DOHA: Christian Eriksen’s Denmark came to the World Cup tipped as dark horses after reaching the semifinals of last year’s European Championship but have exited with barely a whimper after a 1-0 defeat to Australia.
Eriksen’s return to the World Cup had been highly anticipated after a good spell for both club and country following a dramatic comeback from a cardiac arrest.
The playmaker collapsed on the pitch against Finland in June 2021 during the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and had to be resuscitated in front of a stunned Copenhagen crowd and a television audience of millions.
On the way to hospital he told his wife Sabrina that he would probably never play football again but he fought his way back to fitness.
The 30-year-old had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted, which meant he had to quit Inter Milan due to rules in Italy.
But he signed for Brentford in the Premier League and also resumed his international career, subsequently joining Manchester United.
Denmark were favorites to qualify from Group D alongside world champions France, whom they beat home and away in the Nations League.
Before their opening goalless draw with Tunisia, assistant coach Morten Wieghorst said Eriksen was “even better than he was before the accident.”
But he was underwhelming in a team that lacked the spark that carried them to the semifinals at last year’s Euros.
“Christian is a superhero but he performs with the team,” said Denmark captain Simon Kjaer.
“He is an amazing footballer but we have to look to each other and see that as a team we didn’t perform.
“We made one goal, got one point, couldn’t beat Australia at the end of the group and OK we go home.”
Eriksen was wearing the captain’s armband on Wednesday in place of the injured Kjaer but he failed to sparkle at Al Janoub Stadium, unable to inspire his strangely lacklustre teammates.
Demark were toothless after Mathew Leckie’s twisting run and low finish gave Australia a 60th-minute lead, which ultimately gave them the win they needed to qualify from the group, second behind France.
A strangely subdued display from Eriksen was summed up in stoppage time when he miscontrolled a pass even though he had a chance to shoot in the penalty area and then bounced off Australia defender Harry Souttar onto the grass.
Coach Kasper Hjulmand wondered aloud why his team had played with such a “lack of enthusiasm and coherence” in a match they had to win.
Kjaer pinned the blame on the squad as a whole rather than the man who was supposed to show why he is rated as one of Europe’s best playmakers.
“Every team has a player that they count on, and we count on Christian,” said Kjaer.
“This is not on Christian, this is on the team, because if we managed to put him in the right situations, Christian will make the difference. We win and lose as a team.”
Eriksen flops for dismal Denmark on major tournament return
https://arab.news/p7pm3
Eriksen flops for dismal Denmark on major tournament return
- Eriksen's return to the World Cup had been highly anticipated after a good spell for both club and country following a dramatic comeback from a cardiac arrest
- Demark were toothless after Mathew Leckie's twisting run and low finish gave Australia a 60th-minute lead
$75m prize pool, full game lineup and schedule announced for Esports World Cup 2026
- The life-changing prize pool reinforces EWC as the defining event on the global esports calendar built to reward players and clubs at the highest level
- EWC Returns to Riyadh July 6 — August 23, 2026; Tickets on Sale January 22
RIYADH: The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced a total prize pool of $75 million alongside the full game lineup and schedule for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), the world’s largest esports event, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 through August 23.
More than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries will compete in 25 tournaments across 24 games over seven weeks to crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion.
The record-breaking prize pool reflects the evolution of the EWC as a premier sporting event and the anchor multi-title competition within the global esports ecosystem. Delivered at scale for a third year through an established, cross-game format, the EWC brings together the world’s best players, clubs, games and a global community of fans through a shared calendar that sets the rhythm of the global esports season.
“The life-changing prize pool exists to support the people at the heart of esports: the players and the clubs that invest in them year after year,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “EWC is different because of the Club Championship. One title crowns a champion. EWC crowns the ultimate cross-game Club Champion.”
In 2026, the EWC Club Championship, the EWC’s flagship cross-game competition, will award $30 million to the top 24 Clubs, an increase of $3 million year-on-year. The winning Club will receive $7 million, with increased prize allocations distributed across the remaining top finishing positions. Last year’s Club Championship title was decided in the final week of competition, with seven Clubs remaining in contention entering the closing stages.
Individual Game Championships will each carry their own prize pools, with combined allocations exceeding $39 million. The remainder of the prize pool will be distributed through a combination of Club and Player Awards, including MVP awards for each tournament and the Jafonso Award for players or Clubs that win a Game Championship after advancing from a Last Chance Qualifier, as well as through qualifying events hosted by partnered publishers and organizers ahead of the EWC 2026 main event in Riyadh.
Alongside the prize pool, EWCF will continue to operate ecosystem support programs, including the EWCF Club Partner Program and the Road to EWC qualification system. The 2026 Club Partner Program will again support a lineup of 40 top global esports organizations, while publisher-led circuits, tournaments, and grassroots events provide the foundation for the Road to EWC, giving more players and Clubs defined qualification pathways to compete in Riyadh.
Twenty-four competitive titles, including new additions Fortnite and Trackmania, will showcase the best Clubs, players and talent the esports world has to offer on stage at EWC 2026 in Riyadh this summer. The EWC 2026 lineup of games features: Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, Counter-Strike 2, Crossfire, Dota 2, EA Sports FC 26, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Fortnite, Free Fire, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Overwatch 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, PUBG Mobile, Rocket League, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, TEKKEN 8, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X, Trackmania, and VALORANT.
EWC 2026 competitions will be staged across seven weeks and multiple arenas, allowing several game championships to take place in parallel with a coordinated, multi-venue schedule designed to enhance fan experience and viewership across the lineup.
Tickets for EWC 2026 will be available starting January 22, 2026 at esportsworldcup.com, and through EWC 2026 international ticketing partners: Webook, Platinumlist, Damai, Maiseat, and Tixr. Early Bird tickets include Weekly Access Passes, Premium Tournament Passes, and Hospitality Packages for the Esports Embassy, the EWC’s premium on-site hospitality destination.
The announcement builds on the landmark success of the Esports World Cup 2025. In its second year, EWC reached 750 million viewers worldwide and generated 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership of 7.98 million during the League of Legends at EWC ‘25 tournament. Coverage was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages. Twenty-five tournaments spanning 24 games featured more than 2,000 players representing approximately 200 Clubs from over 100 countries. In Riyadh, the EWC and its Festival welcomed more than 3 million visitors over the seven-week event.
