Factbox: Denmark

Colours: Red shirts, white shorts and red socks

Nicknames: Dansk Dynamit (Danish Dynamite)/Olsen-Banden (the Olsen Gang)

Previous World Cup appearances: 3: 1986, 1998, 2002

Best World Cup performance: Quarter-finals, 1998

Coach: Morten Olsen.

Most capped player: Peter Schmeichel 129.

Top goalscorer: Poul "Tist" Nielsen, 52.

Squad:

Thomas Sorensen (Stoke City). Goalkeeper. Born June 12 1976. Caps 86. Goals 0.
A dislocated elbow has cast a shadow over Sorensen's chances of appearing at the World Cup finals. Has been first choice throughout the qualifiers and played at the 2002 World Cup. His performances were a major contributing factor as Denmark won their qualifying group ahead of Portugal and Sweden.

Stephan Andersen (Brondby). Goalkeeper. Born Nov. 26 1981. Caps 5. Goals 0.
Three of his five caps came in the World Cup qualifying campaign, and Andersen played in both games against Portugal. Firmly established as Sorensen's number two, he was an unused substitute at the 2004 European Championship.

Jesper Christiansen (FC Copenhagen). Goalkeeper. Born April 24 1978. Caps 10. Goals 0.
Five seasons at FC Copenhagen have yielded four titles, yet he is still regarded as third choice at international level. Member of the 2002 World Cup squad but played no part.

Kim Christensen (IFK Gothenburg). Goalkeeper. Born July 16 1979. Caps 0. Goals 0.
The 30-year-old has yet to win a senior cap after playing three unofficial friendlies. Unlikely to travel to South Africa, but may be called up if Sorensen's elbow does not heal in time.

Daniel Agger (Liverpool). Defender. Born Dec. 12 1984. Caps 29. Goals 3.
At one point the most expensive sale by a Danish club, from Brondby to Liverpool in January 2006, the central defender's career has been interrupted by back and foot injuries. Tough yet elegant defender, he is known for his powerful shooting.

Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn Rovers). Defender. Born Sept 20 1979. Caps 29. Goals 0.
First choice for Denmark at right-back, Jacobsen's career at club level has not been so smooth. After a spell with Everton that was blighted by injury, Jacobsen is battling for the right-back spot at Blackburn.

Patrick Mtiliga (Malaga). Defender. Born Jan. 28 1981. Caps 1. Goals 0.
One of the surprises in Morten Olsen's squad, Mtiliga started out in a more attacking role before moving to left-back. Mtiliga hit the headlines this season when Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for breaking his nose in a league game.

Per Kroldrup (Fiorentina). Defender. Born July 31 1979. Caps 28. Goals 0.
Kroldrup joined Martin Jorgensen at Udinese in 2001 and Everton bought him in 2005 but injuries limited him to a single league appearance. He joined Fiorentina in 2006. At 1.96 metres, the centre back is the tallest member of squad.

Simon Kjaer (Palermo). Defender. Born March 26 1989. Caps 8. Goals 0.
Voted Denmark's most promising under-19 player in 2007, the centre-back was the subject of a bid from Real Madrid which was rejected by FC Midtjylland. Palermo bought him in February 2008 and a year later he was called up to the senior squad.

William Kvist (FC Copenhagen). Defender/Midfielder. Born Feb. 24 1985. Caps 12. Goals 0
The versatile defender has spent his entire career at FC Copenhagen. Though he prefers a central midfield role, six of his seven caps have come at right-back. He is also known for his long throws.

Simon Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar). Defender. Born Oct. 7 1984. Caps 3. Goals 0.
Sold by FC Midtjylland for a club record fee, he was bought in 2007 by then-Alkmaar coach Louis Van Gaal to give the Dutch side more options on the left. Poulsen has not played for the senior international side since November 2007.

Christian Poulsen (Juventus). Midfielder. Born Oct. 28 1980. Caps 71. Goals 5.
Vastly experienced at club and international level, Poulsen is best remembered for the red card that led a fan to attack the referee in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden in Copenhagen. Sweden were awarded a 3-0 victory by UEFA.

