Germany’s head coach said the country was no longer one of football’s elite sides, after a shock defeat to Paraguay on Monday night led to the team’s third early World Cup exit in a row.
The four-time world champions drew 1-1 against Paraguay, who began the tournament more than 30 places below Germany in Fifa’s global rankings. Paraguay went on to win on penalties, the first time Germany has lost a World Cup shootout.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña declared a national holiday on Tuesday to celebrate the team’s historic victory. “Paraguay never gives up! Holiday damn it!!” Peña wrote on X.
Germany’s loss in the Boston Stadium is the latest in a string of World Cup disappointments, and is set to prompt a period of soul searching among the country’s football establishment. The team also failed to escape the group stages in Qatar in 2022 and in Russia in 2018.
Germany’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann said the result was “very bitter”, adding: “This is the third elimination in a row, so we are not part of the first-class teams any more.”
Shortly after the game ended, Nagelsmann insisted he was “ready” to lead the team into Euro 28, the next big tournament, and complained about the referee’s decision to disallow a German goal. But he conceded that the team’s performance “simply wasn’t enough” and acknowledged that his future was now in doubt. “If I’m no longer wanted, then they’ll have to talk to me.”
German newspapers reacted with dismay. “The dwarfing of a once-great footballing nation,” wrote Der Spiegel, while Bild described the result as: “The next German football nightmare.”
German forward Kai Havertz said: “I’m lost for words. My second World Cup, and we’ve blown it twice. The only thing I can say is I’m sorry. We’re all disappointed. We had big plans for this year.”
Germany are now ranked 12th in the world by Fifa, down from 1st in June 2018. “Probably we need to do a big change,” said Nagelsmann.
The defeat comes at a time when the EU’s largest nation is struggling more broadly with its self-image after suffering years of economic stagnation.
The car industry that powered Germany’s postwar Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) is facing an existential threat from China. The national train network is plagued by delays after years of under-investment. The far-right Alternative for Germany is leading in the polls.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, himself facing deep public discontent with his leadership after little more than a year in the job, caused bemusement with a social media post after the match.
“Even though the elimination hurts: What a game!” he wrote on X. “With your commitment and team spirit at this World Cup, you have thrilled our country. We are proud of you.”
The tabloid Bild described his post as “strange”. It said that many fans were wondering which match the chancellor had actually watched, as his assessment bore no resemblance to the “slow, boring, lethargic” German performance.
The Netherlands, another powerhouse of European football, also exited the tournament on Monday night after losing on penalties to Morocco. The Dutch had been ahead until the dying moments of the game, when an injury-time Moroccan equaliser forced the match into extra time.
Morocco have emerged as a rising force in global football in recent years, reaching the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.
This summer’s World Cup has also left Italian football in a state of crisis. Like Germany, Italy have been crowned world champions four times, but failed to qualify for the tournament after losing a play-off match to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a team ranked 61st in the world. The result led to the resignation of both the head coach and the president of the Italian football federation.
Italy has not qualified for a World Cup since 2014, and has failed to get past the group stages since 2006.
