Germany Made It Out of the Group Stage — But Something Feels Off

The good news: Germany advanced to the knockout rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time since winning the whole thing in 2014.

The bad news: Nothing about this tournament has felt quite right.

A Long Road Back

After humiliating early exits at both the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, simply surviving the group stage feels like a win again. That matters. Germany is a proud football nation with four World Cup titles, and crashing out before the knockout rounds twice in a row was painful for everyone involved.

But as former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp put it bluntly after Germany’s final group game — a 2-1 loss to Ecuador — "We can play better, and we must play better."

On Monday, Germany heads to Boston to play their Round of 32 match (most likely against Paraguay). They have a lot of work to do between now and then.

The Bright Spots

To be fair, it hasn’t all been doom and gloom.

• Germany opened the tournament with a dominant 7-1 thrashing of Curaçao
• They came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1
• Young left-back Nathaniel Brown has been exciting to watch, adding creative attacking runs from his defensive position
• Forward Jamal Musiala and playmaker Florian Wirtz showed flashes of brilliance (even if they’ve been inconsistent overall)

Germany proved they can score goals. They proved they can fight back. The raw talent is clearly there.

The Problems (And There Are Several)

Injuries on Defense

Center-back Nico Schlotterbeck suffered an ankle injury during the second game and is done for the tournament. That’s a big blow — Germany’s defense already looked shaky even with him.

Midfield Isn’t Clicking

The midfield partnership of Aleksandar Pavlović and Felix Nmecha (often called a "double pivot" — think of them as two players sitting in front of the defense whose job is to control the ball and protect the back line) hasn’t been working the way the coaching staff hoped.

Star Players Are Struggling

Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala — two of Germany’s most exciting young talents — haven’t been able to shake off the mediocre form they carried over from their club seasons. Musiala in particular has looked a long way from his best ever since recovering from an ankle fracture he suffered last year.

The Goalkeeper Question

Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer came out of international retirement at age 40 to rejoin the team. It was a last-minute shake-up, and his performances have raised eyebrows. At the stage of the tournament where mistakes are punished most harshly, having an aging goalkeeper finding his rhythm is a genuine worry.

A Country Divided Over Its Own Team

Here’s where things get really interesting — and kind of weird.

TV ratings in Germany are roughly double what they were during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. After fans were deeply unhappy with that tournament (many wanted Germany to boycott it), engagement has returned. Flags are flying from cars and balconies. Kids are painting their faces. Shops are packed with World Cup merchandise.

Outwardly, Germany looks united behind its team again.

But look closer, and the mood is strange. There’s no real optimism. Instead, there’s confusion — coaches, players, pundits, and fans all seem to be pulling in different directions.

The Klopf Drama

Even before the World Cup began, famous pundit Jürgen Klopp (yes, the guy who used to manage Liverpool) managed to make almost everyone annoyed.

In his TV role, Klopp suggested that head coach Julian Nagelsmann should bench star player Jamal Musiala and start Deniz Undav from Stuttgart instead. He wasn’t necessarily wrong — Musiala hasn’t been playing well — but this topic is so sensitive in Germany that Klopp’s comment caused an uproar.

Then Klopp made it worse. When asked about the controversy, he basically said not to worry because Nagelsmann was the coach… "for now."

What does "for now" even mean?

It was a silly comment, and Klopp apologized for it. But the damage was done. The controversy around Musiala vs. Undav had officially begun — and it wouldn’t go away.

The Undav Saga

The story of Deniz Undav and the World Cup memes deserves its own chapter.

Back in April, after Undav scored a winning goal in a friendly against Ghana, Nagelsmann was asked in a press conference whether Undav deserved a starting spot at the World Cup. His answer was… clumsy. He basically suggested that Undav is better suited as a substitute — someone who comes off the bench when opposing defenders are tired.

That sounds reasonable in theory — but the way Nagelsmann phrased it made it seem like he was making fun of Undav’s fitness. Realizing he’d messed up, Nagelsmann called Undav to apologize. So far, so good.

