German football has not been the same since 2016. A valiant effort at EURO 2016 saw Germany exit in the semi-finals to the hosts. Since then, Germany has not reached the semi-finals of any major tournament since (sorry Confederations Cup). Take a look at Germany before then and Die Mannschaft were virtually guaranteed to appear in the semi-finals of each tournament. However, former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann has given the nation reason for optimism.
Germany picked up form heading into EURO 2024 but were eliminated out of their own tournament, by a controversial finish against the eventual winners. No shame in that. However, Germany proved they can play with the top teams and were potentially the deserving champions of that tournament. Now heading towards The 2026 World Cup, Nagelsmann wants to win, and thinks they can as well.
“We want to become world champions. For all the experts [that criticized him] ‘Want’, not: We will be world champions. There’s a big difference. We want to give everything for that, and I’m confident that we can achieve it,” Nagelsmann told Digital X.
Refreshing to hear after an era of disappointment that there is strong optimism building. As for the squad, Nagelsmann confirmed “we won’t change too much” and for the most part, that seems to be a good thing. Wirtz, Musiala, and others are playing the best football of their career and if they get some help from the team, Germany could be among the favorites.
Nagelsmann went on to add that they have to use every minute wisely in preparation, so every game will be important from here out. Apart from defensive issues showed against Netherlands, the Germans look great so there is no reason to rule them out of winning the World Cup. Will the World Cup return to Germany after a 12-year wait?
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