Germany manager update: Julian Nagelsmann out – Jurgen Klopp in?

Germany were knocked out of the 2026 World Cup in the round of 32 stage, after they lost 4-3 against Paraguay on penalties. 

The four-time World Cup winners saw one of the greatest World Cup upsets in recent memory, after the last 32 tie had finished 1-1 after extra time.

In the sudden death, Bayern Munich defender Jonathan Tah blazed over for Germany before defender Jose Canale scored the decisive kick to send Paraguay through to the round of 16.

Germany managerial shake up: Julian Nagelsmann out?

In the previous two World Cup, Germany failed to cross the group stages, and spotlight falls on Julian Nagelsmann after this inexcusable performance.

Christian Falk said exclusively to CFBayern Insider:

“The disallowed Jonathan Tah goal was difficult to stomach, but it’s all part of the game. Ultimately, if you need a goal like this in extra time to get past Paraguay, then you have to question whether it’s even a German-esque victory.

“You have to win in normal time – that is the typically German way. More to the point, if you can’t raise your game against Paraguay, you have to worry about how we would have fared against Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola. Better, perhaps, for Germany to be out now rather than face a potentially embarrassing scoreline against the World Cup favourites.”

According to Sky Sports, Nagelsmann could be on his way out, but at the moment no decision has been taken.

Nagelsmann has said that he will not resign, and if the DFB want him to continue until 2028, he will do so. However, if they have faith in him, he would resign.

Jurgen Klopp to become next Germany boss?

There are suggestions that Jurgen Klopp could be interested in taking charge of Germany if the DFB approach him.

Klopp is currently not in management after leaving Liverpool, but he would be interested in a project of this magnitude.

Christian Falk explains the situation: 

I wrote a piece for The Telegraph – discussing the virtues of Thomas Tuchel and Jürgen Klopp – that, on reflection, feels somewhat timely given Germany’s exit from the World Cup. Not to mention the questions that must now follow around Julian Nagelsmann’s continued helmanship of the national team. Tuchel, of course, can’t be considered a potential successor at this point while he continues to manage England. But perhaps that isn’t such a big problem, because while the former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich boss is undoubtedly respected in his native Germany, he’s not loved – not like Klopp. And let’s be clear: everyone loves Jürgen Klopp. He’s not only a very, very good manager (like Tuchel), he’s also a very sympathetic character. Everyone genuinely adores him; the team loves him, the supporters love him, and Germany loves him too. That’s why we think the next Bundestrainer should be Jürgen Klopp.

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The great pity is that we still have a Bundestrainer at the helm, and that’s Julian Nagelsmann. But I think, given there will be talks taking place in the coming days when the team is back in Frankfurt (and also when all the bosses are present), they will talk about the future of Nagelsmann. He didn’t say that he would step down – that’s a pity. After such a tournament, stepping down is probably the right thing to do. I can see why he didn’t; he has two years left on his current deal. So the 38-year-old will earn a lot of money if he stays put. Of course, the same can be said if Germany sack him! This is the way it should be, because everyone really wants to see Jürgen Klopp leading the country. The best thing about this scenario is that it means England can’t take him away again! You can keep Tuchel, and we’ll get Jürgen Klopp.

The former Liverpool boss has every skill that Nagelsmann is missing. I heard from the camp that he wasn’t talking to the players, and everyone was wondering why. In Germany, we have a word, “besserwisser”, which roughly translates to someone who always knows better than everyone else what the best way is to do something. But if you’re like this, then you kind of need to back that up with results.