Julian Nagelsmann has said what German football fans have been dreading to hear: the national team is no longer first-class. The admission came after Germany’s early exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Germany lost to Paraguay 1-1, then fell 4-3 on penalties in the Round of 32. For a team that topped its group, the knockout-stage collapse was particularly brutal.
From group winners to early flight home
This is now the third consecutive major tournament where Germany has failed to meet even baseline expectations. In 2018, they were eliminated in the group stage as defending champions. In 2022, another group-stage exit. The 2026 edition offered a slightly different flavor of failure, advancing from the group only to immediately stumble in the first knockout round.
Nagelsmann’s honest assessment
