Vivien Endemann got things going right away in the sixth minute with a clever off-the-shoulder run that Linda Dallmann spotted from midfield. The winger, operating on the accustomed flank of the injured Klara Bühl, found herself all alone in the box with defenders trailing behind and finished calmly with a left-foot slotted ball through the keeper's legs.
Germany have quite an exciting year ahead. With a couple interesting friendlies in March, it only gets more interesting as Germany will look to redeem themselves at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after two extremely disappointing World Cups for Die Mannschaft. Soon after that tournament, the Germans will look to put together another strong campaign in the UEFA Nations League.
The striker has an extensive career of playing through the German football leagues, spending the majority of his career in the 2. Bundesliga, as well as the German top flight. However, Kleindienst has only improved with age and over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, reached new heights. Kleindienst hit his highest goal tally in the Bundesliga last season with an impressive 16 goals last season with Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Germany were met with a lot of criticism for their gesture in Qatar, but Jurgen Mittag, a professor of sports politics at the German Sport University Cologne, believes had they made the quarterfinals things might have been different. "But as it was, they were met with a great deal of ridicule because they were symbolically strong but sportingly weak," Mittag told DW.
Although Klopp is currently working as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, a role he assumed after leaving Liverpool in 2024, those close to him insist he has never lost the itch for elite coaching. Real Madrid remain a dream for Jurgen Klopp Red Bull provides him with strategic responsibility and a multi-club sporting vision, but it lacks the emotional, competitive intensity of day-to-day management, something Klopp has admitted he still feels deeply connected to.
We kick things off with this rather typical goal, which admittedly was not anything special. Aleksandar Pavlović passed to Leon Goretzka, who then threaded it to Serge Gnabry, who made no mistake from close range. A goal that really didn't mean too much in the grand scheme of things, but this writer included it because of the Bayern Munich connection.
Noted pundit Didi Hamann is getting worried about Liverpool star Florian Wirtz and how his recent form could impact his performance with the German national team. "If this continues until February or March, it wouldn't be good," Hamann told Sport1. "We saw in the international matches that he lacks confidence and is currently performing far below his potential." When asked if he thought Wirtz was putting his spot on the team at risk, Hamann dismissed that notion.
Germany's Das Reboot roadmap that took a hard look at the grassroots youth academies throughout the country throughout the mid 2000's ultimately reached a crescendo into their 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil. Reanalyzing the way they looked at investing in their youth throughout German football and changing tactics in an ever-changing footballing landscape, especially in international competition, Die Mannschaft were able to get back on their perch in Brazil,
The Germany national team will play a friendly match against Switzerland in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup. The game will be played in Basel, Switzerland, on the 27th of March. It is one of the two friendlies to be played in the March international window. Originally, Germany was supposed to play against Ivory Coast, but the game was canceled after the two sides drew each other in the World Cup group stage.
Germany's last two FIFA World Cup outings have been disastrous. The four time World Champions first failed to make it out of the group stage in 2018 under Joachim Löw after losing final game against Soouth Korea 2-0. A similar fate awaited Hansi Flick in the 2022 World Cup when Germany's 2-1 loss to Japan and 1-1 draw to Spain was only enough to secure a one way ticket back home. After two monumental disappointments, Julian Nagelsman will be hoping for brighter fortunes, but the odds may already be stacked against 38-year-old manager.
Their profligacy is not a new concern; it was evident during last summer's Euros, particularly in the quarterfinal against France and the semifinal against Spain. But this time it hurt them more than it should have. In many ways, it was a near-perfect performance. Germany created wave after wave of opportunities, pushed Spain deep into their own half, and left goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger with little to do. Yet the one thing they needed, and arguably deserved, never came: a goal.
Led by a core of five Bayern players, Germany claimed a comprehensive 6-0 win over Group A rivals Slovakia in their final game of World Cup qualifying to secure their place in next summer's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA. "The World Cup is the greatest thing there is. We're not used to it being so tight in Germany, so I'm really happy," said Joshua Kimmich, who captained the team in Leipzig on Monday.
Germany have done it. They have officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico after a comprehensive 6-0 routing over Slovakia at the RedBull Arena in Leipzig. The Germans were far and away the better side on the night and, quite arguably, could have sent Slovakia packing by more than a six-goal margin, as Julian Nagelsmann's Die Mannschaft side were exceptionally better than they were for their lackluster 2-0 win at Luxembourg last week.
Such was their dominance that their 4-0 lead at the break could have been even bigger, and the final score of 6-0 was in no way flattering. Nick Woltemade's fourth goal in three games was followed by a goal made in Munich but scored by Serge Gnabry for Germany. The returning Leroy Sane continued his fine form and added two of his own, with the second the perfect example of Germany's intensity.
