The party is over for Julian Nagelsmann. Germany’s shocking round of 32 exit against Paraguay at the World Cup on Monday wasn’t just a loss. It was the kind of loss that gets a coach fired before he even packs his bags.
A source inside the German Football Association has told Süddeutsche Zeitung that Nagelsmann has zero chance of keeping his job. German press agency SID has confirmed that same reading of the situation. The 38-year-old is under contract until 2028, but contracts don’t mean much when you lose to Paraguay in the knockout stage.
Here’s what’s wild. Germany didn’t just lose. They looked lost. Flat. The same team that made a semifinal run at the 2024 Euros on home soil looked nothing like that squad in this tournament. Nagelsmann’s tactical tweaks didn’t work. His personnel choices didn’t work. And now the DFB is ready to move on.
Klopp to the Rescue
According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, everything now points to Jürgen Klopp taking over. The Red Bull Head of Global Soccer has been linked to the job for months. Multiple reports say he’s keen on it. And honestly, who wouldn’t be? It’s Germany. It’s the national team. It’s the only job that could pull Klopp away from his current Red Bull role.
Klopp has been out of day-to-day management since leaving Liverpool in 2024. But he’s been around the game. He’s been watching. And the idea of him leading Germany into the 2028 European Championship — which they’ll host — is the kind of story that writes itself.
The DFB hasn’t made anything official yet. No press conference. No statement. But the silence from Frankfurt is louder than any announcement. When your own federation leaks that you have no chance to keep your job, the writing is on the wall.
Nagelsmann took over in September 2023 after Hansi Flick’s firing. He steadied the ship. Got them to the Euros semifinal. Beat France and the Netherlands in friendlies. But World Cup exits cut deeper than anything. And Paraguay was just the final straw.
Sources inside the DFB describe the mood as grim. Not angry. Just disappointed. The kind of disappointment that leads to a quiet meeting and a mutual agreement to part ways. No drama. Just results.
For Klopp, this would be a return to the big stage. He’s been working behind the scenes at Red Bull, overseeing their global soccer network. But the man who won the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool isn’t built for a desk job. He needs a stadium. He needs a team.
Germany needs a leader. And if the reports are right, they might have one by next week.
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