Problem solved, right? Nope.

German social media users ran with the joke. Thousands of memes are now circulating making fun of Nagelsmann for refusing to start Undav — similar to the viral memes that followed Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti and his reluctance to play young striker Endrick.

Here’s the thing, though: Undav kept proving Nagelsmann’s point — perfectly.

When Germany played Ivory Coast, Undav came off the bench and scored two spectacular goals. His first was an instinctive equalizer just eight minutes after entering. His second was a lightning-fast finish that was one of the best goals of the entire tournament.

The irony: Undav has been incredible as a substitute, which actually validates Nagelsmann’s decision. But fans meme’d it so much that the narrative became "Nagelsmann is too stubborn to start him."

When Undav didn’t get a start against Ecuador, the memes exploded again.

The Leroy Sané Situation

There’s also controversy around winger Leroy Sané. Some fans find it genuinely baffling that he keeps getting picked for the starting lineup. To critics, it looks like Nagelsmann is being stubborn and refusing to adjust based on performances. Whether that criticism is fair or not is debatable — but the noise around it has added to an atmosphere that just doesn’t feel right.

Drama Off the Pitch Too

After the Ecuador loss, things got heated in post-game interviews. Veteran TV host Johannes B. Kerner asked Nagelsmann a pretty standard question: with Germany already qualified in first place, did the players’ desire drop because the result didn’t matter?

Nagelsmann snapped back: "Stop with this nonsense. Honestly, why wouldn’t the boys give everything?"

The question wasn’t unfair — it’s the kind of thing reporters ask all the time. But Nagelsmann’s defensive reaction didn’t comfort anyone, especially after a genuinely poor performance.

It also didn’t help that when team captain Joshua Kimmich and Undav were asked in separate interviews what went wrong, both said Ecuador’s players had simply "wanted it more."

The media pounced on that phrase. Nagelsmann later tried to clarify that he was actually talking about taking risks and creating chances, while Kimmich and Undav were talking about technical improvements needed before the knockout match. But headlines don’t care about nuance — and critics of Nagelsmann now have yet another reason to doubt him.

Summary: Where Things Stand

• Germany advanced to the knockout stage for the first time since 2014
• They’ve shown they can score goals but have clear weaknesses in defense and midfield
• Injuries (Schlotterbeck), inconsistent form (Musiala, Wirtz), and an aging goalkeeper (Neuer) are all concerns
• Off the pitch, controversy around player selection (Undav, Sané) and public drama (Klopp, Nagelsmann’s press conferences) is creating a tense atmosphere
• Behind the flags and high TV ratings, German football feels unusually divided and unsettled

Germany is still alive in the World Cup. But "alive" and "feeling good about things" are very different things right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there so much controversy around Deniz Undav?
Coach Nagelsmann once said Undav was better as a substitute than a starter. Even though Undav has been spectacular off the bench, fans turned it into a meme, portraying Nagelsmann as too stubborn to start him. The joke took on a life of its own on social media.

Why did Jürgen Klopp cause drama before the World Cup?
In his TV punditry role, Klopp suggested Musiala should be benched and Undav should start. Then he awkwardly added that Nagelsmann was the coach "for now," which sounded like he was hinting Nagelsmann could get fired. Klopp apologized, but the controversy stuck.

Is Jamal Musiala injured?
Not currently, but he’s still recovering from form issues after an ankle fracture he suffered last year at the Club World Cup. He hasn’t been playing close to his best football.

Who is Germany likely to play next?
In the Round of 32 on Monday in Boston, Germany is almost certainly set to face Paraguay at Gillette Stadium.

Why did Germany’s TV ratings double from 2022?
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was deeply unpopular in Germany — many fans wanted the team to boycott it due to human rights concerns. That tournament also featured terrible on-field performances that left fans feeling disconnected. This time, the enthusiasm has returned, and Germans are engaged again — even if the feelings are complicated.