Völler’s clear message
His time at the World Cup will come
Updated June 10, 2026 – 7:54 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
During the World Cup qualification, Nick Woltemade developed into a decisive factor in the DFB team. Now he is only the number three striker – and as such can still hope for his World Cup chance.
William Laing reports from the DFB team headquarters in Winston-Salem
Nick Woltemade demonstrated his value for the German national football team months ago. In World Cup qualifying, the tall striker led the DFB team to landmark away victories in Northern Ireland (1-0) and Luxembourg (2-0) in October and November. Woltemade also scored a goal in the 6-0 win over Slovakia in Leipzig on the last day of the group match. The fact that the German team can take part in the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer is largely thanks to the Newcastle professional.
But the tide at Woltemade turned a long time ago. He is now no longer first choice in the DFB team. A month-long period of weakness at club level has thrown the former Stuttgart player off track. Things haven’t been going well in the national team since then either.
Embed
Behind Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav, Woltemade is currently only the number three DFB striker. In the penultimate World Cup test against Finland (4-0) he was only substituted on in the final phase. A few days later, against the USA (2-1), he languished on the bench for the entire game. At first glance, the 24-year-old threatens to become an extra at his World Cup premiere. But Woltemade can actually continue to have legitimate hopes for a personally successful World Cup, in which he may end up being even more important than previously assumed.
Völler sees an opportunity for replacement players: “That also applies to Nick”
At least on Tuesday, t-online DFB sports director Rudi Völler spoke about Woltemade’s changed role compared to the World Cup qualification at a press conference in the DFB headquarters in Winston-Salem. The 66-year-old emphasized that he is sure that due to the heat in the host countries, the coaches of almost all national teams will “usually use the full quota and change five times” during their World Cup games. In this context, Völler also saw good chances for Woltemade to get playing time for the DFB team at the World Cup in the coming weeks.
“Everyone is fit, but that will also change, unfortunately for us too,” explained the ex-striker. There will always be “a bit of loss,” said Völler with regard to possible injuries and suspensions during the tournament. “There will be a lot of players who will perhaps be a little behind now. That will be a fact. That also applies to Nick.”