Sports director comments
Future at the DFB: Nagelsmann stays – and Völler?
01/25/2025 – 8:51 a.mReading time: 1 min.
Rudi Völler made Julian Nagelsmann national coach. The duo harmonizes and is successful. Will the sports director stay like Nagelsmann until 2028?
Despite national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s contract extension until 2028, DFB sports director Rudi Völler is currently not thinking about staying beyond next year’s World Cup. The sports director said: “That’s not an issue. It stays as it is.” Völler said this at the gala for the DFB’s 125th birthday in Leipzig.
After the early exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Völler took over the position from Oliver Bierhoff. When Hansi Flick was replaced as national coach in September 2023, the 64-year-old temporarily took over as coach for an international match against France (2-1) and then brought Nagelsmann in as the national team’s new head coach.
Last spring, Völler extended his contract, which was originally limited to the 2024 home European Championships, until the 2026 World Cup. Shortly afterwards, Nagelsmann also agreed to extend his contract until the summer of 2026. The national coach has now extended his contract until the 2028 European Championships.
However, there was speculation in Leipzig whether Völler might change his stance. According to participants in the ceremony, a further extension of Völler’s commitment was not an issue in the discussions with the national coach. Nagelsmann emphasized that the close contact with Völler, DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and managing director Andreas Rettig was crucial for his decision to extend his contract early on.