Germany World Cup 2026 team guide

This article is portion of nan Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a practice betwixt immoderate of nan champion media organisations from nan 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is moving previews from 3 countries each time successful nan run-up to nan tourney kicking disconnected connected 11 June.

The plan

Predicting Germany’s strategies is not wholly straightforward because Julian Nagelsmann likes to alteration his lineup and system. The consequence was 5 mediocre to mediocre performances successful nan qualifiers, including a 2-0 conclusion successful Slovakia that could easy person been heavier. But they were convincing successful nan return fixture, sweeping their opponents speech 6-0, and won their group convincingly.

Nagelsmann will astir apt guidelines his squad from that lucifer successful Leipzig and will request passion from his players. “We person to play pinch emotion,” says Nagelsmann, who is regarded arsenic a tactical obsessive and is often seen shouting and raging successful nan method area.

The team’s accepted look for occurrence has been to adopt nan things that activity good astatine Bayern Munich and successful 1974 and 2014 that led to World Cup triumphs. The chances of a repetition initially look favourable: this play has gone exceptionally good for Germany’s only world-class club. Nagelsmann is truthful apt to trust connected a Bayern halfway of Jonathan Tah, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala and nan effect substitute Lennart Karl (with Serge Gnabry retired done injury) arsenic good arsenic Manuel Neuer, who ended his world status successful May to play successful his 5th World Cup.

But tin nan Munich axis beryllium relied upon? Musiala is retired of shape and successful caller months was not overmuch much influential for Bayern than Goretzka, who sat connected nan chair successful each nan important matches successful nan 2nd half of nan play yet still seems definite to commencement nether Nagelsmann. And Kimmich will play successful a different position for Germany than he does for Bayern: astatine right-back alternatively than successful cardinal midfield. It is simply a solution pinch risks.

Kimmich embodies a problem successful German football: location is simply a deficiency of individual class. He is surely a maestro of nan accepted virtues, but arsenic captain, because of his shortcomings successful tackles and one-on-ones, he does not measurement up to predecessors specified arsenic Lothar Matthäus, Michael Ballack aliases Philipp Lahm. Germany besides utilized to pridefulness themselves connected their goalkeepers and defenders. That, too, is lacking, contempt nan return of nan 40-year-old Neuer. Nor are location immoderate midfield strategists successful nan mould of Toni Kroos aliases Mesut Özil.

The dream lies up front. In nan No 10 role, Nagelsmann has a wide scope of options successful Florian Wirtz, Musiala, Kai Havertz and Karl, each of whom person outstanding skills. He will astir apt usage Havertz arsenic a deep-lying centre-forward arsenic location was ne'er immoderate uncertainty astir nan Arsenal forward’s method ability, only astir his efficiency. Will he beryllium much objective than he was astatine Euro 2024? He will request to beryllium because, pinch Niclas Füllkrug and Nick Woltemade still not established, this is simply a squad without a classical goalscorer.

The coach

More and much figures wrong German shot are criticising Julian Nagelsmann. Most recently, Uli Hoeness accused him of misunderstanding his role. “Our nationalist coach thinks he wins nan match. No, nan squad wins nan match,” said Bayern Munich’s still-influential honorary president. Nagelsmann has achieved small much than a tally of mixed results and he keeps making life difficult for himself pinch funny remarks. After nan 2-1 triumph complete Ghana successful March, irritated by questions, he publically rebuked his match-winner, Deniz Undav. A decade ago, arsenic a (very) young coach, he saved Hoffenheim from relegation and soon afterwards led nan nine into nan Champions League. He is only 38 years old, but nan committedness galore believed they saw successful him – that he would go a great, moreover a brilliant – has yet to beryllium fulfilled.

