Germany enters the 2026 Men’s World Cup as a dark horse with strong self-belief after a spirited EURO 2024 performance. The team also carries the setback of two consecutive World Cup group stage exits in 2018 and 2022. Captain Joshua Kimmich, present through those failures, reports a different dressing-room atmosphere focused on collective success rather than individual care. He says national team selection is no longer automatic and should be treated as special. Germany last won the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and is seeking a return to the top.
"“Now you're sitting in the dressing room, and there's a team there,” Kimmich said in his tournament preview interview for Sports Illustrated, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “In the past, I sometimes had the feeling that some players went to the national team and only cared about themselves. Right now, I feel that it's really important to each and every one of them that we're successful as a team.”"
Read at Bavarian Football Works
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