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2025 promises to be a big year for Germany. A new chancellor is on the way, and now the country's national football team is looking to solidify it's challenge for the World Cup next year.
That starts by winning the Nations League, and four months since their last game, Julian Nagelsmann's side showed the style and substance that is quickly becoming the norm. In Milan, Italy were overcome, giving Germany the edge for the second and decisive leg in Dortmund on Sunday.
Germany played as smartly as they looked in their anniversary jerseys (marking the German FA's 125th birthday) that harked back to the 1974 World Cup winning team. In a game that had shades of Germany's loss to Spain last summer, Germany went one better than just recovering from going a goal. They worked the problem until they won, leaving a real sense that this team is getting smarter.
New faces hoping to break into squad
Germany's 2026 World Cup squad will have a core group of 14 players — that much has been clear for a while — and they will be led by Joshua Kimmich, who was once again imperious. He remains not only one of the best right backs around, and assisted both goals for Germany. He wears the armband and sets the tone.
But with all of the injuries, Nagelsmann's attempt to win the Nations League is also matched by his desire to figure out who those players in the second group will be. There is an increasing sense that whoever the peripheral players in this Germany squad will be next summer, they have a real chance of impacting the trajectory.
"We also want six, seven players involved who are maybe not the most talented or the strongest individuals but are the best suited to the role and have the required hunger when they come on,” Nagelsmann told the FAZ this week. "And these are often players who have not followed the traditional career path of academy, one year in the U23s and then, aged 20, in the first team, but rather taken a detour."
Nadiem Amiri is one of those, so is Yann Aurel Bisseck. Both were included in this squad, and the former started in Milan but didn't quite sparkle as much as he has at Mainz so far this season. Time will tell whether he can be one of those leaders in the second group, but the door is open for players who have followed the unconventional path.
There's no need to wait when it comes to goalkeeping, though. Oliver Baumann (34) had another strong game, showing that late bloomers are welcome if the performances are right. The same is true for those who have been away for a while. Leon Goretzka, after 16 months out of the Germany squad and having battled back from the unwanted list at Bayern Munich, scored the winner to cap a performance Nagelsmann called "exceptional."
Germany sealed their first away win in Italy in nearly 40 yearsImage: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty ImagesConfidence growing
The character and confidence of this Germany team is growing. It has its star players, and the second group is beginning to emerge. It's the reason around 3,500 Germany fans were in the away end in the San Siro — the most away fans at a Germany game since Glasgow in 2015.
"That desire is what we have shown more in the last few months, and that is what sets this team apart," Goretzka told ARD afterwards.
But it's also their head coach. In the top 10 most faced teams in Germany's football history, Italy are the team Germany have the lowest win ratio against. Indeed, their last win in Italy was nearly 40 years ago. But, their 11th win in their 38th meeting also came because Julian Nagelsmann's big selection choices worked and he didn't hesitate to change wasn't working. The 37-year-old remains Germany's x-factor.
Nagelsmann's plan is working. The next step is bringing the Nations League final four to Germany in order to secure a second straight summer of football on home soil.