The prima player

Florian Wirtz combines nan qualities of a playmaker pinch those of a tireless squad subordinate successful a measurement that is exceedingly rare. “He is highly hard-working and not a classical No 10 who only wants nan ball, but personification who besides puts successful a batch of work,” said Nagelsmann, who defended Wirtz erstwhile he came successful for disapproval successful nan months aft he moved to England. Wirtz did not person a unspeakable play astatine Liverpool, but measured against his people and his transportation fee it has not been a peculiarly bully one. The aforesaid applies, to immoderate extent, to nan nationalist team. Against non-elite opponents, arsenic successful nan 4-3 triumph successful Switzerland successful March, Wirtz tin rustle everyone distant pinch his method and interplay pinch Havertz aliases Karl. But if Germany are to beryllium successful nan 23-year-old will person to execute against awesome sides.

Germany will request Florian Wirtz to time off his Liverpool troubles behind. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

One to watch

At nan property of 10, Lennart Karl had a proceedings astatine nan Bernabéu, but decided to enactment successful Germany. When he said successful January that Real Madrid was his dream nine and he decidedly wanted to play for them 1 day, immoderate Bayern fans took offence. Yet it is astir apt this substance of self-confidence and carefree easiness that defines nan 18-year-old. A twelvemonth ago, he was playing for Bayern’s under-19s; now his dribbling is feared everywhere. He made his world debut successful March. “He is calmer than I expected,” said Nagelsmann. “I had perfectly nary consciousness nan hype had gone to his head.”

Unsung hero

Nico Schlotterbeck and Antonio Rüdiger pull much attention, but Germany’s champion defender is Jonathan Tah. His spot successful nan tackle and his composure connected nan shot will beryllium crucial. Tah is not a man of galore words and comes crossed arsenic quiet disconnected nan pitch. On it, however, he seems to person recovered his role, and successful nan United States he will play his first World Cup lucifer astatine nan property of 30. “It was ne'er pleasant playing against me, because I person a definite physicality,” he told Zeit 2 years ago. “But now I’m moreover much unpleasant, because I ever support my force successful position and enactment correct connected him.”

Probable starting XI

Germany Illustration: Guardian

What to expect from fans astatine games?

“Olé, ace Deutschland, olé!” “Deutschlaand, Deutschlaaand, Deutschlaaaand!” German terrace chants cannot rather support up pinch nan productivity of Musiala’s aliases Karl’s dribbling and during nan location Euros 2 years agoNagelsmann complained that Germany’s fans were excessively quiet. Being typically German, nan DFB group up a moving group successful 2024 to amended nan atmosphere: nan AG Stimmung. “People want to sing, they conscionable request personification to show them what to sing,” said lead chanter Bengt Kunkel. However, Kunkel will not beryllium travelling to nan United States. He feels nan aforesaid arsenic galore fans, for whom this World Cup is simply excessively large and excessively expensive. Even so, location will astir apt beryllium a fewer much supporters successful nan US, Mexico and Canada than location were successful Qatar.

Relationship pinch nan US/Trump?

Much for illustration German football, it has seen amended days. At nan extremity of April, Friedrich Merz criticised Donald Trump in beforehand of schoolhouse pupils, saying he had gone to warfare pinch Iran without immoderate strategy whatsoever. Trump’s consequence was that Merz had nary thought what he was talking astir and was doing a unspeakable job. That it whitethorn not ever beryllium wise to opportunity each thought retired large is thing nan chancellor and nan nationalist coach still person to learn, nan second having had to statement backmost connected respective occasions successful his career. No 1 should expect immoderate motion of rebellion from nan DFB successful nan United States. There was immoderate chat successful Germany astir boycotting nan World Cup because of nan Greenland crisis, but only briefly. The DFB still seems traumatised by nan One Love armband matter astatine nan World Cup successful Qatar. “I’m nary longer taking portion successful nan governmental discussion,” said nan captain, Joshua Kimmich. “We’ve seen that it’s not really productive erstwhile we players speak retired politically.”

Written by Nico Horn and Oliver Fritsch for Die Zeit.