Germany’s focus on developing for 2026 World Cup, says Nagelsmann

Nagelsmann will use Germany's final Nations League match against Hungary to kick off their preparation for the 2026 World Cup.

Germany had already qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League during this international break, but a 7-0 thrashing of Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday ensured the country would top the pile in Group A3.

In fact, that win was the biggest by any team in the Nations League, while their average of 3.4 goals per game in the current campaign is also the best by any team in a season in the competition.

Although qualifying for the World Cup has not yet started, Nagelsmann will be looking to keep up the momentum in their bid to book a place at the tournament.

“There is no great motivation as far as the group is concerned. We won the group. We get the motivation from wanting to develop,” he said at a press conference on Monday.

“We don't have many games until the World Cup, just a few. Little time to develop until World Cup qualifying and little time, if we hopefully qualify, until the World Cup. So there is a limited time tolerance in terms of development .”

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Germany enter the last eight of the Nations League hoping to win their first silverware since their 2014 World Cup victory.

They have exited the last two such tournaments at the group stages after disappointing campaigns, while being knocked out of Euro 2024 in the quarter-finals on home soil.

However, they have impressed in the Nations League, going unbeaten in their first five games with four wins and a draw. Their seventeen goals are a league high, while only Spain (two) have conceded fewer than three goals in League A.

“We have no time to lose,” Nagelsmann added. “That doesn't mean that everything has to work perfectly all the time.

“Wins are always important for us. Nothing will collapse if we don't win [on Tuesday]. The result is not as important as the way we will play.

“We don't have the time we would like to develop, so we have to use it wisely.”