DFB Projects €9.4 Million Deficit After World Cup Exit – Costs of Coaching Change Not Yet Included

Conservative Planning as a Foundation

Bonuses for the national team would only have been due starting from the round of 16. Since the German team was eliminated in the round of 32 after a penalty shootout against Paraguay, these payments were not made. "Ins Plus wären wir erst ab dem Finale gekommen", said Grunwald.

Special effects are not included in the deficit calculation, the treasurer emphasized. "In dieser Rechnung sind Sondereffekte nicht inkludiert, also Abfindungen für unsere bisherigen Trainer oder mögliche Ablösen für neue." This means the item for the separation from the previous coach has not yet been recorded.

Special Effects and Coaching Change

Following the World Cup exit, Julian Nagelsmann's tenure as head coach came to an end. According to 'Kicker', severance payments to the previous coaching staff amount to around 6.8 million euros. This figure will flow into the actual result that the DFB aims to present in autumn.

The succession remains undecided. The DFB's preferred candidate is Jürgen Klopp, currently employed at Red Bull. According to the association, an agreement with Klopp's current employer has not yet been reached. In addition to a new coach's salary, a compensation fee to Red Bull could become due. "Unsere Hochrechnung nach der Sommerpause wird zeigen, wie sich der Trainerwechsel auswirkt", said Grunwald.

Grunwald justified the association's deliberately robust financial planning with his understanding of his role as treasurer. "Ich habe die Aufgabe, so zu planen, dass auch im schlechten Falle niemand in Panik ausbrechen muss", he said. Projects could be scaled down or scaled up as needed to counterbalance.

Impact of the Expanded Tournament

The 2026 World Cup held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada lasted 38 days and was played for the first time with 48 teams in 12 preliminary groups. The expanded field of participants had changed the DFB's planning basis. The German team's elimination in the first knockout round corresponded to the cautious baseline scenario the association had factored in.

Potential additional costs from the coaching change could further increase the shortfall. Should the DFB reach an agreement with Klopp, a possible compensation fee and existing obligations toward the previous coaching staff would come on top of the salary. The DFB announced that it would only publish the final figures after the completion of the accounting process in autumn.