Denmark
Manager: Lars Søndergaard: Søndergaard took over as Danish manager after the team's impressive Euro 2017 performance. He initially signed a contract until after Euro 2022. However after successful qualifying campaigns for Euro 2022 and World Cup 2023, he was rewarded with a contract that will last until after the 2023 showpiece. He has had an extensive career in football management in Denmark and Austria, but his spell as Denmark women's manager is now his longest in any coaching position. He has managed some huge names in that region, including Austria Wien, Austria Salzberg (now Red Bull Salzberg) and Aaborg BK. In taking this role Søndergaard took his first role in women’s football management, having had a long career in the men’s game. He advised that the only difference he saw between the two was that the women’s team ask more questions because they want to understand more, which he remarked "is very positive”. Søndergaard has embraced a more modern approach to setting up his team, deploying a 3-4-3 formation, allowing the full backs to get forward and look to find a centring target or even a target coming in from the opposite flank.
Captain & Key Player: Pernille Harder: Harder is one of the world's best, and will give Denmark a real chance of winning Euro 2022 this summer. Twice the Uefa European player of the year, Harder excelled at VFL Wolfsburg, pushing the team to four league titles in a row in her time there, with 68 goals in 75 games. She will be up against familiar foes in Germany, when they meet in Denmark's opening game. A number of Denmark's squad have featured for clubs in Germany, but none had the success Harder did. In the lead up to that game Harder said - "Our mindset has to be to release the brakes". She aims to play with a strong team bond and tactical knowledge. This will be important in getting a result against two of Europe's very best. Denmark will need a positive result in at least one of these games to stand any chance.
When Harder signed for Chelsea in 2020, she became the most expensive female football signing in the world. She has helped them to consecutive league and cup doubles winning their player of the year in 2020. She developed a particularly potent partnership with star Australian striker Sam Kerr. For Denmark it's been a similar story of success. Harder is the country's top goalscorer with 68 goals from attacking midfield prior to this summer - but a major trophy for her country currently eludes her. Despite being the most expensive player in the world Harder is extremely modest and sees it as vital to the team's success that despite all her accolades she does not view herself as better than any other player in the squad. She prioritises caring for her team mates to make sure they are in the right mindset on and off the pitch. Harder's fitness has been an issue, however, and she has not always been able to feature for Denmark this year.
In one of the good news stories of the tournament, Harder's partner Magdelena Erikkson will play for rival Scandinavian country Sweden. Expect either to show up in their rivals colours to cheer the other on should one progress further than the other. They were famously pictured kissing following Erikkson's Sweden progressing to the Quarter final of the World Cup in 2019, with Harder donning a Sweden shirt - a run of the mill, daily occurrence for them, but with huge positive waves emanating from their actions across the world, providing vital visibility and the type of acceptance currently only the women's game can provide. They are the 'power couple' of this Summer's Euros and the pair are keen and vocal advocates of LGBTQ+ rights. Harder and Erikkson released a short film called 'Love Always Wins'. It brings a seminal message, that 'everyone should be able to love who they want and not be judged for it'. The couple also work with Juan Mata's Common Goal charity, which sees 1% of footballers' salaries donated to charity.
Pre tournament fixtures: June 12th, Austria 1-2 Denmark; June 24th, Denmark 2-1 Brazil; June 29th, Denmark 1-2 Norway.
World Ranking: 15th
Goal for the tournament: Denmark were not many people’s pick to make the final of Euro 2017 but they made it all the same. Despite losing the final to an electric Netherlands side, they put up a great fight and made it a mightily entertaining match for the neutrals. Since then, the team forfeited a World Cup qualifier against rivals Sweden. This was due to a pay dispute with the Danish FA, a brave and warranted move which resulted in equal pay with the men’s team. But its consequences for their World Cup qualifying hopes were dire. It meant they finished 2nd behind Sweden and ended up in the play offs. In a disastrous slice of luck Denmark drew Netherlands in the play offs and were beaten once again. But they return to the Euros with good reason for optimism. They were one of the first European teams to qualify for the World Cup this time out, and their qualification for Euro 2022 was near on immaculate - conceding just one goal while scoring 48. Despite this they will feel like dark horses, with all of the pressure in an extremely tough group on Germany and Spain. Denmark have history for capitalising on a Germany under pressure and their sensational victory over Die Nationalelf will live long in the memory. Denmark are no strangers to going far in the competition and have been to the semi finals twice and the final once.
