Nagelsmann confirms Neuer comeback: 40-year-old returns to DFB goal against Curaçao

At the press conference, the national team coach also addressed several personnel matters. Regarding offensive star Musiala, Nagelsmann agreed with record national team player Lothar Matthäus, who had said, "we need Jamal to play a really good World Cup." At the same time, the 38-year-old warned: "This is a DFB-Pokal situation. That always makes an opponent dangerous."

The 40-year-old Neuer has overcome his calf problems and will thus stand between the posts in his 125th international match, two years after his retirement from the national team. "We trust him completely," said the national team coach.

Nagelsmann's stated goal in his first World Cup match as coach is "the first three points." DFB managing director Andreas Rettig added: "We simply want to start the tournament successfully and not blather on about a 5-0." Striker Deniz Undav was also modest: "If I said I wanted to reach the round of 16, then I would be in the wrong place here."

Personnel: Brown and Musiala

The same applies to Jamal Musiala, although the Bayern star, after his serious leg injury, still has "a few steps to go" until his best form, in Nagelsmann's view. "But he can only take those steps if we let him play."

The match this evening (7:00 p.m./ARD and MagentaTV) in Houston against the footballers from the Caribbean, who have qualified for a World Cup finals for the first time, the national team coach compared sportingly to "a DFB-Pokal match" and the "David versus Goliath" situation.

Preparation for the second group match begins on Tuesday, June 20. In Group D, Australia beat Turkey 2-0 in Vancouver, Canada. In Group E, Brazil and Morocco had earlier played 1-1, and Haiti lost 0-1 to Scotland.

Opponent Curaçao: Smallest World Cup participant of all time

According to Transfermarkt, the German squad has a total market value of 947 million euros and is 37 times more valuable than the first opponent. The most valuable professional in Curaçao's squad is Armando Obispo from PSV Eindhoven at 4 million euros, followed by Tahith Chong (Sheffield United) and Sontje Hansen at 3.5 million euros each.

Curaçao is an independent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and, with 160,000 inhabitants, is the smallest World Cup participant ever. "Fewer people live here than in Heidelberg," says Reinhard Schlieker, a former ZDF journalist who has lived on Curaçao for almost seven years.

"Just qualifying was an almost incomprehensible event for the island," said Schlieker in conversation with SWR Aktuell host Bernhard Seiler. "Here the motto is: taking part is everything." Schlieker is keeping his fingers crossed for the "Blue Wave," Curaçao's national team: "Germany doesn't need my thumbs."

A view from an island resident

According to Schlieker, Curaçao's national team has existed for just under ten years. "The cohesion is correspondingly special," he describes the mood on the Caribbean island. For the first participation in a Football World Cup, the country went all in.

The economic conditions are also unequal: the DFB squad is valued at around 947 million euros, while Curaçao's selection is worth only a fraction of that. "Without the expansion and with Canada, Mexico and the USA already qualified, they would hardly be at this tournament," said Manuel Veth, Area Manager US & North America at Transfermarkt.

Veth does not believe the Caribbean island will advance: "They are the absolute underdog at this tournament and the smallest country ever to qualify for a World Cup. I believe the group with Germany, Ecuador and Ivory Coast is probably too strong for this team." Against Ivory Coast (squad value 522 million euros) and Ecuador (369 million), the island nation is also given little chance.

Expert assessment: Underdog with a strong defense

Curaçao qualified for the finals in November with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica. In test matches against World Cup participants Scotland (1-4) and Australia (1-5), however, there were clear defeats this year. In the last test before the World Cup, there was a 4-0 win over Aruba, which is ranked 189th in the world rankings.

"In the last game against Aruba they sometimes played a back five," Veth describes Curaçao's strengths. "Overall, Curaçao is a very experienced team that relies heavily on its defense." One player to watch is Jürgen Locadia, who once played in the Bundesliga for VfL Bochum.

Coach Dick Advocaat, who led Curaçao to the finals, stepped down for personal reasons and took charge of the team again after the dismissal of Fred Rutten, sees his team as the underdog: "The weaknesses are fairly clear. The good mood and team spirit are our strengths."

The 78-year-old, for whom this is the third World Cup as a coach after 1994 with the Netherlands and 2006 with South Korea, says: "We want to make it as difficult as possible for every opponent. And one surprise can be enough to advance." The duel between Advocaat and the 38-year-old Julian Nagelsmann is the meeting of the oldest and youngest coaches of the tournament.

Coaching duel: Advocaat vs. Nagelsmann

Advocaat initially had to do some persuading: "When I started, half the team didn't even want to play. Many of them still thought they would make it into the Dutch national team." But the coach was able to win over professionals such as Tahith Chong (26) and Sontje Hansen (24), who made a significant contribution to World Cup qualification. Chong will "also have his moments against Germany," according to Veth.

Nagelsmann stressed before the game that the team must not underestimate the Caribbean underdog. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. German time. This news was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on 06/14/2026.