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| Sport | Members | Growth[n 2] |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 329,955 |  −3% |
| Fishing | 220,000 |  +9% |
| Aquatics | 170,639 | +9% |
| Gymnastics | 166,711 | +10% |
| Golf | 155,746 | −1% |
| Handball | 109,706 | −2% |
| Badminton | 89,753 | −3% |
| Equestrian | 69,946 | −1% |
| Tennis | 59,389 | −3% |
| Shooting | 54,517 | +4% |
| Sailing | 52,226 | −5% |
Sport in Denmark is diverse. The national sport is running, but club sport isfootball[2] with the most notable results being qualifying for the European Championships six times in a row (1984–2004) and winning theChampionship in 1992. Other significant achievements include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the1998 World Cup. Other popular sports includehandball,esports,cycling,sailing sports,badminton,ice hockey,swimming, and recently alsogolf. A few youths also play basketball.
Sport is encouraged in school, and there are local sports clubs in all cities and most towns.
The national stadium for football is theParken Stadium.
Football is the most popular sport in Denmark, with over 313,000 players in more than 1600 clubs.[1] Thenational football team in Denmark have reached high and notable results, like qualifying for theUEFA Championships six times in a row (1984–2004) and winning theUEFA Championship in 1992. Other significant achievements include winning theConfederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the1998 World Cup.
Denmark national football team reached #3 ranking in theFIFA ranking in May 1997, and #1 at theWorld Football Elo Ratings system in (1912–1920).
The top-league in Danish football is called TheDanish Superliga. The reigning champions (2022/2023 season) areF.C. Copenhagen. Famous former Superliga players includePer Nielsen,Jimmy Nielsen,Michael Hansen,Mogens Krogh,Daniel Agger andJesper Grønkjær.
The second level league is theDanish 1st Division followed byDanish 2nd Division andDanish 3rd Division. All clubs in the first four leagues are allowed to use professional players. The leagues below can only use amateur players without contract.
The top women's league is theKvindeligaen. HEI Aarhus are the most successful team, with 10 titles.
The premier cup competition is theDanish Cup.AGF are 9 time champions. Copenhagen are also the last winners of theDanish Supercup, back in 2004, of whichBrøndby IF are the most successful club. Brøndby are the only winners of the twice-heldDanish League Cup.
TheDanish Women's Cup has been won the last three times in a row byBrøndby IF, and seven times overall byFortuna Hjørring.
The current manager of the national team isKasper Hjulmand, andSimon Kjær is the captain. Legendary former players includePoul "Tist" Nielsen,Peter Schmeichel,Jon Dahl Tomasson,Allan Simonsen andMichael Laudrup.
Denmark has a long history with handball, with the sport originating in Denmark. Handball is one of the most popular pastimes in Denmark, only exceeded by football. There are over 146,000 licensed handball players in Denmark. Both the male and female national teams have reached high international rankings.
Denmark women's national handball team have won theOlympics gold medal a record three times, theEuropean Women's Handball Championship three times, and theWorld Women's Handball Championship once. The male national team won theEuropean Men's Handball Championship in 2008 and 2012, won gold atthe Olympics in 2016 and has become world champions four times in a row, in2019,2021,2023 and2025 which is a feat no other country has managed. Denmark co-hosted the 2019 tournament withGermany, and did so again in2025, this time withCroatia andNorway.
Denmark have marked their status as one of the leadingmotorcycle speedway countries. Denmark has won theSpeedway World Cup four times in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014 and came second in 2007 missing only two points to Poland.
DanishSpeedway World Championship Champions includeOle Olsen,Erik Gundersen,Hans Nielsen (nicknamed "The Professor", four-times World Champion), andNicki Pedersen, the 2003, 2007, and 2008 World Champion.
Erik Gundersen andHans Nielsen occupied the first two places atGothenburg in 1984. In fact, there were two Danes on top of the table in each and every World final from 1984 to 1988 - a somewhat extraordinary record. Gundersen and Nielsen took three titles each as the Danes won six successive and seven out of eight titles from 1984 to 1991.
 | This sectionappears to contradict itself on the number of Danish players in the NHL. Please see thetalk page for more information.(March 2019) |
There are six Danish ice hockey players currently in theNational Hockey League (NHL):Lars Eller of theWashington Capitals,Frederik Andersen of theCarolina Hurricanes,Nikolaj Ehlers of theWinnipeg Jets,Oliver Bjorkstrand of theTampa Bay Lightning,Mads Søgaard of theOttawa Senators andJonas Røndbjerg of theVegas Golden Knights. Other Danes who have played in the NHL includeFrans Nielsen,Mikkel Bødker,Jannik Hansen,Peter Regin,Philip Larsen,Alexander True, andOliver Lauridsen. The first Dane to play a game in the NHL wasFrans Nielsen on 6 January 2006.Lars Eller became the first Dane to win theStanley Cup withWashington Capitals in 2018. There also many Danes in top level leagues likeKHL andSwedish Hockey League.