Since World Rankings began the Danish have been consistently near the top. They were 6th in 2007, representing their highest ever placing, with 16th being their lowest. They currently sit 16th in the world and 9th in Europe. Their current squad have legendary players to look up to, none more so than their record caps holder Katrine Pedersen, who retired only four caps short of the European record. They have an extremely strong core of players playing in the top teams in the world with Signe Bruun of Lyon up front, Pernille Harder of Chelsea, Sofie Jung of Juventus, Sara Thringe of AC Milan and Nadia Nadim of Racing Louisville - to name just a few. Bruun helped PSG end Lyon's 14 year streak of Division 1 Féminine titles before signing for Lyon the following season. Despite a good return of 6 goals in 11 matches, she ended the season on loan at Manchester United. During this spell she was unlucky with injury. She will be important to Denmark's chances and was pivotal in their qualification for the World Cup next Summer, scoring 12 goals in 7 matches. Sofie Jung is now well established with Juventus, having appeared 56 times for them since signing in late 2018. She is a figure of experience in the Danish camp, having been in both the squads for Euro 2013 and Euro 2017. Sara Thringe of Milan is a player who is suited to the way Denmark play and appears to have secured her spot at wing back.
The appetite for Danish women's football was clear to see, in their pre-tournament friendly against Brazil. The team played at Parken Stadium where over 21,000 spectators were in attendance, smashing the previous record for attendance for a women's National team match in Denmark by more than 10,000.
Extraordinary Story: Nadia Nadim: Born in Afghanistan, Nadim grew up in a country where she was not allowed to play football in public. Despite this her father actively encouraged her to play football. He even bought her a ball to practice with in the garden, behind closed doors. She loved it so much she slept with the ball at night. When Nadim was 12 years old, her father (who was in the Afghan army) was executed by the Taliban. The family had to flee the country with falsified documentation. After making it to Pakistan, they found their way to Italy where Nadim, her mother and four siblings got on a truck with no idea where it would take them. In the darkness of that truck, hidden from various border controls, they sat in silence for almost 30 hours. Suddenly they stopped. Nadim’s mother stepped out of the truck. In front of her was a man on a walk with his pet poodle. She asked "Where are we?" "Denmark," he replied, and in Denmark the family made a life. Just over fifteen years later, Nadim would open the scoring for Denmark in their first major tournament final.
Nadim spent the next few years in a refugee camp playing football with the other children every day. Eventually her family were granted asylum. At that stage she began to play for a local team but due to the lack of women’s football teams she had to travel too far and after a while her mother could no longer afford the cost. Such was her talent, the team began to pay for her to come to the sessions. Before she was 18 the Danish FA wanted her to play for Denmark, which was against Fifa regulations as she had not been living in the country officially for five years. Given the circumstances, the Danish FA were able to convince FIFA and Nadim made her debut at the age of just 18.
She is a talent uncovered and thriving against the odds, a fully qualified Doctor who speaks nine languages and she participates in a number of charitable endeavours. Despite this Nadim has come under criticism of late for her involvement as ambassador to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, calling Qatar a 'nation that helps people in need'. It's a stance that is in opposition to the Danish Football Association's own stance on Qatar. While it seems uninformed to call Qatar a nation that helps people in need, it is worth noting that she has come under more criticism than her famous male football counterparts, who have publicly announced their support of Qatar 2022, such as Cafu, Tim Cahill and Xavi Hernandez. Nadim is a beautiful player to watch and she has played for some of the most exciting teams in world football, including Portland Thorns, Manchester City and PSG. She loves playing with the ball at her feet and when training she rarely goes without the ball. Even in between drills you can find her playing 'keepie-uppies' on her own. Her touch is exquisite and she plays with a confidence only found in players at the top of the professional game. There is a sense of fearlessness in the way she plays. She will look to guide her nation to another final this time around and maybe even go one step further.
