​After what had promised to be a solid overall showing for the German national team at EURO 2024 on home soil—where they were a Marc Cucurella non-called handball away from advancing to the semifinals—Die Mannschaft tumbled back to earth at this summer’s World Cup. There had been a renewed sense of optimism emerging from the EUROs under Julian Nagelsmann, a reaction to the disastrous World Cups of 2022 in Qatar and 2018 in Russia when Germany failed to escape their group, and EURO 2020, which carried the aura of Joachim Löw’s final act as manager. The prospect of a managerial transition loomed large, and crashing out against England at Wembley in the round of 16 felt a little less painful, even as the memory of THAT Thomas Müller 1v1 miss against Jordan Pickford in the second half continued to haunt German fans.
Now, change is on the horizon again, with Jürgen Klopp poised to take over the Germany job to replace Nagelsmann after the DFB essentially allowed him a graceful exit rather than forcing a dismissal following the World Cup exit. While the remaining details are sorted, Klopp will complete his punditry duties with MagentaTV and will eventually trigger the release clause in his contract with Red Bull GmbH, which designates him as their head of global football specifically to pursue the Germany position. The prospect of Klopp coaching the national team is a dream many Germans have been pursuing since his departure from Liverpool. The time, finally, seems right to turn that dream into reality and to restore Germany to the summit it enjoyed in 2014 in Brazil.
The big question now is whether the 2026 World Cup setback and Klopp’s arrival can fuel inspired runs at EURO 2028 and the World Cup 2030. Klopp has a storied résumé: he led Mainz to promotion to the Bundesliga, guided Borussia Dortmund to Meisterschale glory and DFB-Pokal success, and —
most notably — delivered every major club trophy with Liverpool, breaking their 30-year title drought by clinching the Premier League in the 2019/20 season. He has navigated countless high-stakes finals and experiences, albeit on the club stage, and he now stands ready to translate that pedigree to national-team management.
It would be inaccurate to diminish Nagelsmann’s contributions; he is a coach with a two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal, a DFL-Supercup, a Premier League title, a Champions League crown, two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup, and a Community Shield to his name, a trophy haul that pales in comparison to the array of honours Klopp collects elsewhere, including Nagelsmann’s own Bundesliga triumph with Bayern Munich. Still, when it comes to international competition, experience and pedigree on the world’s biggest stages matter just as much for players and for those guiding them. Klopp brings a level of exposure and leadership that Germany has not seen in some time, and his appointment could mark a new era in the national-team setup with a view toward longer-term success on the global stage.