Group E
Manager: Morten Olsen
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Best result: Quarter-finals (1986)
All-time record: 13 games played, 7 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses
Goals for: 24, Goals against: 18
Biggest victory: 6-1 vs. Uruguay in 1986
Biggest defeat: 5-1 vs. Spain in 1986
Top scorer: Preben Elkjaer-Larsen and Jon Dahl Tomasson (4 goals)
Most appearances: Michael Laudrup and Thomas Helveg (9 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: Never
LIVE STREAM DENMARK MATCHES :
June 14, 2010 @ 11:30GMT Group Stage Group E
Netherlands vs Denmark
at Soccer City Stadium
June 19, 2010 @ 18:30GMT Group Stage Group E
Cameroon vs Denmark
at Loftus Versfeld Stadium
June 24, 2010 @ 18:30GMT Group Stage Group E
Denmark vs Japan
at Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Short Team History:
FIFA member since: 1904Team nickname: Danish Dynamite, Olsen's Eleven
All-time caps leader: Peter Schmeichel (129)
All-time leading scorer: Poul Nielsen (52 goals)
Notable achievements: European Champions (1992)
Legendary Player: Michael Laudrup had a brilliant career in the 1980s, highlighted by stints with Juventus, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Ajax. He is regarded as one of the most gifted playmakers of his era.
A 30-man squad was announced on May 12 and the final squad of 23 has to be submitted to FIFA by June 1
- Stephan Andersen Goalkeeper 1.91m 76 kg November 26, 1981
- Kim Christensen Goalkeeper 1.85m 82 kg July 16, 1979
- Jesper Christiansen Goalkeeper 1.92m 88 kg April 24, 1978
- Thomas Sorensen Goalkeeper 1.96m 89 kg June 12, 1976
- aniel Agger Defender 1.88m 79 kg December 12, 1984
- Lars Christian Jacobsen Defender 1.81m 74 kg September 20, 1979
- Simon Kjaer Defender 1.90m 82 kg March 26, 1989
- Per Kroldrup Defender 1.94m 91 kg July 31, 1979
- Patrick Mtiliga Defender 1.67m 63 kg January 28, 1981
- Mikkel Beckmann Midfielder 1.83m 76 kg October 24, 1983
- Thomas Enevoldsen Midfielder 1.81m 74 kg July 27, 1987
- Christian Eriksen Midfielder 1.75m 65 kg February 14, 1992
- Jesper Gronkjaer Midfielder 1.81m 70 kg August 12, 1977
- Daniel Jensen Midfielder 1.80m 73 kg June 25, 1979
- Martin Jorgensen Midfielder 1.79m 75 kg October 6, 1975
- Thomas Kahlenberg Midfielder 1.85m 69 kg March 20, 1983
- Michael Krohn-Dehli Midfielder 1.70m 70 kg June 6, 1983
- William Kvist Midfielder 1.84m 80 kg February 24, 1985
- Christian Poulsen Midfielder 1.82m 76 kg February 28, 1980
- Jakob Poulsen Midfielder 1.82m 72 kg July 7, 1983
- Simon Poulsen Midfielder 1.87m 76 kg October 7, 1984
- Dennis Rommedahl Midfielder 1.75m 63 kg July 22, 1978
- Michael Silberbauer Midfielder 1.83m 77 kg July 7, 1981
- Nicklas Bendtner Forward 1.91m 78 kg January 16, 1988
- Søren Larsen Forward 1.93m 86 kg September 6, 1981
- Jon Dahl Tomasson Forward 1.82m 74 kg August 29, 1976
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Appearances at finals:
1986 - Second round
1998 - Quarter-finals
2002 - Second round
Overall record at finals: Played 13, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 4.
Best performance: The quarter-finals in 1998.
Most appearances at finals: Michael Laudrup (1986, 1998) - 8.
Most goals at finals: Preben Elkjaer-Larsen (1986), Jon Dahl Tomasson (2002) - 4.
World Cup high: Beating defending world and European champions France 2-0 in 2002 to complete an inspired run that saw them top their group.
World Cup low: Spain's Emilio Butragueño scoring four goals in their first appearance at the finals in 1986, where they lost in the knockout stages 5-1.
World Cup legend: Michael Laudrup. Named Denmark's best ever player in 2006, the midfielder retired on a high after helping the side to the quarter-finals in 1998.
The story so far: It took a long time for one of FIFA's founding members to make their mark on a World Cup, which they eventually managed in 1986. A 5-1 humiliation by Spain after making it into the knockout stages gave them a platform to win the European Championship in 1992, but a talented squad was not seen again in a World Cup until 1998, where they said goodbye to Peter Schmeichel and the legendary Laudrup brothers - Michael and Brian.