One to watch: Sofie Svava: Svava is the type of player football purists and traditionalists love to watch. As an attacking left back who can also play in a more advanced winger role, she relishes the chance to terrorise her full back opposition and is not afraid to take a chance and play a skilful cross. Deployed more recently as a wing back she is given plenty of licence to charge forward in Denmark red, and is a key part of how this team now sets up. In 2020 she was named Danish breakthrough player of the year, and was also nominated for Danish player of the year. Now 21 years old Svava plays for Real Madrid, having arrived from Wolfsburg last summer and has been effectively deployed by Real boss Alberto Toril, who took charge of the team in November and signed Svava in January. Svava helped Real Madrid Women's team to third behind only Barcelona and Real Sociedad, after being tenth as late as December. She is one of the most expensive signings in the history of Primera Iberdrola (the Spanish top flight) and is Real Madrid's record signing.The Real Madrid footballer is a keen Tik Toker and is part of a new generation of footballers bringing the game to a wider audience. With almost 85,000 followers on TikTok, a recent clip of her dancing in the dressing room with Danish captain Harder gained over 2 million views. But her lasting impact is sure to be on the pitch where she has always excelled. Before moving to Wolfsburg, she played in Sweden as a teenager where one Swedish newspaper noted of Svava “the best left foot in Sweden belongs to a Dane".
Also worthy of mention is Kathrine Møller Kühl, the dynamic midfield player only turned 19 in June. She has a youthful exuberance but also benefits from a calm head on young shoulders. Kühl plays effectively with the ball at her feet through midfield and has offensive awareness pivotally coupled with an ability to capitalise on that awareness. She is able to play through the lines and expose the opposition. This is evidenced by her passing accuracy of 80.7% in her games for the Danish senior side. The Nordsjæland midfielder, affectionately known as “Ke” was player of the match in a Danish cup final before she was 17 years old. The tournament being delayed by a year has helped her to develop more for these finals. Expect her to be departing Kvindeligaen (Danish top flight) for one of the top five leagues soon with Barcelona, Lyon or Wolfsburg all likely suitors. Undoubtedly she is one of the hottest prospects in world football.
WSL interest: Alongside the talent of Chelsea's Pernille Harder there is no shortage of Danish talent plying their trade in England. Rikke Sevecke (Everton) is the Danish vice captain and as such has no shortage of leadership qualities. She played over 25 games at Danish underage level, won her first cap for the senior side at the age of 20 and has played for clubs in Denmark, United States, France and now England. She is a two footed centre back, who is adept at playing the ball out from the back. Her manager Søndergaard has been public in stating she needs to improve her leadership skills even further to take the next step up in her career. Another Danish WSL star at Euro 2022 is Simone Boye Sørensen (Arsenal). A powerful defender, she is capable of playing across the backline and further forward also. Danish player of the year in 2014, she has been in and around the Danish setup for over a decade now. She has huge experience at the top level having played for Bayern Munich and Brondby in the Champions League, and now she plays for Arsenal. She is another leader and is not afraid to put her neck on the line when it really matters. Boye Sørensen scored the decisive spot kick in the penalty shootout against Austria in 2017 to take the Danes to the Euros final. She has been particularly unlucky with injuries but is a vital cog for any team when fit. Sanne Troelsgaard (Reading) is one of Denmark's most prolific scorers in their history, having scored 55 goals in 166 caps. She had a long and successful career in the Danish and Swedish leagues before moving to Reading last year. The midfielder helped Reading to a comfortable mid-table finish in the WSL. Troelsgaard's intercepting ability is a big strength for Denmark, she averages over five interceptions a game for her national team.
