Germany
GER · UEFA
Head Coach
Julian Nagelsmann
Julian Nagelsmann leads Germany into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, tasked with guiding the squad through a competitive Group E and beyond. The coaching staff has been preparing tactical approaches tailored to the expanded 48-team tournament format.
Group Stage Venue
Houston
Germany will play their group stage matches in Houston. The 2026 World Cup is the first to be hosted across three nations — the United States, Mexico, and Canada — with matches spread across 16 world-class venues.
Squad (23 players)
Goalkeepers
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards
Recent Form & Current State
Germany qualified comfortably through UEFA qualification under Julian Nagelsmann. After hosting Euro 2024 and showing improvement, the team has continued to develop around their exciting young core of Musiala and Wirtz. They are determined to bounce back after consecutive group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022.
Form heading into a major tournament is often a key indicator of how far a team can progress. Germany, currently ranked #10 in the FIFA World Rankings, will look to carry momentum from their recent qualifying and friendly campaigns into the group stage. Consistency in results and squad cohesion built during the qualification cycle will be vital assets. The UEFArepresentatives will be eager to demonstrate their quality on the world's biggest stage in 2026.
World Cup History
Germany are four-time World Cup champions (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) and have appeared in 20 editions. They hold the record for most finals appearances with eight. However, they suffered shock group-stage eliminations in both 2018 and 2022.
The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, and Germany's history in the competition provides important context for their 2026 campaign. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams for the first time, every nation faces both new opportunities and new challenges in the revamped group stage format featuring groups of four with the top two advancing to a 32-team knockout round. Germany will aim to write a new chapter in their World Cup story at this historic edition of the tournament.
Group E Opponents
Germany faces Ecuador and Ivory Coast and Curaçao in Group E. The top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 32. Group dynamics, head-to-head records, and tactical matchups will all play a role in determining which teams progress from this stage.