National coach Julian Nagelsmann is only 38 years old, but has been under contract with big clubs for a long time. The track record so far is rather modest, the challenges in his first World Cup are great.
“The players made a good first impression. Everyone was committed and worked well. But I expect the same.” That’s what Julian Nagelsmann said. However, the quote is now almost ten years old. It is from July 3, 2016. On that day, Nagelsmann led his first session as head coach of TSG Hoffenheim.
That was just under three weeks before his 29th birthday, when he seemingly changed his name in public. At least that was quickly the impression, because from the day in October 2015 on which Hoffenheim announced that Nagelsmann would be the new head coach for the following season, he was called “the 28-year-old”.
Youngest coach at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico
Nagelsmann was the youngest Bundesliga coach at the time. He wouldn’t be that today, even if most of his colleagues were older.
However, the 38-year-old Nagelsmann is the youngest coach at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, by far. None of his 47 colleagues are under 40.
A lot of things are different for Nagelsmann compared to the 2024 European Championship
Julian Nagelsmann is about to enter his second major tournament. At the first, the 2024 European Championships in Germany, almost everything was familiar. The German fans were always in the vast majority.
This will be different in the USA. Already in Houston on Sunday (live from 6 p.m. on Erste and in the stream) a lot of things are different from the games in Germany. The stadium where the Houston Texans usually play American football is air-conditioned and the roof is closed. The opponent Curaçao is a tiny player in the world of football, unlike Dick Advocaat, the 78-year-old coach from the Netherlands.
Preparation started in Winston-Salem
The DFB started preparing for the game on Monday. On the grounds of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, Nagelsmann asked for the first training session five hours after landing on the plane from Chicago. It was the public unity that the world association FIFA requires every association.
New one returns – Germany jerseys distributed
Germany jerseys with “Winston-Salem 2026” printed on them were distributed free of charge to the 3,000 fans, many of whom had already worn a jersey before. The atmosphere was great, also because many supporters have German roots, like around 45 million other Americans.
By the way, the fans cheered loudest when Manuel Neuer entered the pitch. The goalkeeper trained like his three other colleagues, and the injury to his left calf now appears to be completely healed. This is the personnel that poses the greatest risk for Nagelsmann.
Manuel Neuer at DFB training
If the return operation goes wrong, the national coach at his first World Cup will be held directly liable.
Nagelsmann speaks for a long time with Joshua Kimmich
Nagelsmann hardly had any eyes for goalkeeper training on Monday evening. He observed the field players, mostly from a distance, and talked a lot with his assistant Benjamin Glück. Then he went to the dugout for a chat with sports director Rudi Völler and managing director Andreas Rettig.
At the end of training, when the last goal had already been rolled off the pitch and the other players had disappeared into the dressing room, Nagelsmann talked to Joshua Kimmich for a long time. His captain has played in two World Cups so far, but never in a knockout game there.
Unlike the European Championships: The 2024 European Championships ended for Nagelsmann and right-back Kimmich in the quarter-finals against Spain. Immediately after the game, Nagelsmann said that he wanted to become world champion in the USA. “I hope everyone wants to be”said Kimmich on Monday after landing in Winston-Salem.
Fans at the DFB team training
Nagelsmann’s collection of titles in the men’s category has so far been mediocre
Kimmich collected a number of titles with FC Bayern, including Nagelsmann’s only German championship in the men’s division in 2022, and he also won two Super Cup titles with FCB.
That’s more than many others of that age have to offer. But that’s still a bit low for Nagelsmann’s demands and for the teams he has coached so far. In addition to Hoffenheim and Bayern, Nagelsmann was at RB Leipzig for two years.
Now there is the next chance for him, but also a lot of challenges for a 38-year-old.