Who are they playing?
are in Group A of European World Cup qualifying for the where they are to face Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. Their campaign starts this September and will all be done and dusted by the middle of November, provided Germany meet their expectations and top the group. If they don’t and finish second they will have to play in playoffs in March 2026.
First up is, in Bratislava (September 4) and then in Cologne (September 7). A month later, Germany host (October 10) and then travel to Belfast to play Northern Ireland (October 13). Finally in November, Germany don’t have to go far to play Luxembourg away (November 14) and then host Slovakia in Leipzig (November 17) to finish off.
Are they in form?
Yes and no. After a slow start, Germany have looked really bright under but they haven’t been able to find a way past the top sides. In the Nations League, there was a feeling that the hosts missed a chance to replicate some of the football fever that swept across the nation at the European Championship in Germany in 2024. Ronaldo’s in a second half in which they crumbled, to in the third-place playoff as the Final Four started the summer on the wrong foot.
However, after a break, and with a very manageable schedule ahead for the rest of 2025, the expectation is that Germany can get back in the groove and reignite the optimism around the team going into the World Cup next year. Much will lie on the shoulders of superstar and new Liverpool signing Florian Wirtz, who at Euro 2024.
Is everyone fit?
Absolutely not. Germany are enduring one of their worst injury crises in recent memory. , Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kai Havertz, Tim Kleindienst, Nico Schlotterbeck, Benjamin Henrichs, Niklas Süle, and Tom Bischof are all unavailable. This is far from ideal for Nagelsmann, who is looking to increase understanding between his established group of players. However, it does present an opportunity for Germany’s younger hopefuls to perhaps take an unexpected chance.
The squad for the games in September includes three new players, goalkeeper Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), defender Nnamdi Collins (Frankfurt), and midfielder Paul Nebel (Mainz). Collins is perhaps the most intriguing, given he can play in both central defense and right back. Nagelsmann recently stated that captain Joshua Kimmich will be playing in central midfield from here on out, opening up the right back spot.
Other youngsters such as Nathaniel Brown (Frankfurt), Max Rosenfelder () and Nicolas Kühn (Como) are in with a chance of being called up for October’s games, providing they can overcome their injuries. Nagelsmann admitted the trio were on his list, but injury kept them out this time.
What is the expectation?
Even with the injuries Germany have going into the campaign, they are resounding favorites in all of their match-ups. Julian Nagelsmann’s team is ranked ninth in the world. Slovakia are number 52, Northern Ireland 71 and Luxembourg 92. The ideal outcome is six wins, lots of goals and clarity about what the squad will look like.
“We are the favorites,” Nagelsmann said in August. “We have already set ourselves the goal of dominating the group. That means we can’t allow any doubts to creep into our game. Unfortunately, that’s what and Portugal. We want to build up momentum, and there’s not much time left in the new year to do so. It’s all about showing dominance.”
Do that and Germany will top the group and can spend December analyzing their World Cup opponents because on December 5, the draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup will take place.
As of September 1, qualified teams for the 48-team (up from 32 in Qatar) World Cup include , , , , as well as debutants and Uzbekistan. , and have booked their tickets from South America, while are also in. With , and the already qualified as hosts, their group allocation has already been decided. With Mexico playing in the opening game in the Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, Germany could be their opponent if they land in A2. If they are drawn in Group B, they will face Canada and if they are drawn in Group D they will face the USA.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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