Odds to win: 33/1 bookmakers predict a 2.94% of winning Euro 2022.
If they were a Eurovision act who would they be?
Cesár Sampson: Austria 2018: Heavily unfancied before the competition started, they will show their ability to perform above expectations but may have to settle for third behind two superior outfits.
Writer's verdict: Group stage
Captain & Key Player: Pernille Harder: Harder is one of the world's best, and will give Denmark a real chance of winning Euro 2022 this summer. Twice the Uefa European player of the year, Harder excelled at VFL Wolfsburg, pushing the team to four league titles in a row in her time there, with 68 goals in 75 games. She will be up against familiar foes in Germany, when they meet in Denmark's opening game. A number of Denmark's squad have featured for clubs in Germany, but none had the success Harder did. In the lead up to that game Harder said - "Our mindset has to be to release the brakes". She aims to play with a strong team bond and tactical knowledge. This will be important in getting a result against two of Europe's very best. Denmark will need a positive result in at least one of these games to stand any chance.
When Harder signed for Chelsea in 2020, she became the most expensive female football signing in the world. She has helped them to consecutive league and cup doubles winning their player of the year in 2020. She developed a particularly potent partnership with star Australian striker Sam Kerr. For Denmark it's been a similar story of success. Harder is the country's top goalscorer with 68 goals from attacking midfield prior to this summer - but a major trophy for her country currently eludes her. Despite being the most expensive player in the world Harder is extremely modest and sees it as vital to the team's success that despite all her accolades she does not view herself as better than any other player in the squad. She prioritises caring for her team mates to make sure they are in the right mindset on and off the pitch. Harder's fitness has been an issue, however, and she has not always been able to feature for Denmark this year.
In one of the good news stories of the tournament, Harder's partner Magdelena Erikkson will play for rival Scandinavian country Sweden. Expect either to show up in their rivals colours to cheer the other on should one progress further than the other. They were famously pictured kissing following Erikkson's Sweden progressing to the Quarter final of the World Cup in 2019, with Harder donning a Sweden shirt - a run of the mill, daily occurrence for them, but with huge positive waves emanating from their actions across the world, providing vital visibility and the type of acceptance currently only the women's game can provide. They are the 'power couple' of this Summer's Euros and the pair are keen and vocal advocates of LGBTQ+ rights. Harder and Erikkson released a short film called 'Love Always Wins'. It brings a seminal message, that 'everyone should be able to love who they want and not be judged for it'. The couple also work with Juan Mata's Common Goal charity, which sees 1% of footballers' salaries donated to charity.
Pre tournament fixtures: June 12th, Austria 1-2 Denmark; June 24th, Denmark 2-1 Brazil; June 29th, Denmark 1-2 Norway.
World Ranking: 15th
Goal for the tournament: Denmark were not many people’s pick to make the final of Euro 2017 but they made it all the same. Despite losing the final to an electric Netherlands side, they put up a great fight and made it a mightily entertaining match for the neutrals. Since then, the team forfeited a World Cup qualifier against rivals Sweden. This was due to a pay dispute with the Danish FA, a brave and warranted move which resulted in equal pay with the men’s team. But its consequences for their World Cup qualifying hopes were dire. It meant they finished 2nd behind Sweden and ended up in the play offs. In a disastrous slice of luck Denmark drew Netherlands in the play offs and were beaten once again. But they return to the Euros with good reason for optimism. They were one of the first European teams to qualify for the World Cup this time out, and their qualification for Euro 2022 was near on immaculate - conceding just one goal while scoring 48. Despite this they will feel like dark horses, with all of the pressure in an extremely tough group on Germany and Spain. Denmark have history for capitalising on a Germany under pressure and their sensational victory over Die Nationalelf will live long in the memory. Denmark are no strangers to going far in the competition and have been to the semi finals twice and the final once.
