Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Germany are four-time winners of the World Cup and they last lifted the trophy in 2014
Get the lowdown on every team at the 2026 World Cup. Here we examine European powerhouses Germany.
Though four-time winners, Germany's last World Cup knockout match was the victorious final of 2014. Two group exits followed, painting a picture of faded glory.
But hosting Euro 2024 touched up the colours somewhat. It reminded many of the 2006 World Cup, that sun-blessed home tournament which ushered in a fresh, young, creative team that the nation adopted as its self-image.
Once more there was optimism, there was flamboyance, there was.... another 119th-minute heartbreak at the hands of the eventual champions.
Last year's Nations League Finals were a reality check, and they then lost to Slovakia in qualifying. So the picture is complex. At the last two World Cups they lost their opening game and failed to recover.
So all eyes on Curacao on 14 June in Houston – will Germany have a problem?
Elite attacking midfielders, such as Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz roaming and creating, is Germany's strongest department.
The 11th-hour return of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has soothed concerns at the other end.
Musiala is unlikely to be 100% fit and the candidates to play striker have had mixed seasons, through injury or being played out of position.
Finding the right balance from the double midfield pivot will also be a challenge.
However, the greatest obstacle to progress could be that France are looming in the last 16.
Much hinges on the fitness of Bayern Munich playmaker Jamal Musiala, who returned to action in January after breaking his leg and dislocating an ankle at the Club World Cup last summer. He played his first 90 minutes since March against Finland on 31 May.
Whether to play with a recognised striker or not has been a debate in Germany for years. The current plan is a 4-2-3-1, with Arsenal's Kai Havertz up top.
The last remaining link with the 2014 triumph, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer shocked and/or delighted much of the nation by coming out of international retirement for one last World Cup, his fifth.
Image caption, Jamal Musiala played his first game for 196 days in January but injury issues quickly resurfaced
It's a decade since Julian Nagelsmann, then 28, took over at Hoffenheim and led them into the Champions League. He then took Leipzig to the semi-finals, but at Bayern he was sacked. He is 16 months younger than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
They recovered from an opening defeat in Slovakia – only their fourth-ever loss in World Cup qualifying – to win four in a row and top the group.
All of Germany's matches will also be covered live on the BBC Sport website and app with updates, analysis, and fan reaction. Come and be part of it!
With no traditional centre forward in the Germany squad, the excited recipient of the Number 9 jersey is Stuttgart winger Jamie Leweling.
Upon hearing the news, he changed his profile pic on Instagram to an image of his face, with Ronaldo's (in)famous triangle haircut from 2002.
Ultimately, it was a Japanese cross, kept in play by millimetres before being bundled into the Spanish net, that caused Germany's group-stage exit from Qatar 2022. The thickness of a thermally-bonded polyurethane panel – the difference between going on, and going home.
But even the most die-hard fan of Die Mannschaft would accept there were more macro factors at play to explain Germany's second World Cup failure in a row.
Some commentators said their traditional values, centred around physicality, were outdated, and that the coaching system should instead promote freedom of expression. In defence of tradition, Germany legend Bastian Schweinsteiger blamed former Bayern coach Pep Guardiola for importing "short-pass" football into the Bundesliga, which spread contagiously, wiping out those traditional values.
It's doubtful any of the old guard, who triumphed through mental fortitude and reliability, would ever have imagined a German World Cup campaign unravelling in chaos as the goalkeeper lost possession while dribbling around the edge of the opposition box, as Manuel Neuer did in 2018.
So coach Julian Nagelsmann has had to wrestle with the arguments above – what should his Germany be? The available evidence suggests a marriage of flair and solid fundamentals. The former, at least, shouldn't be a problem.
How have Germany's done at previous World Cups?
Germany's tally of eight finals is a record. Since winning their fourth World Cup in 2014 they have gone out of the group stage in both Russia and Qatar, winning only one game at each tournament.
Sources: BBC Sport
