It has been a whirlwind few years for the Denmark national team. In 2021, the Danes emerged as the breakout side of the UEFA European Championship, delivering an emotionally charged campaign following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest and narrowly losing to England in the semifinals.
The following year, Denmark would fall well below expectations in the FIFA World Cup, losing to Australia and France and drawing to Tunisia en route to a last-placed finish. They would revert to the mean in the 2024 UEFA European Championships, drawing to Serbia, England and Slovenia in the group before losing 2-0 to Germany in the Round of 16. Kasper Hjulmand was given his marching orders, with Lars Knudsen briefly taking charge before making way for Brian Riemer.
Riemer’s first two matches in charge of Denmark would see them lose 2-1 to Euro champions Spain and draw 0-0 to Serbia, but his biggest test yet will come in March as they face off against Portugal home and away. If they can beat Portugal, they will not only book their spot in the UEFA Nations League semifinals, but they’ll also confirm their spot in a World Cup qualifying group alongside Hungary, Armenia and the Republic of Ireland.
Even if they can’t make it past the Seleção, all signs point to Danish Dynamite qualifying for a fifth straight major tournament, and we’re expecting them to bounce back from their pathetic display in Qatar.
Denmark has a solid, experienced core that is capable of leading the ranks and steering them to success. There’s Kasper Schmeichel, who achieved one of the greatest miracles in footballing history by winning the 2015/16 Premier League title with Leicester City, and who, at 38, is still going strong between the sticks for Celtic. There’s also Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (29), who has found a new lease on life since departing Tottenham Hotspur and has provided three assists in his last three matches for Marseille, and Christian Eriksen (33), who, despite struggling for minutes at Manchester United, remains as essential as ever to the national team.
Ahead of Schmeichel, Denmark has their fair share of physically imposing defenders who are comfortable at driving out of pressure and spreading the ball to advanced areas. Jannik Vestergaard, Victor Nelsson, Joachim Andersen and Rasmus Kristensen have all slotted into the defence, whilst the 6’6” centre back Thomas Kristensen could be in line for a maiden call-up after impressing for Udinese. Such is the depth in quality that Riemer could easily go with a back four with traditional fullbacks like Mads Roerslev and Victor Kristiansen or attack-minded wingbacks like Patrick Dorgu and Alexander Bah, who have a proclivity to bomb forward and chip in crosses.
In terms of attack, Denmark is not short of options either. Gustav Isaksen has unleashed his full potential with a stellar campaign at Lazio, whilst Mikkel Damsgaard has awakened at Brentford and showcased the same quality that saw him emerge as a revelation in the 2021 Euros. There are also quite a few forwards like Conrad Harder and Mika Biereth, who, despite not being capped yet, are certainly chomping at the bit and pushing for a maiden call-up.
Denmark’s population may only boast 6 million people, but they’re nevertheless becoming a major player on the international stage, and there’s every reason to believe that – should they qualify for the 2026 World Cup – they will end up being a force to be reckoned with in North America.
