Denmark men's national handball team

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Denmark
Information
AssociationDanish Handball Association
CoachNikolaj Jacobsen
Assistant coachMichael Bruun
Henrik Kronborg
CaptainNiklas Landin Jacobsen
Most capsLars Christiansen (338)
Most goalsLars Christiansen (1503)
Colours
Kit left arm whiteborder.png
Team colours
Team colours
Kit right arm whiteborder.png
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Kit body redcollar.png
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away
Results
Summer Olympics
Appearances7 (First in 1972)
Best result1st (2016)
World Championship
Appearances24 (First in 1938)
Best result1st (2019, 2021)
European Championship
Appearances14 (First in 1994)
Best result1st (2008, 2012)
Last updated on Unknown.
2017 World Men's Handball Championship
Sweden / Denmark (Group D)
16 January 2017.
Denmark men's national handball team
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Denmark/Germany
Gold medal – first place 2021 Egypt
Silver medal – second place 1967 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 2011 Sweden
Silver medal – second place 2013 Spain
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Germany
World Outdoor Championship
Silver medal – second place
European Championship
Gold medal – first place 2008 Norway
Gold medal – first place 2012 Serbia
Silver medal – second place 2014 Denmark
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Slovenia
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Switzerland
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Hungary/Slovakia

The Denmark men’s national handball team is controlled by the Danish Handball Association and represents Denmark in international matches. They are the team with the fourth most medals won in European Championship history on the men's side behind Sweden, France and Spain, with a total of seven medals. Two of these are gold medals (2008, 2012), one silver (2014) and four bronze medals (2002, 2004, 2006 & 2022). They are widely considered the best men's handball team in the world.

As of January 2021 they are the double defending World Champions. Defending their 2019 World Championship title at the 2021 World Championship in Egypt, they became only the fourth country to successfully defend a World Championship title. (The other three being Sweden, Romania and France). They are also the only team to have won nineteen national matches in a row without losing at a World Championship tournament from 2019-2021, surpassing the eighteen match winning streak by France. As of January 2021, they are the fourth most successful team in World Championship history behind France, Sweden and Romania, having won six medals. Two of these are gold (2019, 2021), three silver (1967, 2011, 2013) and one bronze (2007).

History[]

Handball is the second most popular pastime in Denmark, only exceeded by football. At the end of 2003, the Danish Handball Association had more than 146,000 active and passive members.

2007 World Championship[]

In 2007 Denmark participated in the World Championship in Germany, where they were pitted in Group E against Angola, Hungary and their neighbors to the north Norway. Denmark finished second in their group after victories against Angola and Norway. In the main round the team faced Croatia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Hungary and defending champions Spain.

Despite an initial defeat against Croatia, the team advanced by defeating their last three opponents. In the quarterfinal Iceland was defeated by the narrowest of margins, 42–41. In the semi-final Denmark lost to Poland 36–33 and ended up in the bronze match against France, which they won 34–27 thus placing third.

Denmark's pivot Michael V. Knudsen was added to the All Star Team of the tournament.

2008 European Championship[]

After finishing third in three consecutive European Championships, the Danish team won gold at the 2008 European Men's Handball Championship, which took place in neighboring Norway. The team lost only one match on the way to gold in a fiercely contested derby against hosts Norway. The Danish team defeated Croatia 24–20 in the final after inching out Germany in the semis. Keeper Kasper Hvidt and winger Lars Christiansen were important factors in the Danish campaign, both being selected for the tournament all-star team and Lars Christiansen also finishing as shared top goalscorer.

2010 European Championship[]

As defending champions, Denmark was a favorite to reclaim the title. However, they did not succeed, losing matches to both Iceland and Croatia. Instead of advancing to the main-round Denmark ended up playing for fifth place against Spain. They won the placement match 34–27.

