Nagelsmann Announces Resignation as National Team Coach After DFB Crisis Meeting in Frankfurt

But only a few days later, the decision was reached in a "secret meeting" at DFB headquarters. As TV broadcaster Sky and the "Bild" newspaper reported, Nagelsmann was questioned there on Thursday morning for three hours about the reasons for the early exit. "Nagelsmann had to address the squad selection, his personnel decisions during the tournament, and day-to-day interactions at the team's base camp," it was reported. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf then suggested he voluntarily step down from his position. "Nagelsmann was said to have requested time to think it over," reported Sportschau. The DFB supervisory board would decide on the termination of Nagelsmann's contract.

The Meeting in Frankfurt

The DFB leadership had swiftly signaled the need for consultations after the tournament. At the meeting three days after the World Cup exit in the Round of 32 against Paraguay, those present included, according to "Bild" information, Neuendorf, sporting director Rudi Völler, league boss Hans-Joachim Watzke, and DFB managing director Andreas Rettig. According to Sportschau, a decision could be announced as early as Friday. "I cannot imagine under any circumstances that he will remain as coach … there is a broad front of rejection against him in Germany," said Sportschau reporter Heiko Neumann. "He expects the DFB to announce the separation from Nagelsmann as early as during the course of Friday."

The association has not commented so far, but announced: "Updates will continue to be reported on an ongoing basis." In addition, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf is said to have informed high-ranking honorary and full-time officials about the state of affairs in an internal email on Wednesday. "I am convinced that he is probably the right person to continue," Völler had said about Nagelsmann just before the meeting, but added a caveat: "But I am not the DFB alone. I don't have to decide that alone."

Reports of the Resignation

According to "Bild" newspaper information, Nagelsmann will now take a step he had himself ruled out after the defeat. "Julian Nagelsmann intends to announce his resignation, according to Bild newspaper information," the report stated. According to the Frankfurter Rundschau, the dismissal of Nagelsmann is supposed to be "a done deal and wrapped up by the weekend." Reportedly, Nagelsmann has accepted a "face-saving solution" and thus preempted a dismissal.

Should the contract be terminated, a severance payment in the seven-figure range is reportedly on the table. "the range of Nagelsmann's salary is considered, which is reported as between an extreme 7 million euros and a still considerable 4.8 million euros" – this magnitude had been the subject of recent discussion. Nagelsmann's contract was originally set to run until the 2028 European Championship, meaning there were still two years remaining. A severance payment equal to one year's salary is on the table.

Klopp as the Preferred Option

His potential successor is said to be Jürgen Klopp. "above all, the name Jürgen Klopp is being mentioned," the reports state. The 59-year-old has been Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull since January 2025 and works in parallel as a TV expert at MagentaTV in the United States. Previously, he was a very successful coach at Borussia Dortmund and FC Liverpool, with whom he won the Champions League and the English league championship in 2019. Klopp's contract with the beverage company runs until 2029; however, according to media reports, there is at least a verbal agreement that would allow him to move to the DFB. Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff stated, however, that the contract contains no exit clause.

Bierhoff explicitly welcomed this personnel matter. "You don't need to be an expert to say that Jürgen Klopp would obviously be the preferred coach as national team coach, should he switch," the former DFB managing director said on Sky. Former national player Bastian Schweinsteiger also named Klopp and Völler in the same breath: "if Julian Nagelsmann should not continue, I would say that Jürgen Klopp and Rudi Völler would truly be the dream team." Klopp himself had, however, stressed that the position is not currently his focus. "That would be 'not a half-day job,' he said himself. "I understand that when the national team coach is being talked about, somehow my name comes up." On MagentaTV, he had most recently quipped: "Fortunately, Julian Nagelsmann is setting up the team – for now."

Third Coach in Five Years

At the tabloids, the personnel matter is nevertheless considered settled. "as sure as the Amen in church," "Der Spiegel" quoted an influential top manager at a leading club. DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke knows Klopp from their joint Dortmund days and maintains a friendly relationship with him. Former DFB President Reinhard Grindel also pointed to a longer history: "Klopp knew that too, because representatives of the DFB explained this to him in Liverpool in the spring of 2019" – at that time, the succession of Löw had been signaled to him for 2022.

Nagelsmann would be the third national coach from whom the DFB is parting ways within just five years. Following the group-stage exit at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Joachim Löw was initially allowed to continue and held on until November 2021. His successor, Hansi Flick, was responsible for the "communicatively disastrous World Cup in Qatar" in 2022 before being released. Nagelsmann, in turn, had taken over the position in September 2023, was regarded as sporting director Völler's "preferred option," and led the team at the home European Championship in 2024 to the quarterfinals, where they lost 1-2 to Spain after extra time.

Experts Demand a Reset

The sporting record is, in the view of many experts, catastrophic. Nagelsmann's first tournament as national coach was the home European Championship two years ago, at which Germany lost 1-2 after extra time to eventual champions Spain in the quarterfinals. "Even at the home European Championship, we didn't really shine. After that, there was no development. Being ranked among the top 32 in the world cannot be our standard. That's why he must be questioned," wrote Philipp Lahm in his column at "Kicker." "When you look at the whole picture right now, I would say: Something has to change at the coaching position," demanded Mats Hummels on MagentaTV.

Former goalkeeper Oliver Kahn had also called on Wednesday via LinkedIn for the fundamental conditions to be questioned. "Talent gets you to the World Cup. Responsibility decides how long you stay there," wrote the 1996 European champion and 2002 World Cup runner-up. "Three national coaches have failed at the same point," he assessed – and pointed to the penalty drama against Paraguay: "A top team at that moment doesn't look for volunteers. It has players who demand the ball."

Player Analyses and Mood

In Schweinsteiger's view, a comprehensive review is needed. "I think you have to question everything," the 41-year-old, 2014 World Cup champion in Rio, said on Sportschau. Berlin's association chief Bernd Schultz also called for a broad discussion. "I hope that a broad discussion will take place," he said. Immediately after the elimination, Jamal Musiala had already reacted affectedly on Instagram: "Disappointing all of you probably hurts the most." Jonathan Tah, the 30-year-old defender at FC Bayern, wrote: "The missed penalty has gone through my head thousands of times … I would take it again next time! With full conviction and confidence to put it away for Germany."

The sporting analysis is devastating. "rarely has a German national team played more tensely and without direction than in the matches against Ecuador and Paraguay, the clear outsiders," according to one commentary. Notable was the demotion of long-standing mainstay Oliver Baumann in favor of Manuel Neuer, a public skirmish with striker Deniz Undav that occurred "without cause," as well as personnel discussions during the tournament. In the 7-1 against Curaçao, Musiala scored his only tournament goal without an assist; in the penalty shootout against Paraguay, Kai Havertz of FC Arsenal was the first to miss. "when the Nagelsmann system finally collapsed in the 3-4 penalty shootout against Paraguay," was the assessment of one observer.

Open Personnel Questions

The crisis meeting lasted about three hours and took place on Thursday at the association's headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. "According to the 'Frankfurter Rundschau,' the dismissal of Nagelsmann is supposed to be a done deal and wrapped up by the weekend," it was reported. The precise modalities remain open – "