Today, Friday (3 July 2026), the German Football Association announced the resignation of Julian Nagelsmann as coach of the first team following their early exit from the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, while confirming their intention to open contacts with Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, to discuss the possibility of him taking over the leadership of the Machines in the next stage..
An official statement from the federation said: “Representatives of the interested parties and the supervisory board of the German Football Association decided today, Friday, unanimously and on the basis of a proposal from the federation president Bernd Neuendorf to immediately terminate the contract of national team coach Julian Nagelsmann.”
The statement added: “During a secret meeting with the federation’s leadership on Thursday, Nagelsmann asked to be relieved of his duties, a request that stakeholder representatives and the Supervisory Board have now agreed to.” Thus, the page of the young coach in the German national team was closed after an experience that did not lead to the desired goals..
Defeat to Paraguay ends the German dream
The German team was eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 on Monday evening, June 30, losing to Paraguay on penalties 4–3, in one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.
Immediately after the match, Nagelsmann ruled out the idea of resignation, but subsequent events within the German federation pushed matters in a different direction.
Decisive meeting in Frankfurt
Yesterday, Thursday, during an emergency meeting in Frankfurt, Nagelsmann met with the president of the German Football Association Bernd Neuendorf, the president of the German league Hans-Joachim Watzke and the managing director of the federation Andreas Rettig.
The federation’s leadership listened to the coach’s explanation of the reasons for the failure at the tournament, but seemed to be convinced of the need to achieve a change in the head of the technical staff so that resignation would become the most likely option for all parties.
Third consecutive failure at major tournaments
The exit from the 1/16 finals added a new link to the series of disappointing results of the German national team at major tournaments.
After being eliminated in the first round of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the team again failed to reach the 1/8 finals, despite the fact that the tournament was expanded to 48 teams for the first time in the history of the World Cup.
Nagelsmann took on the task with the clear goal of returning Germany to the podium, but the results did not live up to expectations.
“Dutch model inspires solutions
German federation officials were inspired by what reports called the “Dutch model” after Dutch coach Ronald Koeman quietly quit his post after his country crashed out of the tournament in Morocco in the round of 16.
In this context, Bernd Neuendorff offered Nagelsmann an orderly path to retirement that would preserve his professional status, and the coach ultimately accepted the offer, according to a report by the German sports news agency (SED).
Financial compensation upon termination of the contract
To make the mutual separation agreement more attractive, the offer presented to Nagelsmann included financial compensation equivalent to a year’s salary, although his contract was to last until the 2028 European Nations Cup final.
On Friday, Al-Sabah magazine on German Channel 1 (ARD) reported that Nagelsmann will receive seven million euros in compensation for the remainder of his contract.
Move from trust to agreement
In recent months, the coach has faced growing criticism over his public image and media style, which has contributed to eroding his credibility in German football circles.
Until his return from the United States, Nagelsmann still clung to the hope of staying, stressing that he would present “strong arguments” to officials to persuade them to continue.
Then he said that everyone in the federation knew how he thought and worked as a coach, but these arguments were not enough to change the final decision of the federation leadership, which pushed to end the mission.
Brief summary and unfulfilled hopes
Nagelsmann took over as Germany coach in September 2023, replacing Hansi Flick.
During his time with the national team, he led Germany to the 2024 European Championships on home soil but was eliminated in the quarter-finals in a dramatic 2-1 defeat to Spain before his career later ended in disappointment at the current World Cup.
Klopp tops the list of candidates
As the position nears vacancy, Jurgen Klopp’s name has emerged as the most likely candidate to take charge of the Germany national team.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coach is highly respected in German football circles and currently holds a strategic position at the Red Bull Foundation. He is also present in the United States as an analyst for World Cup matches on Magenta TV.
Reports confirm that Klopp’s name has been actively discussed for several days, while the German federation has not officially announced any potential alternative.
Uncertainty surrounds the future of Fuller and Rettig
Despite the focus on the coach’s future, the status of sporting director Rudi Völler and managing director Andreas Rettig remains unresolved at the German Football Association.
A comprehensive review of the team and its leadership is expected to take place in the coming weeks ahead of the upcoming elections.
The team will soon be due for delivery
Germany don’t have much time to lay out their cards as they prepare to play their first international match since the World Cup on September 24 against the Netherlands to open their European Nations League campaign.
The German group also includes Greece and Serbia, making the identification of a new coach an urgent priority for the German federation in the coming period.
Editor: Adel Al-Sharawat