Before the World Cup
DFB-Elf tests against the Ivory Coast and Finland
Updated on 04.09.2025 – 2:38 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The World Cup will take place next year. Now the DFB announced who the national team around national coach Julian Nagelsmann tested.
In the run -up to the 2026 World Cup, the German national team is planning further test games with opponents from different regions of the world. As the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Thursday, the team of national coach Julian Nagelsmann will meet the Ivory Coast and Finland in the run-up to the tournament.
The game against the current Africa Cup winner is scheduled to take place on March 30, 2026 in Stuttgart. The game against Finland is scheduled for May 31, 2026 in Mainz. Both games start at 8.45 p.m. The further test players and the venues for additional games before the World Cup are to be announced at a later date. In March and directly before the World Cup start, further test games are planned.
The prerequisite for these planning is the direct qualification for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The group draw is scheduled for December 5th in Washington. In qualification group A, Germany meets Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. The first qualification game is on the program in Bratislava on Thursday evening against Slovakia.
For the period after the World Cup, the DFB also announced the start of the new Nation’s League season. This begins in the second half of 2026. The drawing of the groups is planned for the beginning of the year, the venues are then set.
The DFB selection has so far played against the Ivory Coast: In November 2009, a friendly game ended in Gelsenkirchen 2-2. It was the first game after the death of national goalkeeper Robert Enke. There have already been 23 caps against Finland. The balance sheet: 16 wins, six draws and a defeat – this dated 1923 in Dresden.