World Cup qualification-DFB team starts World Cup mission against Slovakia in Bratislava

Times are changing. Nowadays, modern coaches are running from Vienna to Bratislava. Most conveniently stop below that pompous suspension bridge on the Danube, which is reminiscent of the Slovakian national uprising in 1944 against the Nazi regime. The old town with its beautiful buildings is within walking distance, the viewing platform offers a breathtaking view.

Start to the highest destination

The first tourist groups with German national jerseys listened to a lot about history here on Wednesday. The reason for her trip is the first qualifying game of the German footballers for the 2026 World Cup. Anything but a victory of the selection of the German Football Association (DFB) against the hosts from Slovakia this Thursday would be a surprise. Especially since the four -time world champion of 104 such qualification parties so far lost.

The start of the World Cup mission, for which Julian Nagelsmann has given the highest goal, should become a guide-even if Marc-André Ter Stegen, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz are missing important supports. The national coach primarily wants dominance, the high standards should be visible from start to finish. The 38-year-old warned that it will be too late at the World Cup. Tournament teams thrive with a long lead – European champion Spain and also world champion Argentina have proven to be sufficient. “I have little desire that in the end there is more than one game where we say: We won that,” emphasized Nagelsmann. His personal balance sheet can still be expanded: 1.83 points on average after 23 games currently only ranking tenth among the twelve national coaches.

Captain in the center

Joshua Kimmich is said to be the new focus in the German game. The captain is driven by his own claim, which is still unfulfilled despite 101 international matches. “We recently had some tournaments that were not successful,” said the 30-year-old, to whom the ambition crawls out of all pores. “The World Cup preparation does not only begin two weeks before, but it has already started,” Kimmich is in front of the games in Bratislava and on Sunday in Cologne against Northern Ireland full of the national coach.

The transfer of the captain from the right defense to the midfield center is the reaction that Italy, Portugal and France recently had far too easy to surprise Germany through the middle. Eight goals in four important Nation League games were clearly too much. In this respect, the Tehne Pole stadium in Bratislava is to experience a course correction, which in the best case extends to the World Cup final on July 19, 2026 in the MEFE Life Stadium of New Jersey.

No tactical revolution

The system change is expected with a certain amount of tension because the lead was extremely short with just two training sessions in Herzogenaurach. But Jonathan Tah doesn’t expect a tactical revolution either. “In the end, it’s about small things that have to be adjusted. That sounds bigger and bigger than it is, «assured the central defender, who, after moving to FC Bayern together with Antonio Rüdiger, from Real Madrid. Of course, you didn’t have much time on the training ground, but the coaches had tried to “bring it to us in many video sessions”.

However, theory and practice are two pairs of shoes. Nagelsmann has already put a lot of experiments wrong. Perhaps quite well that none of the opponents from the group of four is one of the heavyweights of world football. Slovakia on world ranking 52 is even better listed than Northern Ireland in 71 and 92nd, Luxembourg.