Since World Rankings began the Danish have been consistently near the top. They were 6th in 2007, representing their highest ever placing, with 16th being their lowest. They currently sit 16th in the world and 9th in Europe. Their current squad have legendary players to look up to, none more so than their record caps holder Katrine Pedersen, who retired only four caps short of the European record. They have an extremely strong core of players playing in the top teams in the world with Signe Bruun of Lyon up front, Pernille Harder of Chelsea, Sofie Jung of Juventus, Sara Thringe of AC Milan and Nadia Nadim of Racing Louisville - to name just a few. Bruun helped PSG end Lyon's 14 year streak of Division 1 Féminine titles before signing for Lyon the following season. Despite a good return of 6 goals in 11 matches, she ended the season on loan at Manchester United. During this spell she was unlucky with injury. She will be important to Denmark's chances and was pivotal in their qualification for the World Cup next Summer, scoring 12 goals in 7 matches. Sofie Jung is now well established with Juventus, having appeared 56 times for them since signing in late 2018. She is a figure of experience in the Danish camp, having been in both the squads for Euro 2013 and Euro 2017. Sara Thringe of Milan is a player who is suited to the way Denmark play and appears to have secured her spot at wing back.
The appetite for Danish women's football was clear to see, in their pre-tournament friendly against Brazil. The team played at Parken Stadium where over 21,000 spectators were in attendance, smashing the previous record for attendance for a women's National team match in Denmark by more than 10,000.
Extraordinary Story: Nadia Nadim: Born in Afghanistan, Nadim grew up in a country where she was not allowed to play football in public. Despite this her father actively encouraged her to play football. He even bought her a ball to practice with in the garden, behind closed doors. She loved it so much she slept with the ball at night. When Nadim was 12 years old, her father (who was in the Afghan army) was executed by the Taliban. The family had to flee the country with falsified documentation. After making it to Pakistan, they found their way to Italy where Nadim, her mother and four siblings got on a truck with no idea where it would take them. In the darkness of that truck, hidden from various border controls, they sat in silence for almost 30 hours. Suddenly they stopped. Nadim’s mother stepped out of the truck. In front of her was a man on a walk with his pet poodle. She asked "Where are we?" "Denmark," he replied, and in Denmark the family made a life. Just over fifteen years later, Nadim would open the scoring for Denmark in their first major tournament final.
Nadim spent the next few years in a refugee camp playing football with the other children every day. Eventually her family were granted asylum. At that stage she began to play for a local team but due to the lack of women’s football teams she had to travel too far and after a while her mother could no longer afford the cost. Such was her talent, the team began to pay for her to come to the sessions. Before she was 18 the Danish FA wanted her to play for Denmark, which was against Fifa regulations as she had not been living in the country officially for five years. Given the circumstances, the Danish FA were able to convince FIFA and Nadim made her debut at the age of just 18.
She is a talent uncovered and thriving against the odds, a fully qualified Doctor who speaks nine languages and she participates in a number of charitable endeavours. Despite this Nadim has come under criticism of late for her involvement as ambassador to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, calling Qatar a 'nation that helps people in need'. It's a stance that is in opposition to the Danish Football Association's own stance on Qatar. While it seems uninformed to call Qatar a nation that helps people in need, it is worth noting that she has come under more criticism than her famous male football counterparts, who have publicly announced their support of Qatar 2022, such as Cafu, Tim Cahill and Xavi Hernandez. Nadim is a beautiful player to watch and she has played for some of the most exciting teams in world football, including Portland Thorns, Manchester City and PSG. She loves playing with the ball at her feet and when training she rarely goes without the ball. Even in between drills you can find her playing 'keepie-uppies' on her own. Her touch is exquisite and she plays with a confidence only found in players at the top of the professional game. There is a sense of fearlessness in the way she plays. She will look to guide her nation to another final this time around and maybe even go one step further.