TheDenmark men's national ice hockey team have been in the best division since 2003. The Danish national hockey team scored two historic, unexpected upsets in Tampere, Finland, defeating the United States 5-2 on 26 April 2003 and tied Canada 2-2 six days later on 2 May 2003. At the 2010 World Championship Denmark finished eighth place, which is their best placing to date. TheDenmark men's national ice hockey team and theDenmark women's national ice hockey team are both currently[when?] number 10 on theIIHF World Ranking. In 2018 Denmark was the host of the2018 IIHF World Championships,Herning andCopenhagen were the host cities.
Denmark is Europe's strongest badminton country. Danish players have won 11 gold medals at theWorld Championships since 1977, 63 gold medals at theEuropean Badminton Championships since 1968, and 19 titles at theEurope Cup since 1978. TheDenmark national badminton team has won the2016 Thomas Cup, and has been runner-up eight times in the Thomas Cup, three times in theUber Cup, and two times in theSudirman Cup. At the
In men's badminton,Viktor Axelsen, the current world's number two in men's singles, has won two gold medals at the BWF World Championship (2017 and 2022), and two gold medals at theOlympic Games (2020 and 2024).Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen's victory at the1996 Olympic Games is one of three gold medals for Europe men's singles.Erland Kops won sevenAll England Open Badminton Championships in singles and four All England titles in doubles from the late 1950s to the late 1960s, whilstMorten Frost was one of the top players of the 1980s, winning the1984 World Badminton Grand Prix and four All England singles titles. Topped the world rankings from 1998 to 2001 and with 22 Grand-Prix titles,Peter Gade is one of the world's most successful badminton players.
In women's badminton,Kirsten Thorndahl andTonny Ahm claimed singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles titles at the All England.Lene Køppen andCamilla Martin have won singles titles at the World Championships and All-England. Other notable women's players includeUlla Strand (All-England doubles titles),Rikke Olsen (six World Championship medals),Helene Kirkegaard (two medals at the World Championships),Tine Baun (All-England singles titles),Kamilla Rytter Juhl (World mixed doubles title), andChristinna Pedersen (two Olympic and five World Championship medals).
The premier international badminton tournament in Denmark is theDenmark Open, which is part of theBWF World Tour. Meanwhile, theDanish National Badminton Championships is the most prestigious tournament for Danish players, and theDanish Badminton League is the main tournament for Danish clubs.
Historically, Denmark's most successful name in cycling has beenThorvald Ellegaard won the world professionalsprint title in six times, three European titles, and 24 Danish titles.
In recent years, Denmark has made a mark as a strongcycling nation, withBjarne Riis winningTour de France in 1996,Michael Rasmussen reachingKing of the Mountains status, in the Tour 2005 and 2006,Jonas Vingegaard winning the Tour de France in2022 and2023 andMattias Skjelmose winning the2023 Tour de Suisse. Other well-known Danish riders areMatti Breschel,Nicki Sørensen,Bo Hamburger,Jesper Skibby,Jakob Fuglsang andLars Michaelsen. Three Danish riders have wonmonuments, the five most prestigiousone-day classics:Rolf Sørensen, who wonLiège–Bastogne–Liège in1993 and theTour of Flanders in1997, Jakob Fuglsang, who won the2019 edition of Liège–Bastogne–Liège[3] and the2020 Giro di Lombardia andKasper Asgreen who won the2021 edition of Tour of Flanders.Team Saxo Bank has been the most successful cycling team in Denmark: the team was founded in 1998 as Team Home-Jack and Jones and led by Bjarne Riis from the following year.[4][5] It competed as a Danish-registered team until 2014, when it switched its registration to Russia after being sold to Russian businessmanOleg Tinkov, although Riis stayed as the team's manager until 2015.[5][6] In 2008Carlos Sastre won theTour de France while riding for Saxo Bank, one of fiveGrand Tour wins the team took in an eight year span. They also enjoyed success in the monuments, withFabian Cancellara (who wonMilan–San Remo in2008 and the Tour of Flanders in2010),Andy Schleck (who won Liège–Bastogne–Liège in2009) andNick Nuyens (who won the Tour of Flanders in2011). In addition Cancellara won twoWorld Road Time Trial Championship titles whilst riding for the team.[7] Three Danish riders have won stages in allGrand Tours:Jesper Skiby,Magnus Cort andMads Pedersen, the latter also won the2019 UCI Road World Championships.
In the past years, the Danish cycling has suffered from doping cases. Bjarne Riis, Bo Hamburger, Rolf Sørensen, Jesper Skibby, Michael Rasmussen all confessed doping use, or were related with doping. But despite all the bad publicity, cycling is still quite a popular sport in Denmark. In 2011,Copenhagen hosted the UCI world championships on the road. Denmark hosted theGrand Depart in the 2022 edition of the Tour de France.
