Several people view Denmark as an outsider to win the 2022 World Cup, but the Red and White are even more than that – they’re a genuine title contender.
Før kampstart hyldede vi Lars Høgh sammen med de danske fans 👏
Denne samling har været den første uden ham i mange år. Vi savner hans positive væsen og udstråling, men han vil altid være med os ❤️🤍
Æret være hans minde.
God kamp!#ForDanmark #EnDelafNogetStørre pic.twitter.com/DMIw3EtI5a
— Fodboldlandsholdene 🇩🇰 (@dbulandshold) March 29, 2022
Denmark Can Win the 2022 World Cup
Late Bloomers
Denmark made their World Cup debut as late as 1986 where they enjoyed a splendid group stage. First, they beat Scotland 1-0 with Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm. This was followed by a sensational 6-1 hammering of reigning Copa America champions Uruguay. In the final group match, West Germany fell by two goals. Denmark were widely regarded as favourites heading into their last 16 tie against Spain. Unfortunately, La Roja ended Denmark’s dream with a 5-1 demolition.
Since then, along with winning a Euro title, Denmark have established themselves as somewhat of a staple at the World Cup, reaching six out of ten possible tournaments since making their debut. This includes the one that will be played in Qatar later this year.
While Denmark’s 1986 team is broadly considered better, the Red and White experienced their greatest World Cup success in 1998. After hammering a strong Nigerian side 4-1 in the last 16, Brazil ended Denmark’s run with a close 3-2 win. There’s reason to believe Denmark will surpass that success in 2022, and possibly even offer glimpses of what was shown in the 1986 group stage.
Higher Standards
Legendary former Danish player Morten Olsen had been at the helm for a staggering 15 years when his tenure as Denmark’s manager ended in 2015, after their failure to reach UEFA Euro 2016, marking the end of a respectable era. However, the new era appears to be even better, despite still being ongoing and relatively young.
Denmark’s rise in the two years that followed was solid. From failing to beat Albania, Armenia, and a bleak Swedish side in Euro 2016 qualifying to reaching the last 16 at the 2018 World Cup and only narrowly succumbing to the eventual finalists Croatia on penalties.
Olsen’s successor, Åge Hareide, appeared to have done a good job, making it seem strange that he would be replaced. Perhaps it indicated that Denmark wanted to raise their standards; merely getting out of the group stage wasn’t enough anymore.
The new manager, Kasper Hjulmand, would have to adhere to these standards at the Euros of 2021. Originally, Hareide wasn’t to be replaced by Hjulmand until after Euro 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic complicated things.
Leading up to the competition, Hjulmand gave Denmark reasons to be optimistic, finishing second in their Nations League A group ahead of England, and winning three out of three World Cup qualifying matches, scoring 14 goals without conceding any. Against quite easy opposition, but the emphatic manner in which Denmark did it still indicates how good they are.
Read More: 26-Player Match Day Squad Approved by FIFA for Qatar World Cup
Inspiring Semi-Final Run at UEFA Euro 2020
Denmark did lose against Finland in the opening game at the Euros. However, to say the least, it was under extreme circumstances so it would be unfair to hold it against the Danes. The next match saw Denmark put on a great display against Belgium, only being outdone by the brilliance of Thorgan Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.
It was ‘do or die’ for Denmark in their final group match versus Russia, and do they did, convincingly winning 4-1. The Danes kept on convincing in the last 16 by decimating a solid Welsh team by four goals. In the quarter-finals, Denmark beat a Czech side that had triumphed over the Netherlands, setting up a semi-final tie with England at Wembley.
The young Mikkel Damsgaard gave Denmark the lead with a stunning free-kick but England equalised shortly afterwards. The match eventually went to extra time, where the Three Lions found the winning goal through a controversial penalty decision. A devastating exit for Denmark, who could still be proud of their performance.
Read More: World Cup 2022: Teams That Could Cause An Upset
⏩ Make that 20 goals scored and 0 conceded 🤯
🇩🇰 Denmark are 3-0 up on second-placed Israel and looking unstoppable in Group F 💪#WCQ | #WorldCup | @dbulandshold https://t.co/vnLNQPIKie pic.twitter.com/JSh3dHsCkP
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 7, 2021
Denmark Only Matched By Germany
After the Euros, World Cup qualifying resumed and Denmark kept on impressing, the only blemish being their 2-0 away loss to Scotland. Still, along with Germany, Denmark had the best qualification campaign of any European team.
The last prelude before the World Cup was the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. Denmark started it off with a sensational away win against reigning world champions France, coming back from a deficit, courtesy of two Andreas Cornelius goals.
Their triumph over France was followed by another away win against an Austrian team that recently reigned supreme over Croatia in Osijek. The Croats in turn defeated Denmark in Copenhagen, where the Danes had two goals disallowed. However, Denmark pulled themselves together and won 2-0 against Austria in the final game of the June matchdays.
The two remaining matchdays will be played in September. However things turn out for Denmark then, they should still be regarded as a World Cup contender. They have proven that much in recent years and especially months. Although, given how good they’ve been, it’s unlikely they’ll flop in September.
Read more: Danish Dynamite: The Rise of the Denmark National Team
The Experience, Management, Skill and Spirit
The FIFA World Rankings are infamously inaccurate, but they’ve got one thing right: Denmark are one of the ten best teams national teams on the planet. One could even make a case that these rankings underestimate them. Some higher-ranked teams, such as England, France and Italy, are in pretty poor form at the moment.
Denmark have players representing the likes of Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Barcelona, Chelsea, Milan, Sevilla, and Tottenham Hotspur. Even the clubs that are smaller (relatively speaking) are still good, and the Danes playing there often have important roles. At clubs like Atalanta, Brentford, Club Brugge, Crystal Palace, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, Leicester City, RB Leipzig, Nice, Sampdoria, and so on.
Denmark have experience, having performed well at the two most recent major tournament and the Nations League. Kasper Hjulmand is undoubtedly a superb manager, given what this Danish side have proven since his tenure began. The Danish players are certainly skilled. This is highlighted by the clubs they play for and how they convincingly unite for the national team. ‘Spirit’ is a superstitious and subjective term, but it’s still fair to say Denmark have it. How many teams would be able to perform so well mere days before fearing they’d lost a close friend?
It feels odd to view Denmark as a real World Cup contender. They’re not a major traditional football power, but it’s true. While Denmark might not go all the way, they definitely can.
