Josefine Hasbo joined Brøndby IF, one of Denmark's leading clubs, in the summer of 2018. She quickly broke into the Danish A-Liga (then known as the Gjensidige Women’s League) where she emerged as one of Denmark’s best young players. With Brøndby, she helped the team win the 2019 league championship and reach the Danish Cup final. Hasbo also competed in consecutive UEFA Women's Champions League campaigns, reaching the quarterfinals in both 2019–20 and 2020–21. She was named Woman of the Match against Glasgow City in the 2019–20 quarterfinals, scored in the round of 16 against Vålerenga, and started both matches against Lyon in the 2020–21 quarterfinals. Her domestic performances earned her selection to Gjensidige’s Team of the Year in 2019–20 and a nomination as a finalist for Danish Female Footballer of the Year.[4]
College career at Harvard University
Josefine Hasbo played four seasons (from 2021 to 2024) as a central midfielder for the Harvard Crimson, scoring 25 goals and providing 17 assists in 55 appearances. She ranks ninth all-time in career points, ninth in career goals, and tied for 13th in career assists, despite missing multiple games during her sophomore, junior, and senior years while participating in senior national team call-ups and tournaments for Denmark.
In her junior season in 2023, Hasbo scored a hat-trick in the Ivy League tournament final, leading Harvard to a 3–0 victory over Columbia and securing the conference title. She was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, was a unanimous First-Team All-Ivy League selection, and earned United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-America honors.
Hasbo was also recognized as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in American collegiate soccer, presented annually to the top female and male players in the nation.[5]
During the summers following her sophomore and senior years, Hasbo represented Denmark at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2025 UEFA Women's Euro.[2][3] She was the first student in Harvard University history to represent her home country in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
In her senior year, Hasbo was one of three finalists for the Harvard 2025 Mary G. Paget Prize, an annual honor awarded to student-athletes who make the most outstanding contributions to women’s athletics.[6]
In interviews, Hasbo has described the challenge of balancing her responsibilities as a student-athlete at Harvard University with frequent travel to Europe every two to three months for training camps and matches with the Denmark women's national football team.[7] While completing a double degree under the same academic requirements as other Harvard students, she completed much of her coursework while traveling, often studying on buses and flights. During national team camps, Hasbo has said that while teammates spent their downtime socializing, she frequently remained in the hotel to work on academic assignments. She also recalled taking a Harvard econometrics midterm examination remotely while with the Denmark national team in Iceland during UEFA Nations League matches, sitting the exam simultaneously with other students on campus, with a member of the Danish national team staff serving as the exam proctor.[8][9]
Club career
After completing her studies at Harvard University in the summer of 2025, Hasbo joined Gotham FC on Jun 10, 2025, signing a multi-year contract through 2027.[10] She made her immediate Gotham debut on 21 June 2025, coming on at the start of the second half and playing 45 minutes in a 2–1 victory over Bay FC. Hasbo recorded her first professional assist on 12 August 2025, contributing to Gotham’s 2–0 win over Monterrey in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.[11] She scored her first Gotham goal on 17 September 2025, heading in a cross from Kayla Duran in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup match against the Vancouver Rise Academy.[12]
Since joining Gotham FC midway through the 2025 season, Hasbo established herself as a key contributor in the club’s midfield, playing an important role during the team’s 11-match unbeaten run in the second half of the 2025 NWSL regular season. In her NWSL rookie season, despite joining the club midseason and missing much of Gotham’s summer activities while representing Denmark at the 2025 UEFA Women's Euro, Hasbo appeared in 15 of Gotham’s 21 matches played after her arrival, including two NWSL playoff appearances, logging a total of 935 minutes.[13] As a regular starter in the team’s midfield, Hasbo helped carry Gotham FC, the eighth-seeded playoff qualifier, to win the 2025 NWSL Championship.[14]
In January 2026, Hasbo was named to Gotham FC’s squad for the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in London.
International career
At age 18, Hasbo made her senior international debut on 7 March 2020 against Sweden at the 2020 Algarve Cup.[15] It made her one of the youngest players ever to be selected for the full Danish national team.[16]
Hasbo was called up to represent Denmark at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in the summer following her sophomore year, becoming the only non-professional player on Denmark’s roster while completing her studies at Harvard.[17] She played in all four matches of the tournament, starting in two — against China and England — as Denmark advanced from the group stage before being eliminated by Australia in the round of 16.[18]
In a 2025 DR1 and DRTV documentary series, The Danish National Team – The Dream of the Euros, it was revealed that during a Euro 2025 qualifier against the Czech Republic in April 2024, Hasbo suffered multiple broken ribs after a tackle. Despite the injury, she continued playing and later scored the final goal that secured Denmark’s victory.[19]
Right after her Harvard graduation ceremony, Hasbo was named to Denmark’s squad for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland.[20] She played in all three of Denmark’s group-stage matches before the team was eliminated from the tournament.[21]
Harvard head coach Chris Hamblin described Hasbo as “her ability to cover ground and go box-to-box are second to none. She also has a really unique ability to understand time and space, to be able to get out of very tight situations, and almost think two plays ahead.”[22]
At the professional level, reports have highlighted her work rate, positional intelligence, and ability to link defense and attack through efficient passing. Her coaches and media coverage have described her as a technically composed and tactically disciplined player who contributes to both pressing and possession phases.[23]
Supporters have described her as “the unsung hero” of Gotham’s midfield during the team’s long unbeaten run, and she has quickly won the affection of fans, some of whom humorously refer to themselves as “Hasbo-lievers.”[24][25]
Personal life
Hasbo is active as a social entrepreneur and advocate for sports inclusion.
Off the field, Hasbo served as president of Harvard's Women in Entrepreneurship Club.[26]
She serves on the board of Spillerforeningen, the representative body for professional footballers in Denmark.[27]
In November 2025, Hasbo was selected as the 2025 recipient of the Skau Reipurth Next Generation Scholarship, an annual award granted to a single individual in recognition of exceptional promise and societal impact in their field.[28]
Football and social impact
Hasbo volunteered to work for kids in Ghana in 2025
Hasbo serves on the board of directors at Sport Creates Memories, a Denmark-based nonprofit that uses grassroots football development to support underserved children and communities across Africa. She is also a co-founder of a football academy in Ghana aimed at expanding access to sport and education for children from low-income backgrounds.[29][30]
In interviews, Hasbo has described dedicating much of her time away from training to volunteer work with Sport Creates Memories, usually spending several hours per day during the season on organizational and program-related efforts. During winter breaks in college and the off-season as a professional, she has traveled to Ghana to support local initiatives, typically volunteering for multiple weeks at a time and working 12 to 15 hours per day to help develop grassroots football programs and promote social inclusion among local youth.[31]
Reflecting on her involvement, Hasbo has said that football should serve “as a doorway to dreams, confidence, and opportunity,” rather than a privilege, and that her work with Sport Creates Memories reflects her belief in sport as a tool for both personal and community development.[32]
Partnerships and endorsements
Josefine Hasbo and David Beckham featured together in a poster in Copenhagen in 2025
Ahead of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, Pepsi released a special-edition can in Denmark featuring Hasbo’s image, as part of its European women’s football campaign. She was also featured alongside David Beckham in a Pepsi advertisement in Denmark in 2025.[34]
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