One to watch: Sofie Svava: Svava is the type of player football purists and traditionalists love to watch. As an attacking left back who can also play in a more advanced winger role, she relishes the chance to terrorise her full back opposition and is not afraid to take a chance and play a skilful cross. Deployed more recently as a wing back she is given plenty of licence to charge forward in Denmark red, and is a key part of how this team now sets up. In 2020 she was named Danish breakthrough player of the year, and was also nominated for Danish player of the year. Now 21 years old Svava plays for Real Madrid, having arrived from Wolfsburg last summer and has been effectively deployed by Real boss Alberto Toril, who took charge of the team in November and signed Svava in January. Svava helped Real Madrid Women's team to third behind only Barcelona and Real Sociedad, after being tenth as late as December. She is one of the most expensive signings in the history of Primera Iberdrola (the Spanish top flight) and is Real Madrid's record signing.The Real Madrid footballer is a keen Tik Toker and is part of a new generation of footballers bringing the game to a wider audience. With almost 85,000 followers on TikTok, a recent clip of her dancing in the dressing room with Danish captain Harder gained over 2 million views. But her lasting impact is sure to be on the pitch where she has always excelled. Before moving to Wolfsburg, she played in Sweden as a teenager where one Swedish newspaper noted of Svava “the best left foot in Sweden belongs to a Dane".
Also worthy of mention is Kathrine Møller Kühl, the dynamic midfield player only turned 19 in June. She has a youthful exuberance but also benefits from a calm head on young shoulders. Kühl plays effectively with the ball at her feet through midfield and has offensive awareness pivotally coupled with an ability to capitalise on that awareness. She is able to play through the lines and expose the opposition. This is evidenced by her passing accuracy of 80.7% in her games for the Danish senior side. The Nordsjæland midfielder, affectionately known as “Ke” was player of the match in a Danish cup final before she was 17 years old. The tournament being delayed by a year has helped her to develop more for these finals. Expect her to be departing Kvindeligaen (Danish top flight) for one of the top five leagues soon with Barcelona, Lyon or Wolfsburg all likely suitors. Undoubtedly she is one of the hottest prospects in world football.
WSL interest: Alongside the talent of Chelsea's Pernille Harder there is no shortage of Danish talent plying their trade in England. Rikke Sevecke (Everton) is the Danish vice captain and as such has no shortage of leadership qualities. She played over 25 games at Danish underage level, won her first cap for the senior side at the age of 20 and has played for clubs in Denmark, United States, France and now England. She is a two footed centre back, who is adept at playing the ball out from the back. Her manager Søndergaard has been public in stating she needs to improve her leadership skills even further to take the next step up in her career. Another Danish WSL star at Euro 2022 is Simone Boye Sørensen (Arsenal). A powerful defender, she is capable of playing across the backline and further forward also. Danish player of the year in 2014, she has been in and around the Danish setup for over a decade now. She has huge experience at the top level having played for Bayern Munich and Brondby in the Champions League, and now she plays for Arsenal. She is another leader and is not afraid to put her neck on the line when it really matters. Boye Sørensen scored the decisive spot kick in the penalty shootout against Austria in 2017 to take the Danes to the Euros final. She has been particularly unlucky with injuries but is a vital cog for any team when fit. Sanne Troelsgaard (Reading) is one of Denmark's most prolific scorers in their history, having scored 55 goals in 166 caps. She had a long and successful career in the Danish and Swedish leagues before moving to Reading last year. The midfielder helped Reading to a comfortable mid-table finish in the WSL. Troelsgaard's intercepting ability is a big strength for Denmark, she averages over five interceptions a game for her national team.
Odds to win: 33/1 bookmakers predict a 2.94% of winning Euro 2022.
If they were a Eurovision act who would they be?
Cesár Sampson: Austria 2018: Heavily unfancied before the competition started, they will show their ability to perform above expectations but may have to settle for third behind two superior outfits.
Writer's verdict: Group stage