JAKARTA - Denmark will participate in their sixth FIFA World Cup in Qatar. We highlight five reasons Team Dynamite could win their second major trophy.
Back in November, when Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand was asked by FIFA.com if he was happy with Denmark's status as a dark horse for the 2022 World Cup, he replied: “I think that's great because it means we're clearly doing something right. For me, the only thing better is if they say we are one of the favourites!
"We don't think we are better than the others, but we know that we are a good team and we can compete with anyone. And if there is pressure to be perceived as a competitor, we agree with that.”
Here are five reasons why Denmark can go so far at this year's World Cup.
6 The defending champions have been eliminated in the group stage on six occasions: in 1950 (Italy), 1966 (Brazil), 2002 (France), 2010 (Italy), 2014 (Spain) and 2018 (Germany). Can Denmark help this happen for the seventh time? Paired with defending champions France in Group D, they have a good chance of winning this group and potentially setting up an easier route to the final.
...Will the champions break the curse?#FinalDraw | #FIFAWorldCup @equipedefrance | /🇦🇺/🇦🇪@SeleccionPeru or @Socceroos or @uaefa_ae @dbulandshold | @FTF_OFFICIELLE pic.twitter.com/OocVU7OGy5
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 2, 2022
10After the dramatic events of EURO 2020 surrounding the collapse of Christian Eriksen, Denmark has perfected something no other country has: cohesion and team spirit. As the 30-year-old midfielder struggles to return to the national team, he has become a very special symbol of hope for the Danish team – not only for the country's fans, but also for people around the world far beyond the football field. However, having a talisman player alone is not enough to win a title – the player must also put in a strong performance. Eriksen did just that on his return to the national team in two friendlies against Serbia and the Netherlands at the end of March, scoring two of Denmark's five goals with one in each game.
11During the draw for the World Cup group stage, Denmark was in 11th place in the FIFA World Rankings, making them the best-placed team in Pot 2 after Mexico (9th) and the Netherlands (10th). Going back to 1986, Argentina proved that it is possible to become world champions even if you are not the top seed in a tournament.
27Denmark scored 27 points in European qualifiers for Qatar 2022, they finished the campaign in near-perfect fashion. Only Germany has collected as many points as Denmark. Their hopes of becoming the strongest European team in qualifying were intact until the final match day although Scotland added a blemish to their perfect record by beating Team Dynamite 2-0. However, this brings us to the next measure of Denmark's encouraging prospects for the World Cup. With only three goals conceded in all of their European qualifiers, their defense is among the best. Only Switzerland have beaten them by conceding two goals, while France and England have the same number, three.
1992This year marks the 30th anniversary of Denmark's only major title: EURO 1992. Can Kasper Schmeichel and his team-mates emulate their father Peter et al and claim the trophy?
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