2011 World Championship[]

At The 2011 World Men's Handball Championship, after winning nine consecutive matches, Denmark reached the final beating Spain 28:24 in the semi-final. This was the first time in over 44 years, that the Denmark National Handball Team reached a World Championship final. In the final, Denmark lost against France 35:37 in overtime. This meant at the time, that France was able to hold all three major titles as reigning European Champions, Olympic Champions and also double World Champions.

2012 European Championship[]

Denmark came to the 2012 European Men's Handball Championship as vice World Champions and as one of the pre-favorites to win the tournament. However, in the main group, Denmark lost to both Serbia and Poland, proceeding to the main round with zero points, having only won against Slovakia. This meant that Denmark had to win all of their matches and at the same time, they had to rely on other results in order to advance to the semi-finals. Miraculously, results from other matches were in favor of Denmark. The destiny of Denmark's survival lay in the hands of Poland as Poland had to win against Germany in order to sustain Denmark's survival in the tournament. After a fierce and close match between Poland and Germany, Poland won 33–32. This meant that Denmark only had to beat Sweden in their final main round match, and they would go through to the semi-finals. Denmark beat Sweden by a large margin, 31–24, making handball history along the way, becoming the first team ever, both on the men's and women's side in European Championship history to advance to the semi-finals having carried zero points into the main round.

Like the 2011 World Men's Handball Championship, Denmark met Spain in the semi-finals, a match Denmark won 25–24. In the other semi-final, hosting nation Serbia met Croatia, a match Serbia won 26���22.

In a low scoring match, Denmark won their second European Championship title after beating Serbia 21–19 in the final, thus becoming the first handball team ever claiming the European Championship title having carried zero points into the main round.

2013 World Championship[]

Despite having disappointed at the 2012 Olympics in London, Denmark was still among the top teams to win the World Champions title. As defending European Champions, Denmark was seated with Russia, Iceland, Macedonia, Qatar and Chile in Group B. Winning all of their matches, they advanced safely to the 16th round where they had to meet Tunisia. Having no problems defeating Tunisia with the score of 30–23, Denmark reached the Quarterfinals where Hungary awaited. After a splendid first half, leading 18–11, the second half was a more close affair, though Denmark managed to win 28–26, reaching the semi-finals for the second consecutive time in this tournament. In the semi-finals, Denmark was seated with Croatia who had beaten the defending World Champions, France, in their semi-final. Though the odds where in favor of Croatia, Denmark played their best match in the 2013 World Championship so far, winning 30–24 and securing their second consecutive World Championship final.

In the final, Denmark was up against hosting nation, Spain. The final became a horrendous game for Denmark, losing with a record-breaking 16 goals, and losing the title for the second time in a row, with Spain declared as winner of the tournament for the second time in history.

2014 European Championship[]

As vice world champions, defending European Champions and the advantage of home court, Denmark were among the favorites to win the tournament. They won all of the matches in the preliminary round as well as the main round easily advancing to the semi-finals. Denmark met Croatia in the semi-final. They beat Croatia, 29–27, but lost to the French national team in the finals, losing 41–32. This was the second time in a row, that Denmark lost a Championship, losing to Spain at the 2013 World Championship.

2019 World Championship[]

Denmark along with Germany co-hosted the 2019 World Championship and played in Group C with Norway, Tunisia, Chile, Austria and Saudi Arabia. started with a victory over Chile and remained undefeated. Then played in Group II in the main round the first match with a win over Hungary, also undefeated, played in the semi-finals. A win over six-time world champions France put them in the final. Denmark won world championship title with a 31–22 victory over Norway in the final.

2021 World Championship[]

Denmark qualified for the 2021 World Championship in Egypt as defending champions. They went undefeated and won the second successive world title. They also became the only team, to win nineteen national matches in a row at World Championship tournaments from 2019-2021, surpassing the eighteen winning streak by France.

2025 World Championship[]

Denmark along with Croatia and Norway will co-host the 2025 World Championship, it will be the third time Denmark co-host the tournament, they are automatically qualified as co-host

Honours[]

Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
Olympic Games 1 1 0 2
World Championship 2 3 1 6
European Championship 2 1 4 7
Total 5 5 5 15

Competitive record[]

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Olympic Games[]

The team did not participate in the 1936 field handball tournament at the Olympics, but lost at the 1952 Olympics in a demonstration match against Sweden.

