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Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted that his team's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign fell well below expectations after their Round of 32 exit, saying the four-time champions could no longer consider themselves among football's elite following a third successive early elimination at the tournament.
Germany's campaign ended in disappointment after a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay following a 1-1 draw after extra time, marking one of the biggest upsets of the competition. Reflecting on the result, Nagelsmann, as quoted by ESPN, acknowledged the team's decline on the world stage. "If you exit after the first stage, it's not enough for German football. This is now the third elimination in a row, so we are not part of the first-class teams any more. I am disappointed," Nagelsmann said, as per the ESPN report. Despite the disappointing campaign, the German coach made it clear that he was willing to remain in charge if the German Football Association (DFB) retained faith in him. "If the DFB wants me, I am going to continue. I know a lot of people want me to leave, but I would love to continue if the DFB want me. I'll give my arguments to my boss," he said. Nagelsmann admitted public opinion was unlikely to be in his favour following Germany's latest World Cup disappointment. "If there was a survey today in Germany, people aren't going to talk about me positively, obviously. We have not done much during this tournament," he said, as quoted by ESPN. The German coach, however, insisted he would not walk away from the job despite the criticism. "I'm not someone who runs away," Nagelsmann said. The defeat marked Germany's earliest exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026, while Paraguay progressed to the Round of 16 after a memorable night defined by VAR controversy, defensive resilience and clinical finishing from the penalty spot. It was also only their second defeat on penalties at a major international tournament, the first coming against Czechoslovakia in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final (5-3), as per OptaJoe. The result also ranks among the biggest knockout upsets in modern World Cup history. Germany entered the tournament ranked 10th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Paraguay were 41st, a gap of 31 places. Since 1994, only three World Cup knockout eliminations have featured a larger rankings disparity: Spain's defeat to Russia in 2018 (60 places), Italy's loss to South Korea in 2002 (34 places), and Spain's quarter-final exit to South Korea in 2002 (32 places). (ANI)
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