That squad reached the quarter-finals, where they lost 3-2 to Brazil. England then knocked them out in 2002 and, despite having a rich history in the European game, 2010 will mark only their fourth World Cup appearance.
Qualification: Losing only once, in the final game to Hungary - when qualification was already assured - progress was unexpectedly easy in a seemingly tough group. Beating local rivals Sweden 1-0 both home and away made things a lot easier, but the wheels were put into motion with a stunning last-gasp comeback to beat Portugal 3-2 in September.
Given solidity from the fine performances of Christian Poulsen in midfield and the pairing of Simon Kjaer and Daniel Agger in defence also proved invaluable in the latter stages.
Qualifying record: P10, W6, D3, L1, F16, A5, Pts21.
Most appearances: Christian Poulsen, Dennis Rommedahl (10).
Top goalscorer: Soren Larsen (5).
TEAM PROFILE DENMARK:
After a six-year absence, Danish Dynamite is once again set to explode on the elite world footballing scene. The Scandinavians missed out on both the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany and UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, but the FIFA founder members blazed an impressive trail en route to a berth in South Africa next summer.
The Danes will now be looking to extend their creditable record at three previous finals appearances, where they reached the Round of 16 twice and the quarter-finals on the other occasion. Denmark's first tilt at the trophy was in 1986 in Mexico, where they progressed to the last sixteen. The core of that team then went on to register the nation's greatest footballing triumph with the 1992 UEFA European Championship crown in neighbouring Sweden.
The small but totally football-mad nation went on to further success in the period after that. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup France, the Danes were a shade unlucky to lose to eventual finalists Brazil in the quarter-finals, before England proved too strong in the Round of 16 at the 2002 tournament in Korea/Japan. Denmark played some of the most attractive football at UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal, but came up against the in-form Czech Republic in the quarter-finals and lost 3-0.
With their long absence from the major stage now poised to end, captain Jon Dahl Tomasson and his men are keen to cut a dash in South Africa. Should head coach Morten Olsen be spared the injury woe which threatened to derail his side's qualification campaign at one point, the undoubted quality in the squad means the Scandinavians must be a good bet for a shock or two in South Africa.
The road to South Africa
The Danes saw off big-name rivals Portugal and Sweden in European qualifying Group 1 to top the group with just one defeat in their ten matches.
Campaign highlights included a 3-2 win and 1-1 draw with the Portuguese Selecção das Quinas, where convincing team performances saw the Danes take four points off the group favourites and earn themselves the decisive advantage. The crucial win in Lisbon featured an astonishing three goals in the last ten minutes. Denmark also beat neighbours and keen rivals Sweden home and away by the only goal of the game on both occasions.
Hungary ultimately caused Olsen's men more trouble than any other group opponents. After opening with a goalless draw against the Hungarians, the 1992 European champions lost 1-0 in their final group fixture, although it was a dead rubber by this stage.
The star players
Denmark's key players are largely drawn from big-name European clubs including the likes of Juventus, Arsenal, Liverpool and Werder Bremen. National captain Tomasson currently leads the Feyenoord forward line after a career featuring spells with AC Milan and Villarreal.
Olsen's core of players with wide international experience includes defender Daniel Agger (Liverpool), midfield trio Daniel Jensen (Bremen), Christian Poulsen (Juventus) and Dennis Rommedahl (Ajax), and striker Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal).
The coach
Morten Olsen will complete a decade as Denmark head coach at the finals in South Africa. He took the helm in 2000, guiding Danish Dynamite to the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004. He has yet to indicate whether he will extend his current contract, set to expire after the 2010 tournament.
A more than solid performer in the long-lost position of libero, Olsen's clubs included Cologne and Anderlecht, where he recorded his greatest success as a player when the Belgian outfit claimed the UEFA Cup in 1993. Olsen was 40 before he hung up his boots and began a coaching career, including spells with Cologne and Ajax.
Previous FIFA World Cups
- South Africa will be Denmark's fourth appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals
- The Danes made the Round of 16 in 1986 and 2002, and the quarter-finals in 1998
Records
- Denmark triumphed at the 1992 UEFA European Championships, going on to claim the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1995.
- The Scandinavians' Olympic record features three silver medals (1908, 1912, 1960) and a bronze (1948)
What they said
"World Cups are always special. The fact it's the first time in Africa is fantastic because it's bringing it closer to the people there, but every World Cup has its own unique flavour and appeal. I remember seeing how excited Asia was in 2002 to have it and what a fantastic experience that was for everyone. For me and for all the players, competing at the World Cup is the ultimate; it's the biggest honour for any player." Morten Olsen, Denmark coach, interviewed exclusively by FIFA.com
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