Games Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GD
Germany 1936 Berlin Did not participate
Not held from 1948 to 1968
West Germany 1972 Munich Match for 13th place 13th of 16 5 2 1 2 78 78 0
Canada 1976 Montreal Match for 7th place 8th of 11 5 2 0 3 113 127 −14
Soviet Union 1980 Moscow Match for 9th place 9th of 12 6 2 0 4 124 124 0
United States 1984 Los Angeles Fourth place 4th of 12 6 4 0 2 134 122 +12
South Korea 1988 Seoul Did not qualify
Spain 1992 Barcelona
United States 1996 Atlanta
Australia 2000 Sydney
Greece 2004 Athens
China 2008 Beijing Match for 7th place 7th of 12 8 3 2 3 225 211 +14
United Kingdom 2012 London Quarter-finals 6th of 12 6 4 0 2 146 153 −7
Brazil 2016 Rio de Janeiro Champion 1st of 12 8 6 0 2 230 211 +19
Japan 2020 Tokyo Runners-up 2nd of 12 8 6 0 2 255 212 +33
Total 8/14 1 Title 52 29 3 20 1305 1238 +57

World Championship[]

World Championship record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Nazi Germany 1938 Semi-finals 4 3 0 0 3 6 20
Sweden 1954 Fifth place 5 3 1 0 2 44 45
East Germany 1958 Semi-finals 4 6 4 0 2 121 86
West Germany 1961 Fifth place 5 6 4 0 2 92 78
Czechoslovakia 1964 Seventh place 7 6 3 0 3 105 96
Sweden 1967 Runners-up 2 Silver medal world centered-2.svg 6 4 0 2 107 78
France 1970 Semi-finals 4 6 3 0 3 103 116
East Germany 1974 Second round 8 6 2 0 4 63 78
Denmark 1978 Semi-finals 4 6 4 1 1 114 101
West Germany 1982 Semi-finals 4 7 4 1 2 150 143
Switzerland 1986 Second round 8 7 3 0 4 152 160
Czechoslovakia 1990 Did not qualify
Sweden 1993 Second round 9 7 2 2 3 145 156
Iceland 1995 Preliminary round 17 5 2 0 3 126 117
Japan 1997 Did not qualify
Egypt 1999 Round of 16 9 6 4 0 2 141 140
France 2001 Did not qualify
Portugal 2003 Second round 9 7 4 0 3 201 193
Tunisia 2005 Preliminary round 13 5 3 0 2 174 117
Germany 2007 Semi-finals 3 Bronze medal world centered-2.svg 10 7 0 3 316 283
Croatia 2009 Semi-finals 4 10 7 0 3 298 258
Sweden 2011 Runners-up 2 Silver medal world centered-2.svg 10 9 0 1 334 256
Spain 2013 Runners-up 2 Silver medal world centered-2.svg 9 8 0 1 291 244
Qatar 2015 Quarter-finals 5 9 6 2 1 272 234
France 2017 Round of 16 10 6 5 0 1 182 157
DenmarkGermany 2019 Champion 1 Gold medal world centered-2.svg 10 10 0 0 317 223
Egypt 2021 Champion 1 Gold medal world centered-2.svg 9 8 1 0 304 227
PolandSweden 2023 Qualified as defending World Champions
CroatiaDenmarkNorway 2025 Qualified as co-host
Germany 2027 TBD
Total 25/30 2 Titles 165 107 *7 51 4158 3606

European Championship[]