Golf has become a highly popular sport in recent years in Denmark with more than 180courses across the country.
Golf is mostly popular among the older demographic, with more members over the age of 24 than any other sport in Denmark.[1]
In professional tour golf,Thomas Bjørn has dominated the Danish scene for many years, along withAnders Hansen,Søren Hansen andSteen Tinning on theEuropean Tour. On theLadies European Tour,Iben Tinning is the most successful Danish player.
American football is a minor sport in Denmark with Well under 1.000 players. The governing body theDanish American Football Federation was formed in 1988. The top level league is theNational Ligaen. The final game for the national championship is called theMermaid Bowl and the first was played in 1988. The national teams both youth and senior level has competed in theEuropean Championship of American football.
Denmark's national team had a few strong showings at senior and youth level. TheBakken Bears currently hold the attendance record for a single basketball game in Denmark.
Denmark has many great boxers, including formerSuper MiddleweightWorld Boxing Council World Champion and Super MiddleweightWorld Boxing Association (WBA) World Champion,Mikkel Kessler. Former great boxers includeJohnny Bredahl a formerWBO and WBA champion andBrian Nielsen who foughtMike Tyson in 2001. The active boxerAhmed Khaddour who was in the American reality TV showThe Contender also comes from Denmark. Other boxers that have won titles at an international level arePatrick Nielsen and his brotherMicki Nielsen.
Cricket has a little presence in Denmark. But theDenmark national cricket team has been performing well in Europe. Cricket has been played in Denmark since the mid 19th century, brought there by the British. As well as the men's team, theDenmark national women's cricket team has also played international matches.
TheDanish flag football team, is one of the bestFlag football teams in the world, having won a record 6 consecutiveEFAF European Flag Football Championship and 2 bronze medals. They also won 4 silver medals at theIFAF Flag Football World Championship and 2 bronze medals. The women's team also had success, as they won the european championship in 2017 hosted in Denmark.
Denmark has various Mixed Martial Arts fighters with the most prominent beingMartin Kampmann. Kampmann fought for theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a 170-pound welterweight and was considered one of the best fighters in the division. Other Danish fighters that have competed in the UFC include Anna Elmose,Nicolas Dalby,Joachim Christensen, Christian Colombo, andMads Burnell.
In Denmark, there is also a small but successful group of people doing motorsport. The driver with the most24 Hours of Le Mans wins so far is Denmark'sTom Kristensen with nine first places.Jan Magnussen has been aCorvette Racing factory driver since 2004, having claimed several GT class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,24 Hours of Daytona,12 Hours of Sebring andPetit Le Mans. His sonKevin Magnussen has been competing inFormula One since 2014. Other notable Danish drivers includeKurt Thiim,Nicki Thiim,Jason Watt,Michael Christensen andMarco Sørensen.
The main permanent racetracks areRing Djursland,Jyllands-Ringen andPadborg Park. TheDanish Touringcar Championship was held from 1999 to 2010, and theDanish Thundersport Championship has been held since 2012. In addition, theCopenhagen Historic Grand Prix has been held since 2001.
Franz Nachtegall was influential in the introduction of physical education and gymnastics into schools of Denmark.[8][9]
Denmark has the highest rankedracketlon player and two more within top seven (July 2015).[10]
Rugby league football is played at a local, national and international level. Currently the country is ranked 26th on theRLIF. Danish domestic teams, including Jutland RLFC (Jylland) andCopenhagen RLFC compete with teams from other areas of Southern Scandinavia.
TheDanish Rugby Union dates back to 1950, and joined the IRB in 1988.[11] There are about 3,000 registered players.
Caroline Wozniacki is commonly referred to as the best Danish female tennis player in history. She is a former singlesworld No. 1 on theWTA rankings, a position she held for a total of 71 weeks since reaching it for the first time in 2010. She was the first Scandinavian player to hold the top ranking position and the 20th woman overall in theOpen Era.[12] She has won the2018 Australian Open and a total of 30WTA Tour singles titles, including the2017 WTA Finals. As of February 2024, Wozniacki is ranked 84th in the world.[13]
The highest ranked Danish male singles player in history isHolger Rune, who reached a career-highATP ranking of world No. 4 in 2023. At age 19, he won the2022 Paris Masters and became the first male player on record to defeat five top 10 opponents in a single tournament (with the exception of theATP Finals).[14] As of February 2025, Rune is ranked 12th in the world[15] and has reached threeGrand Slam quarterfinals.[16]
In 2012,Frederik Løchte Nielsen became the first Dane to secure aWimbledon championship title, which he won in men's doubles with British partnerJonathan Marray. The team had previously only played three tournaments together, and had joined the2012 Wimbledon draw through awild card invitation.[17] Nielsen, who retired in 2022, reached a career-high doubles ranking of 17th in the world in 2013.[18]
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