Germany at the World Cup 2026: Squad, fixtures, group and history

Four-time winners Germany were looking for another long run in the competition at FIFA World Cup 2026. Julian Nagelsmann's side, led by captain Joshua Kimmich, topped Group E ahead of Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador and Curaçao, but lost to Paraguay on penalties in the round of 32.

Below you will find everything you need to know about Germany at the 2026 World Cup: their fixtures, squad, qualifying record, key players, coach and tournament history.

Germany at the World Cup 2026: At a glance

Coach: Julian Nagelsmann
Captain: Joshua Kimmich
World Cup appearances: 21
Best finish: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)

Germany's World Cup matches

Group E: Winners

14 June: Germany 7-1 Curaçao (Houston)
20 June: Germany 2-1 Côte d'Ivoire (Toronto)
25 June: Ecuador 2-1 Germany (New York)

Knockout stage

29 June – round of 32: Germany 1-1 Paraguay (Paraguay win 4-3 on pens, Boston)

Germany's World Cup squad

Manuel Neuer was recalled for Germany's 26-man World Cup squad, and they had a wealth of talent in attacking positions, not least Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané, Florian Wirtz and forwards Kai Havertz, Deniz Undav and Nick Woltemade.

How Germany qualified for the World Cup

First place in Group A: W5 D0 L1 F16 A3

Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Germany 3-1 Northern Ireland
Germany 4-0 Luxembourg
Northern Ireland 0-1 Germany
Luxembourg 0-2 Germany
Germany 6-0 Slovakia

Top scorer: Nick Woltemade (4 goals)

Germany coach: Julian Nagelsmann

Forced to retire from playing aged 20, Nagelsmann became a coaching prodigy. At 28, he became the Bundesliga's youngest-ever coach when he took charge at Hoffenheim in 2016, and he was the youngest-ever UEFA Champions League coach when he led his side into the 2018/19 group stage at 31. He then spent two seasons at Leipzig and two more at Bayern München, winning the 2021/22 Bundesliga title before taking the Germany job in 2023. He was the youngest coach in finals history, at 36, when he led hosts Germany to the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2024.

Germany captain: Joshua Kimmich

A versatile defensive midfielder who became a brilliant right-back under the influence of Pep Guardiola at Bayern, Kimmich has over 100 Germany caps. He made his senior club debut at Leipzig before switching to Bayern in 2015, where he has now won ten league titles, in addition to the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League. First capped in 2016, he was named as Germany team captain in September 2024.

Germany's World Cup history 

Most appearances: Lothar Matthäus (25)
Top scorer: Miroslav Klose (16)
Best performance: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
World Cup 2022: Group stage

The joint-most successful European side in World Cups with four wins (the same as Italy), behind only Brazil. Four-time runners-up, they have appeared in more World Cup finals than any other side, but failed to get through the group stage at the 2018 and 2022 finals, and fell at the first knockout hurdle in 2026.

Germany's UEFA Nations League fixtures: Group A2

24 September: Netherlands vs Germany (20:45)
27 September: Germany vs Greece (20:45)
1 October: Germany vs Serbia (20:45)
4 October: Greece vs Germany (20:45)
13 November: Serbia vs Germany (20:45)
16 November: Germany vs Netherlands (20:45)

All times CET.