European Championship record
Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
Portugal 1994 Fourth place 4 7 3 1 3 150 152
Spain 1996 11th/12th place 12 6 0 0 6 132 158
Italy 1998 Did not qualify
Croatia 2000 9th/10th place 10 6 2 0 4 143 153
Sweden 2002 Third place 3 Bronze medal europe.svg 8 6 1 1 212 190
Slovenia 2004 Third place 3 Bronze medal europe.svg 8 6 0 2 240 206
Switzerland 2006 Third place 3 Bronze medal europe.svg 8 5 1 2 249 231
Norway 2008 Champion 1 Gold medal europe.svg 8 7 0 1 233 193
Austria 2010 5th/6th place 5 7 5 0 2 198 184
Serbia 2012 Champion 1 Gold medal europe.svg 8 6 0 2 216 201
Denmark 2014 Runners-up 2 Silver medal europe.svg 8 7 0 1 247 222
Poland 2016 5th/6th place 6 7 4 1 2 194 180
Croatia 2018 Fourth place 4 8 5 0 3 235 205
AustriaNorwaySweden 2020 Preliminary round 13 3 1 1 1 85 83
HungarySlovakia 2022 Third place 3 Bronze medal europe.svg 9 7 0 2 274 228
Germany 2024 Qualified
DenmarkNorwaySweden 2026 Qualified as co-host
SpainPortugalSwitzerland 2028 TBD
Total 14/15 2 titles 101 64 5 32 2808 2586
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided in a penalty shootout.
**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Team[]

Current squad[]

A 20-player squad was announced on 16 December for the 2022 European Men's Handball Championship in Hungary and Slovakia..[1]

Matches and goals are correct as of 16 December 2021.[2]

Head coach: Nikolaj Jacobsen

No. Pos. Name Date of birth (age) Height App. Goals Club
1 GK Niklas Landin Jacobsen (1988-12-19)19 December 1988 (aged 33) 2.01 m 233 10 Germany THW Kiel
3 RB Niclas Kirkeløkke (1994-03-26)26 March 1994 (aged 27) 1.95 m 40 60 Germany Rhein-Neckar Löwen
4 LW Magnus Landin Jacobsen (1995-08-20)20 August 1995 (aged 26) 1.97 m 90 182 Germany THW Kiel
7 LW Emil Jakobsen (1998-01-24)24 January 1998 (aged 23) 1.90 m 23 87 Germany SG Flensburg-Handewitt
8 P René Antonsen (1992-03-04)4 March 1992 (aged 29) 1.95 m 5 4 Denmark Aalborg Håndbold
11 CB Rasmus Lauge (1991-06-20)20 June 1991 (aged 30) 1.93 m 127 322 Hungary Veszprém KC
15 P Magnus Saugstrup (1996-07-12)12 July 1996 (aged 25) 1.95 m 42 87 Germany SC Magdeburg
16 GK Jannick Green (1988-09-29)29 September 1988 (aged 33) 1.95 m 137 2 Germany SC Magdeburg
17 RW Lasse Svan Hansen (1983-08-31)31 August 1983 (aged 38) 1.85 m 235 553 Germany SG Flensburg-Handewitt
18 RW Hans Lindberg (1981-08-01)1 August 1981 (aged 40) 1.88 m 272 756 Germany Füchse Berlin
20 GK Kevin Møller (1989-06-20)20 June 1989 (aged 32) 2.00 m 52 6 Germany SG Flensburg-Handewitt
21 LB Henrik Møllgaard (1985-01-02)2 January 1985 (aged 37) 1.97 m 180 182 Denmark Aalborg Håndbold
22 CB Mads Mensah Larsen (1991-08-12)12 August 1991 (aged 30) 1.88 m 158 298 Germany SG Flensburg-Handewitt
23 P Henrik Toft Hansen (1986-12-18)18 December 1986 (aged 35) 2.00 m 140 252 France Paris Saint-Germain
24 LB Mikkel Hansen (1987-10-22)22 October 1987 (aged 34) 1.92 m 231 1190 France Paris Saint-Germain
26 RW Jóhan Hansen (1994-05-01)1 May 1994 (aged 27) 1.90 m 56 117 Germany TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
28 LB Lasse Andersson (1994-03-11)11 March 1994 (aged 27) 1.90 m 53 65 Germany Füchse Berlin
29 LB Aaron Mensing (1997-11-11)11 November 1997 (aged 24) 1.99 m 5 11 Germany SG Flensburg-Handewitt
32 LB Jacob Holm (1995-09-05)5 September 1995 (aged 26) 1.94 m 51 146 Germany Füchse Berlin
33 RB Mathias Gidsel (1999-02-08)8 February 1999 (aged 22) 1.90 m 27 122 Denmark GOG Håndbold
34 P Simon Hald (1994-09-29)29 September 1994 (aged 27) 2.03 m 49 61 Germany SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Coaching staff[]

