In a test against Switzerland
This has never happened before: a novelty for Nagelsmann and the DFB team
March 26, 2026 – 7:31 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The national coach could write strange history against Switzerland. Reason: A new rule.
This has never happened before in the long history of the German national team: In the World Cup test against Switzerland on Friday in Basel (from 8:45 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online), national coach Julian Nagelsmann is allowed to replace up to eleven players for the first time. This is made possible by a new rule from the International Football Association Board (Ifab), which both associations have agreed to use.
At the end of February, the Ifab decided to increase the number of substitutions allowed in international test matches from six to eight. If both teams agree on a higher limit, up to eleven changes are possible. The DFB and the Swiss Football Association have agreed on exactly that. Substitutions can only be made in three substitution windows plus the half-time break. Eleven individual substitutions are therefore excluded. The regulation is intended to prevent time games.
Swiss national coach Murat Yakin announced that he wanted to use the full quota in order to field as many World Cup candidates as possible. Nagelsmann has 25 players in the squad – including DFB newcomers Lennart Karl and Jonas Urbig. He could use all but three actors.
The new rule does not apply to the World Cup in the summer. There, five substitutions are still allowed in competitive games – one more in extra time.
