What’s next for Germany?
The draw for the World Cup group stage was made on 5 December.
As of 25 December, 42 of the 48 teams (plus Qatar’s 32) have qualified for the World Cup. A total of 12 European countries, including Germany, have secured their places. Norway is returning for the first time since 1998, while Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cape Verde will all make their debut.
Germany will face another newcomer Curacao in their group opener in Houston before taking on Ivory Coast in Toronto and finally Ecuador in New Jersey, where the final will also be played.
When will they play their next game?
While many other European teams will compete in the playoffs in March, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann will make his final assessment of which players to include in his squad.
Two home friendlies have so far been confirmed, against Switzerland (27 March in Basel), Ghana (30 March in Stuttgart) and Finland (31 May in Mainz). 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, it is also curious 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 still 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. This is part of DW Sports’ Best of 2025 series in which we revisit some of our standout features from last year. The article has been updated to reflect the World Cup draw in early December.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold