Copenhagen - By qualifying to the 2010 World Cup finals, Denmark surprised some of their own fans. Despite topping the Group F table in March - ahead of Portugal and arch rivals Sweden - just four in 10 Danes polled at the time believed Denmark would make it to the finals.
But veteran coach Morten Olsen succeeded in getting the most out of his squad and proved his doubters wrong, securing an automatic qualifying berth.
Olsen has been at the helm of Denmark since 2000 and knows his players, and they in turn are familiar with the team's tactics.
And after qualifying, Demark should- despite hailing from a small football nation - set its sights high, Olsen told the BT daily recently.
"We should believe that if we are lucky in all areas - our best players are ready and on form, and we have a good draw - then we can go far. On a good day we can beat many teams," he said.
A World Cup tournament is a matter of four weeks, not six months, he observed.
The last time Denmark appeared at the World Cup finals was 2002.
The country's first appearance at the World Cup finals was 1986 in Mexico when Denmark earned the nickname "Danish dynamite".
The team - where Olsen himself was on the line-up - won fame for its attacking style before fizzling out of the tournament suffering a 6-1 drubbing by Spain.
The quarter-final spot in the 1998 World Cup finals is the team's best achievement in the worlds while Denmark's top football merit is the 1992 European championship title with a 2-0 upset against reigning world champions Germany.
For success in South Africa, Denmark needs to field its best players - and ensure they are on form. Several key players struggled with injuries during the qualifications.
Feyenoord forward Jon Dahl Tomasson remains a force but is not as speedy as during the height of his career, but creates room for other players with his ball handling.
Another key player is seasoned forward Dennis Rommedahl, on loan to Dutch side NEC Nijmegen from Ajax Amsterdam.
Like Tomasson he was forced to bow out from the two season-ending friendlies against South Korea and the United States, but is a safe bet in the World Cup squad.
During the qualification campaign Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen made some crucial saves and is also favoured to start between the posts.
Denmark also fields several high-profile young players including defender Simon Kjaer, 20, who plays for Italian Serie A side Palermo and Liverpool's Daniel Agger, 24.
Kjaer has been nominated for the "Golden Boy" prize as the best under 21 player in Europe that previously
