Germany opened the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat in Bratislava, with David Hancko and David Strelec scoring for Slovakia. The result marked Germany's first ever away loss in a World Cup qualifier and the first opening-game defeat of a campaign, extending a run of competitive losses to three. The defeat was one of only two multi-goal reverses in a World Cup qualifier in recent decades. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann questioned the squad's willingness and desire despite player quality, while defender Jonathan Tah admitted loss of control and a very poor performance ahead of Northern Ireland.
"Apart from two or three injured players, these are the best quality players we have in Germany," he said. "Maybe next time, we have to call up players with less quality, but who will give everything on the pitch. I trust my players, but being simply a better player than the opponent is not enough if you don't show willingness and desire. Why do you think a team like Wiesbaden almost drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich [in the DFB-Pokal last week]? It's not because they have better quality, but because they showed emotion and desire."
1 - Germany lost the opening game of a World Cup qualifier for the first time ever. In their 52nd away game in WC qualifiers, Germany lost for the first time ever after 41 wins and 10 draws. Reality-check. pic.twitter.com/XmZfT0Tung - OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) September 4, 2025
"We lost the ball way too easily, we didn't have control over the game," the defender added. "It was a deserved loss and a very bad performance from us to
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