident, Denmark were leading 2-1 when Eriksen — who had started the game — collapsed.
A statement from the DBU said that Eriksen was “conscious and doing well under the circumstances” while the national team doctor expects him to be discharged from hospital soon.