DFB Women Secure World Cup Ticket for Brazil 2027 and Celebrate 2-0 Victory Over Norway

Wück's Twelfth Debutant: Marie Müller

"I'm incredibly happy. We're just happy and played a good game," said Sjoeke Nüsken, who captained the team for the first time in her 58th international appearance. The 22-year-old Carlotta Wamser, contracted to Bayer 04 Leverkusen and with 13 international caps, had moved into the starting lineup for the injured Franziska Kett. "I just shot blindly at the goal, and it turned out pretty well in the end," she described her goal.

After halftime, a deflected cross from Wamser rattled the crossbar of the Norwegian goal. In the 42nd minute, Signe Gaupset had scored for Norway, but the goal was disallowed for offside. There is no video assistant referee in World Cup qualifiers, so the referee's decision stood. No yellow cards were issued in the match.

Luck and Consistency: Wück's Record

Christian Wück spoke after the game of a match with a bit of luck, but wanted to emphasize the positive aspect: "A lot of pressure has been released now, we've secured the World Cup ticket, and that's all we wanted," Wamser summarized. Wück also looked ahead to the upcoming opponent: "Brazil, I've always wanted to go there, for a holiday, but now of course to play football."

With the 2-0 victory, the DFB women have collected 13 out of a possible 15 points in qualification and have already secured the group lead before the final matchday. The final qualifying match before the summer break will take place on Tuesday at 6:00 PM in Ljubljana against Slovenia. Norway, on the other hand, can only qualify for the finals through the play-offs.

Honor for Rio 2016, Final in Sight

Even before kick-off, the match was marked by an acknowledgment: the Olympic champions from Rio 2016, who defeated Sweden 2-1 in the Maracanã Stadium ten years ago to win the gold medal, were honored at the stadium. This will also be the team's destination in 2027: the final of the 2027 Women's World Cup is scheduled for July 25th at the Maracanã Stadium.

NADA Announcement: Freigang in Focus

Away from the pitch, an announcement from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) also caused a stir. During the match, NADA announced that Laura Freigang had violated the reporting obligations of the Anti-Doping Act. According to NADA, the 28-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt forward was not found at her declared location for a doping control three times within a twelve-month period. Three missed controls constitute a whereabouts violation, which according to NADA rules typically results in a two-year ban. Freigang is not part of the current DFB squad for this match. Neither Wück nor the DFB wished to comment specifically on the Freigang case after the game. According to media reports, Freigang is not suspected of doping; all previous samples have been negative.

On the personnel front, national coach Wück also had to contend with absences: in addition to Gwinn, Janina Minge was suspended, and Nicole Anyomi of Eintracht Frankfurt also sustained an injury. Ann-Katrin Berger was in goal, having recovered from an abdominal injury sustained just three weeks prior. The 35-year-old is under contract with Gotham FC in the USA and has made 34 international appearances.

In attack, Wück relied on Lea Schüller, among others, who was back in the starting lineup for the first time since the 1-4 defeat against Sweden in the European Championship group stage in the summer of 2024. The 28-year-old now plays for Manchester United and has 87 international caps. Schüller and Linda Dallmann of Bayern Munich initiated the attack that led to Wamser's 2-0 goal. Dallmann and Klara Bühl were also the assist providers for Müller's opening goal.

Absences and Comebacks in the DFB Squad

The captain of the Norwegian team was Caroline Graham Hansen. The coach of the Scandinavian team is Grainger. The German team, which entered the match as group leaders, was thus able to prematurely secure the group victory. The 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil is the first World Cup finals to be held in South America. Spain is the reigning world champion.

The victory in Cologne marks the end of a period of ups and downs for the DFB women: Müller herself suffered an ACL tear in DFB training in early 2025 and had to take a long break. This made the joy over her debut goal, which simultaneously laid the foundation for early qualification, even greater. The team now travels to Slovenia with a confirmed World Cup ticket in hand before the summer break begins.

The match in Cologne also marked a milestone for German women's football: never before had a women's international match taken place in the stadium of 1. FC Köln. With the atmosphere and the crowd behind them, the evening turned out to be a complete success for the hosts. The anticipation for Brazil is already palpable – not just for Müller and Wamser, but for the entire team.