Christian Eriksen (Ajax Amsterdam). Midfielder. Born Feb. 14 1982. Caps 1. Goals 0.
Eriksen made his debut in friendly against Austria in April and Ajax coach Martin Jol believes he has a great future. "His vision is absolutely amazing," Jol said. "He notices everything that's happening around him when he's in possession".

Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen). Midfielder. Born June 25 1979. Caps 47. Goals 3.
Jensen earned his first cap in February 2002. A series of injuries caused him to miss four of Denmark's qualifiers and problems with his foot limited his club appearances in the latter half of the season.

Jakob Poulsen (AGF Arhus). Midfielder. Born July 7 1983. Caps 10. Goals 1.
Poulsen's only goal gave the Danes a 1-0 victory over Sweden and ensured qualification for the finals. Poulsen is a strong runner with a knack of creating goals for others from his position on the right flank.

Michael Silberbauer (FC Utrecht). Midfielder. Born July 7 1981. Caps 14. Goals 1.
A gifted and consistent club player, Silberbauer has failed to establish himself at international level despite playing in key World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Sweden. His 14 caps have been spread out across eight years.

Mikkel Beckmann (Randers). Midfielder/Forward. Born Oct. 24 1983. Caps 2. Goals 0.
Few expected the Randers winger to make it into Olsen's preliminary squad, not least the player himself. "It came as a shock when I heard my name," he told Danish radio.

Thomas Enevoldsen (FC Groningen). Midfielder. Born July 27 1987. Caps 3. Goals 0.
The son of a former professional footballer, Enevoldsen was a key player in the Arhus team that won the Danish league in 2007/08. Enevoldsen was called up to the senior squad in October 2009 and by then he had moved to Dutch league football.

Thomas Kahlenberg (VfL Wolfsburg). Midfielder. Born March 20 1983. Caps 29. Goals 3.
A player with exceptional technique and vision, Kahlenberg is the architect of many goals scored by club and country. At Brondby, he moved from the centre to the left where he combined his passing prowess with an ability to cut inside and score.

Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brondby). Forward. Born June 6 1983. Caps 4. Goals 0.
Another Danish player with long experience of Dutch football before returning home to Brondby in August 2008. Hard-working, technically proficient and with excellent vision, he can play anywhere across the midfield.

Dennis Rommedahl (Ajax). Midfielder/Forward. Born July 22 1978. Caps 93. Goals 16.
An ever-present in the qualifying campaign, he is likely to play a key role in South Africa. Rommedahl left Denmark at 18 to join PSV Eindhoven where he won four league titles. Rommedahl is famed for his electric pace and dribbling skills.

Jesper Gronkjaer (FC Copenhagen). Forward. Born Aug. 12 1977. Caps 76. Goals 5.
Born in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, Gronkjaer is an influential voice in Olsen's dressing room. Olsen brought the young winger to Ajax when he was head coach. Gronkjaer has mixed brilliant performances with periods of almost total anonymity.

Martin Jorgensen (AGF Arhus). Forward. Born Oct. 6 1975. Caps 93. Goals 12.
Moved back to his hometown club in January to secure his place in the squad. Jorgensen played in the World Cups in 1998 and 2002. Even at 34 and without a Denmark goal since September 2006, Jorgensen remains an important part of Olsen's squad.

Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal). Forward. Born Jan. 16 1988. Caps 32. Goals 11.
Bendtner has been criticised for missing chances but his goals in the qualifiers were crucial to Denmark's success. At 22, he has amassed a lot of experience for club and country.

Jon Dahl Tomasson (Feyenoord). Forward. Born Aug. 29 1976. Caps 107. Goals 51.
One of Denmark's enigmas, Tomasson is the second-highest scorer for the team but failed to find the net at Euro 2000. He followed that with four goals in four games at the 2002 World Cup. He has won the UEFA Cup and Champions League, and league titles in the Netherlands and Italy.

Soren Larsen (MSV Duisburg). Forward. Sept. 6 1981. Caps 17. Goals 11.
A powerful, predatory goal-scorer whose career has been hampered by injury, Larsen scored six goals in his first five internationals. His ability to come off the bench to score gives Olsen another attacking option -- if Larsen can stay fit.