What’s next for Germany?
The draw for the World Cup group stage will be held on 5 December.
As of 18 November, thirty-four of the 48 teams (plus Qatar’s 32) have qualified for the World Cup. A total of seven European countries, including Germany, have secured their places. Norway will return for the first time since 1998, while Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cape Verde will all make their debuts.
After Germany’s win against Slovakia, they are set to move up to ninth in the world rankings, potentially putting them into Pot 1 for the draw. This would almost certainly mean they would avoid facing another top-10 team, but would also eliminate their chances of facing any of Mexico, Canada and the United States as the hosts are also in Pot 1 and have already been allocated a group.
When will they play their next game?
While many other European teams will be competing in the playoffs in March, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be making his final assessment of which players to include in his squad.
Two home friendlies have so far been confirmed, against Côte d’Ivoire (30 March in Stuttgart) and Finland (31 May in Mainz). A friendly match against Switzerland in Basel is also reportedly in the works. The final dress rehearsal for the World Cup is a match against the United States, one of the tournament hosts.
The tournament starts from June 11.
When will Germany’s World Cup squad be announced?
Initial indications are that the team will be announced in the last week of May, 2026. It is not yet clear whether the squad size will remain at 26, as it was for Qatar, or whether they will be expanded to 30. Given the increased number of teams and games in this tournament (from 64 to 104), FIFA is reportedly considering it.
After previous campaigns and stylish ways of announcing the squad, there is also curiosity over how and where Germany will announce their 2026 World Cup roster.
Does Germany have a chance?
Indications from their qualifying campaign are that they have an outside chance. After two consecutive World Cups that ended in the group stage, there is still a lot of work to be done for Germany as a football nation.
Julian Nagelsmann got the job done in qualifying, but there are some concerns about depth and quality in some positions. There are also a number of players like Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Marc-Andre ter Stegen who are still recovering from injuries and will need to regain form and form in the coming months.
One thing is sure that victory in Leipzig would have boosted Germany’s optimism. The hope for many fans is that individual players can maintain their form, stay fit and then perform collectively for Germany on the big stage in early 2026.
Thomas Klein contributed reporting to this article.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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