Role Name
Head coach Denmark Nikolaj Jacobsen
Assistant coach Denmark Henrik Kronborg
Team manager Denmark Kaj Johanssen
Goalkeeping coach Denmark Michael Bruun
Doctor Denmark Morten Storgaard
Bodytherapist Denmark Kristoffer Glavind Kjær
Physiotherapist Denmark Anja David Greve

Statistics[]

  Still active national team players are highlighted

Most capped players[]

Player Games Position Years
Lars Christiansen 338 W 1992–2012
Hans Lindberg 275 W 2003–
Bo Spellerberg 245 CB 2000–2015
Lasse Svan Hansen 245 W 2003–
Michael V. Knudsen 244 P 1999–2014
Niklas Landin Jacobsen 242 GK 2008–
Mikkel Hansen 239 OB 2007–
Michael Fenger 234 W 1982–1993
Erik Veje Rasmussen 233 OB 1980–1994
Jesper Nøddesbo 223 P 2001–2017
Kasper Hvidt 219 GK 1996–2010
Anders Dahl-Nielsen 209 CB 1973–1984
Kasper Nielsen 191 D, OB 1995–2012
Henrik Møllgaard 189 D, OB 2006–
Joachim Boldsen 186 CB 1998–2008
Morten Bjerre 185 OB 1992–2005
Kasper Søndergaard 184 OB 2004–2017
Mads Mensah Larsen 168 CB 2011–
Anders Eggert 160 W 2003–2021
Lasse Boesen 159 OB 2000–2012

Top scorers[]

Player Goals Average Position Years
Lars Christiansen 1503 4.45 W 1992–2012
Mikkel Hansen 1243 5.20 OB 2007–
Erik Veje Rasmussen 1015 4.37 OB 1980–1993
Michael V. Knudsen 797 3.27 P 1999–2014
Hans Lindberg 760 2.76 W 2003–
Anders Dahl-Nielsen 610 2.92 CB 1973–1984
Christian Hjermind 595 3.5 W 1994–2005
Nikolaj Jacobsen 584 3.95 W 1991–2003
Anders Eggert 581 3.63 W 2003–2021
Lasse Svan Hansen 570 2.33 W 2003–
Michael Fenger 541 2.31 W 1982–1993
Jesper Nøddesbo 450 2.02 P 2001–2017
Morten Bjerre 432 2.34 OB 1992–2005
Lasse Boesen 406 2.55 OB 2000–2012
Joachim Boldsen 405 2.18 CB 1998–2008
Kasper Søndergaard 395 2.15 OB 2004–2017
Lars Krogh Jeppesen 384 2.84 OB 1998–2008
Rasmus Lauge Schmidt 343 2.52 CB 2010–
Casper U. Mortensen 333 2.60 W 2010–
Bo Spellerberg 332 1.36 CB 2000–2015

As of the 2022 European Championship.

Kit suppliers[]

Between 2003 and 2006, Denmark's kits were supplied by Adidas. Since 2007 the kits have been supplied by Puma.

Sponsors[]

The current sponsor of the Danish Handball Team is tombola.

References[]

  1. ^ "Håndboldherrernes trup til EM i Ungarn og Slovakiet er udtaget" (in Danish). dhf.dk. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  2. ^ [1]

External links[]

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