Germany's national football team has qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico with a convincing 6-0 win over Slovakia. In the decisive match in Leipzig, the DFB team led 4-0 at halftime. Coach Julian Nagelsmann and his players celebrated the comfortable victory after a bumpy qualification start.
The match in Leipzig was a decisive clash for the German team: A loss would have meant the path to the World Cup only via playoffs in the spring. But the DFB side convinced from the start. Nick Woltemade opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a header from captain Joshua Kimmich's cross, who returned after an injury break. Serge Gnabry made it 2-0 (29th minute), before Leroy Sané scored a brace (36th and 41st) to lead 4-0 at halftime.
After the break, Ridle Baku (67th minute) and debutant Assan Ouédraogo (79th minute) added the further goals. Ouédraogo, 19 years and 192 days old, became the youngest scorer on his international debut since Klaus Stürmer in 1954. Nico Schlotterbeck and Kimmich provided stability in build-up play, while Sané not only scored but also assisted.
Kimmich emphasized after the final whistle on ZDF: "Playing a World Cup for your country is the greatest thing there is. In Germany, we're not used to it being on the line." Nagelsmann was relieved: "I'm already proud of the team. We had a bumpy start to the qualifiers, today there was pressure on the boil." Woltemade praised: "We played a really good game. It was fun to watch."
The win followed the 2-0 victory over Luxembourg on Friday and contrasted with the 0-2 defeat in the reverse fixture in Bratislava in September. Germany secures first place in the group and avoids the playoffs. The World Cup group draw takes place on December 5 in Washington, D.C., where the team will be in pot one. The next friendly is on March 30 against Ivory Coast in Stuttgart.
