Nottingham Forest took a decisive step toward the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday, 19 March 2026, by defeating FC Midtjylland 2–1 at the MCH Arena in the Round of 16 first leg. The match kicked off at 17:45 UTC under German referee Felix Zwayer, with Forest carrying a 1–0 lead into half-time. The result gave the Premier League side a vital away victory to defend in the return fixture at the City Ground.

At the time of this first leg, Nottingham Forest sat 13th in the Europa League...