Germany rethinks its World Cup hopes after tough losses to France and Portugal.

 Berlin, June 9 – Germany’s national football team got a tough reality check ahead of the 2026 World Cup, after finishing last in a mini-tournament it had been expected to win. The UEFA Nations League final four, held in Germany, was supposed to prove that coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad could compete with Europe’s best. Instead, back-to-back losses — 2-1 to Portugal in Munich and 2-0 to France in Stuttgart — showed just how far behind Germany is.

Portugal, France, and Spain looked like strong contenders for next year’s World Cup, along with defending champions Argentina. Germany, meanwhile, struggled to finish chances and lacked the sharpness shown by its rivals.

Nagelsmann tried to stay positive, pointing out that Germany had dominated the first half against France and created many scoring chances. But France coach Didier Deschamps had already said the third-place match didn’t mean much to them, and it showed — at least in the first half. Still, France scored twice — Kylian Mbappé netted one and set up another — and could have scored more in front of their Stuttgart supporters.

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich summed it up: “If you look at the first half, honestly, they weren’t even trying that hard. But they still won.”

The match against Portugal told a similar story. Germany had the lead but couldn’t hold it. Portuguese coach Roberto Martínez made game-changing substitutions, and only some excellent goalkeeping by Marc-André ter Stegen kept the scoreline respectable.

Nagelsmann pointed to injuries as part of the problem, with key players like Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, and Antonio Rüdiger missing. But France also had absentees, including Ousmane Dembélé and three regular defenders — and still came out on top.

Even with a full-strength squad, Germany seems to lag behind when it comes to depth and young talent. Spain, for example, has nine players young enough for the Under-21 Euros, including 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal and new Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen, who already looks seasoned despite just four senior games.

Nagelsmann admitted that rebuilding the team will take time. “It’s clear now — we need to stop thinking we can fix this in a year,” he said. He highlighted long-standing weaknesses, such as the lack of quality wingbacks, and players like Kimmich being played out of position.

He said the team must learn from this and focus on long-term development. “It would be great if one or two players could step up in time for the World Cup, but time is short,” Nagelsmann said.

He asked the media to be patient and supportive, saying he believes Germany can still deliver a strong World Cup qualifying campaign and do well in the tournament next summer in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

“You need to trust us a little,” he told reporters. “We’re all in the same boat.”

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