Kimmich: We felt comfortable in Qatar… and desire alone will not take us to the cup

Immediately after arrival AThe German national team returns to its headquarters in Winston-Salem in preparation for the final round of the 2026 World Cup.Captain Joshua Kimmich sent a decisive and strongly worded message to his teammates, urging everyone to take full responsibility inside the green rectangle.

In an interview with MagentaTV, the 31-year-old star of “Bavaria” Munich said: “I hope that every player here has a real desire to become a world champion, but desire and will alone will not take us far on this path.”

“We won’t achieve anything if we are satisfied with wishful thinking, we have to immediately start working on the field to win matches. We have to start from here.”

And he begins The Germans will continue their journey in this extended World Cup on Sunday Next up in Houston, they face Curacao, who are making their historic first World Cup appearance in a group that also includes Cote d’Ivoire and Ecuador.

Kimmich highlighted the team’s hotel and training facilities at Wake Forest University for the team’s preparation, saying, “I suppose there are precise tactical reasons why we chose this location to have everything perfectly set up for us.”

However, the German captain emphasized that the quality of the luxury residence does not guarantee success in the tournament, recalling the memories of the painful past. “I felt completely comfortable and in great harmony at our residence in Qatar, and despite that, we ended up saying goodbye to the tournament in the group stage,” referring to the bitter World Cup failure nearly four years ago and warning not to repeat the same scenario on American soil.