World Cup 2026: Germany fans want hope after Jurgen Klopp’s exit

Germany fans woke up on Tuesday morning embarrassed by what happened against Paraguay in Boston.

In the year After their last World Cup success in 2014, Germany failed to qualify twice – in 2018 and 2022 – and lost in the first knockout round of the 2026 finals.

Domestically, German football is booming. Bundesliga stadiums are packed; Even third division games draw tens of thousands of viewers every weekend. But a great football nation is in danger of falling behind on the international stage. Florian Weitz, Jamal Musiala and Bayern Munich’s latest rising star, Lennart Karl, are among a new crop of players to delight their fans.

Following the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup and the embarrassing group stage at Euro 2000, the German Football Association made a fundamental change in the development of young players and the education of football coaches at the national level.

Whether the German FA can make significant changes remains to be seen.

Structural changes take time, but management change can happen immediately.

After Monday’s defeat, Nagelsmann dismissed the idea that he should resign.

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich says he hopes Nagelsmann will stay on as coach, arguing that the team is to blame for this disappointing World Cup result.

“The fact of the matter is we haven’t been able to give the people (what we want) at home,” Bayern Munich’s Kimmich said.

This is a shame, especially at a time when it would be good for Germany to have something to be proud of. The national team is not like that.

It is commendable that Kimmich and others want to take responsibility for the early exit. But the manager was leading this disgraceful campaign.

Nagelsmann was responsible for the controversial return of 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who has not looked good at times in this tournament. Nagelsmann was responsible for using Kimmich as a right-back rather than deploying him in his usual role in central midfield. It was Nagelsmann’s decision to rely on seniors like Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka.

In the year Nagelsmann’s contract, which was extended at the start of 2025, runs until Euro 2028. Dismissing a well-paid manager could be costly for the German FA, but it could be the only way to start fresh.