Denmark’s national football team makes its return to the FIFA World Cup in Russia this year after falling short in the qualifying round to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This will be the fifth time that Denmark’s soccer team will be participating in the tournament.
The team’s last performance in 2010 marked the only time that Denmark failed to make it out of the group stage after qualifying for the World Cup. Denmark was eliminated in the Round of 16 in 1986 and 2002 and advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated in 1998.
Denmark’s Odds to Win World Cup: +8000
Going off at +8000 on the World Cup betting board to win the tournament in 2018, Denmark currently has the same odds to win the tournament as Mexico does. These two teams are bigger long shots to win the event than 13 teams in the field. They also round out the top 15 teams on the board, as the remaining 17 teams are all paying +10000 or higher as huge underdogs to win the World Cup.
Denmark’s Odds to Win Group C: +450
Only Brazil, who is going off at -400 to win Group E, is a bigger favorite to win a group in the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament than France is to win Group C. France is the fourth-biggest favorite on the futures board to win the World Cup at +700 and is going off as a -350 favorite to win Group C.
Fortunately for Denmark, the national team is considered to be the biggest threat to France in Group C, going off at +450. The group is rounded out by Peru (+900 to win Group C) and Australia (+1800), who are both underdogs to advance out of the group stage.
Denmark is a -165 favorite to advance into the Round of 16. Bettors who expect Denmark’s journey to end in Group C can bet on the team to fail to advance at +125.
Denmark’s Best World Cup Bets
The odds on Denmark to advance into the Round of 16 at -165 make for a tempting wager. Sure, there isn’t much room for error with France sitting as a clear favorite to win the group, but the other two teams in the group are a Peru team making its first World Cup appearance since 1982 and an Australia team that lost all three of its matches in the group stage last year. Even with a loss to France and a draw to Peru, Denmark’s strong defense would likely give the team the edge in the goal differential tiebreaker.
Of course, focusing on the games against Peru and Australia in Group C could also be a viable option. Denmark is a +115 favorite to defeat Peru (+240 to win, +240 to draw) and a -140 favorite to top Australia (+360 to win, +240 to draw). Against France, the team is a +425 underdog as France would pay -170 on a win and +260 on a draw.
Should Denmark advance into the Round of 16 with the second spot in Group C behind France, its most likely opponent in the Round of 16 would be Argentina. Denmark’s odds of getting out of the group stage and being eliminated in the Round of 16 are an intriguing +165.
Denmark’s Player to Watch: Christian Eriksen
The star of the Denmark national football team is Christian Eriksen, who made his debut for the national team in 2010 as an 18-year-old and was the youngest player to participate in the 2010 World Cup. Now 26, the star midfielder has played his last five years of club ball in the English Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur, racking up 41 goals in 166 matches.
Eriksen has scored 21 goals in 77 caps for the national team, including eight in the qualifying round leading up to the World Cup. He is going off at +10000 to finish as the tournament’s top goal scorer.
Denmark’s Road to Russia
Despite finishing behind Poland in the final standings in the UEFA Group E qualifiers, Denmark still advanced into the World Cup field due to its second spot on the group table. Denmark finished UEFA Group E play with a 6-2-2 record and allowed the fewest goals in the group, surrendering only eight through 10 games.
With two June friendlies remaining on its schedule before the World Cup begins, Denmark has plenty of momentum with an unbeaten streak that currently spans 13 games at 7-6-0. The national team’s defense has been impeccable over the last year, allowing one goal or less in each of its last 14 caps. This stretch includes a 4-0 win at home over Poland in which Denmark held the always dangerous Robert Lewandowski off the scoresheet.