Copenhagen: Manchester United's Christian Eriksen made the list as Denmark coach Kasper Hjolmand on Tuesday announced a squad of 21 players, out of the expected 26, for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The remaining five players will be revealed following the last round of European fixtures before the tournament, and the final list must be delivered to FIFA by Monday, November 13, with the World Cup set to get underway exactly a week later, Hjolmand said.
"Many things can happen," Hjulmand said. "It’s unsolvable, but it’s the right way to do it." "There are two games left for many of our players, and that can easily change things."
The squad was unveiled in a slick video that featured a reworked version of the Danish national anthem alongside Danish fans and well-known faces such as former striker Nicklas Bendtner and former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Oliver Christensen, Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen, and Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jesper Lindstrom are the only players that have not played in the finals of a major tournament for Denmark before.
"There are ten or 12 players still in contention for the last five spots," Hjulmand said, holding the door open for the likes of midfielder Christian Norgaard and forward Yussuf Poulsen, who weren’t included in the 21-man list.
The Danes will take on Tunisia, France, and Australia at their sixth World Cup finals. They achieved their best result at the 1998 tournament in France when they reached the quarterfinals, where they lost 3-2 to Brazil.
Denmark captain Simon Kjaer will be the most internationally experienced player in coach Hjulmand's squad, with 121 caps.
Denmark will start its campaign against Tunisia on November 22 in Group D, which also includes defending champion France and Australia.
The 21-man squad
Casper Schmeichel, Oliver Christensen, Andreas Christensen, Joachim Andersen, Joakim Maehle, Daniel Wass, Jens Stryger Larsen, Victor Nelsson, Rasmus Nissen Kristensen, Jesper Lindstrom, Mathias Jensen, Simon Kjaer, Thomas Delaney, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Andreas Skov Olsen, Mikkel Damsgaard, Jonas Wind, Martin Braithwaite, Kasper Dolberg, Andreas Cornelius
Source: QNA
