Germany's national football team has been drawn in UEFA Nations League League A Group 2 with the Netherlands, Serbia, and Greece. Coach Julian Nagelsmann looks forward to facing rival Netherlands again. The matches will take place after the World Cup.
At the draw in Brussels' Expo-Halle 3, former Portuguese star Pepe pulled the lots for Germany's national team. It is already the third matchup with the Netherlands in the Nations League. In the last edition, the DFB team beat Oranje 1:0 in Munich in October 2024, with a previous 2:2 draw in Amsterdam. Both teams were also in a group in the 2018/19 season.
Germany defeated Greece 2:1 in a test match under Nagelsmann shortly before the home EURO 2024. The clash with Serbia is a premiere for the coach; the last encounter was a 1:1 test in Wolfsburg in 2019.
Nagelsmann laughed: "Again," and patted Ronald Koeman on the shoulder. "We're used to it, but it's a historic, special game," said the 38-year-old. He looks forward to "very appealing away games" with "special atmosphere".
The first four matches take place between September 24 and October 6 in a three- to four-day rhythm, with the group stage concluding from November 12 to 17. The exact order will be announced on Friday. As group winners, Germany would face a group runner-up in the March quarterfinals, with the Final Four scheduled for June 9 to 13, 2027.
In the previous edition, the DFB team finished fourth after losses to Portugal (1:2) and France (0:2). Success offers advantages for EURO 2028 qualification, such as a smaller group for the top 4.
Before the draw, Nagelsmann said: "Matches against Europe's top nations are very appealing in the period between major tournaments – for our fans and players who want to measure themselves against the best."
On the sidelines, he commented on goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who will be out for several months after surgery. He does not rule out a World Cup participation but stressed it must make sense. A comeback by Manuel Neuer seems unlikely, as he has retired and Oliver Baumann is performing excellently.
