When Magnus Landin Jacobsen made his debut for the Denmark men’s national team in 2015, the Scandinavian side had not won a single title at the IHF Men’s World Championship. Over 150 matches later, the 29-year-old left wing was a part of the sides which three-peated at the IHF Men’s World Championship and secured the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Now, Landin, who made his debut at the 2017 IHF Men’s World Championship, where Denmark lost their last match and finished 10th, is on the cusp of securing his fourth title, provided Denmark beat Portugal in the semi-final on Friday and extend their unbeaten streak to 37 matches in the final scheduled for Sunday.

In that case, Landin will become one of the 10 players with at least four world titles, as he is one of the four Danish players who have won the gold medal at Denmark/Germany 2019, Egypt 2021 and Poland/Sweden 2023. He is one of the four Denmark players who had been in the squad, clinching the title, at the previous editions, alongside right wing Johan Hansen, centre back Mads Mensah Larsen and defensive specialist Henrik Molgaard.

The record is still held by Thierry Omeyer, the legendary France goalkeeper, who won five world titles, followed by five other French players – Nikola Karabatic, Jerome Fernandez, Michael Guigou, Daniel Narcisse and Cedric Sorhaindo.

“I did not think about that, to be honest. The focus has been always on the next match. It has always been like this for us. Now, we need to think about Portugal, our next opponent. If we win, we are in the final and we can secure our fourth consecutive title. Then, maybe, I will have some time to think about these achivements, about what we managed to do,” said the Denmark left wing.

When Denmark clinched their third world title in a row, at Poland/Sweden 2023, the Scandinavian side registered the maiden three-peat, the first team in history to defend their title for three editions in a row, it was already an incredible feature. Now, Denmark are just 120 minutes away – not counting potential extra-time – of another historic step.

Currently, they are on a much-promoted 35-match unbeaten streak, with their last loss coming in the Round of 16 at the 2017 IHF Men’s World Championship against Hungary. Since then, Denmark have won 33 matches and drew two others, against Egypt, in the quarter-finals at Egypt 2021, when they qualified after penalties, and against Croatia, in the main round at Poland/Sweden 2023.

At Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025, Denmark dominated their opponents in superb fashion. Not only did they win seven matches out of the seven they played, extending their unbeaten run, but they won six of them by double digits, including the quarter-final against Brazil, never looking in doubt for any second.

But now, the match against Portugal will surely be a test. Denmark’s opponents in the semi-final have nothing to lose. They were underdogs in many matches so far, including the ones against Norway, Sweden and Spain in the preliminary round and the main round. They started in the same position in the quarter-final against Germany.

They are still unbeaten and racing to their dream. Therefore, that makes them even more dangerous. But Denmark have been here so many times, in so many different major international competitions, that there is nothing which can really shock them.

“Portugal are a very good team. They play very good, very fast, so they are a very tough opponent. But we are thinking about winning, about getting to the final and winning another title. This is our objective, so we will not back down,” added Landin Jacobsen.

So far, he has featured on the court for 164 minutes, scoring nine goals out of 13 shots and converting three penalties. But he is still a crucial member of the squad, due to his height, especially in defence, where he can make a difference.

But the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship is somewhat different for Landin Jacobsen. His brother, the legendary Denmark goalkeeper, Niklas, has retired from the Denmark men’s senior national team after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Therefore, it is the first time after nearly a decade when Magnus is alone in the team, without his brother, one of the best, if not the best goalkeeper in the history of the Denmark men’s national team.

“It is a bit different, it is a bit strange. You know, I had someone to talk to all the time, we had this connection, a connection which only exists between brothers. We got on excellent, we could say everything we thought. But yes, it is different. However, we have a fantastic team, we are a good group and everyone wants to win,” concludes Landin.