At the U17 World Cup in Indonesia in 2023, the German selection stormed to the title, and in 2025 they wanted to get as close to this coup as possible again – but the dream ended abruptly on Saturday. Coach Marc-Patrick Meister didn’t mince his words and didn’t spare any criticism of his protégés’ play.
On Saturday, the German U17 national team had to pack their bags surprisingly early for the World Cup in Qatar. Outsiders Burkina Faso bowled the DFB team out of the tournament in the round of 16. An early goal from Mohamed Zongo was enough for the Africans. A result that caused frustration in the German camp.
“With a bad start to the game and no improvement over the entire season, you won’t be one of the best 16 teams,” complained DFB coach Marc-Patrick Meister after the elimination. “Even if, with a bit of luck, it would have been possible to save us into a penalty shoot-out via the late offside goal, that would have been extremely flattering,” Meister continued.
“We didn’t play football well”
The 45-year-old, who has looked after the DFB’s junior teams since 2019, didn’t even look for excuses: “We didn’t play good football. This statement is very sobering and disappointing – but we can call it what it is: The performance wasn’t enough to even begin to seriously threaten our opponents. The result is our elimination from the tournament.”
The German selection around the 16-year-old Mussa Kaba from BVB and Bayern youngster Wisdom Mike had definitely expected their chances, but the 15-year-old Zongo ended them suddenly.
For the DFB team, however, the international year ended with the next big disappointment: they were eliminated in the preliminary round at the European Championships in May.