As of: November 26, 2025 4:50 p.m
When Germany’s footballers ask Spain to play in the first leg of the Nations League final on the Betzenberg in Kaiserslautern on Friday evening, offensive all-rounder Jule Brand will enter familiar territory. In her youth, the Palatinate native was a regular guest in the stands of the legendary arena with her family.
Cheering on 1. FC Kaiserslautern – in the truest sense of the word, the devil come out: In her childhood, this was part of everyday life for Jule Brand on weekends. Today’s national player comes from a football-loving family whose hearts beat for the traditional club. Visits to the Betzenberg were therefore part of the creative player’s everyday weekend routine. Whether she wanted to or not, as she revealed at the national team’s press conference on Wednesday.
“Because I come from the Palatinate, I somehow had to be a Kaiserslautern fan,” explained the 23-year-old. She was often with her uncle in the former “living room” of 1954 world champion Fritz Walter. The French legionnaire (Olympique Lyonnais) knows from her own experience what power the stadium can develop when the spark jumps from the stands to the pitch.
The Brand family with a large presence on site
That’s why she’s really looking forward to the duel on Friday evening (8.30 p.m., live on ZDF) with world champions Spain, said Brand, who has been in the ears of DFB officials with plenty of ticket requests over the past few days. “It feels like everyone will come to the stadium, including my grandma,” she revealed. The Palatinate “Maad” will not lack personal support in their 68th international match.
For this reason alone, Brand will certainly be particularly motivated in her “home game”, but the Frenchwoman by choice no longer has any great emotions associated with the “Red Devils”. “When I got a little older, I stopped sleeping in Kaiserslautern bed linen,” revealed the footballer, who comes from the town of Germersheim with a population of 20,000.
The move to France was good for the offensive player
All that matters to them on Friday in the first leg of the final against the Iberians, at least during the game, is to create a good starting position with the team for the second comparison with the world champions next Tuesday (6.30 p.m., live on Erste and at sportschau.de) in Madrid. “It’s about a title. It would be something special if we won, especially against the Spanish. That’s why we take it very seriously,” said Brand.
During her time at VfL Wolfsburg, the offensive player was once partly denied the idea of taking things “very seriously” by its sporting director, Ralf Kellermann. The 23-year-old, who complained about this criticism, now leaves an even more mature impression than during her involvement with the car club. The move to Lyon in the summer, her first experience abroad, seems to be good for Brand.
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DFB women want the Nations League title against Spain (2 min)
Will Wück put Brand back on the “ten”?
National coach Christian Wück has apparently recognized this. In the Nations League semifinals against France (1:0, 2:2), he moved Brand from the wing to the playmaker position, thereby giving her even more responsibility. However, she has not yet been able to answer whether Wück is considering this as an interim or permanent solution. “I don’t have any information about it yet,” explained Brand. But she made no secret of the fact that she likes the role of “Zehnerin”: “I can run around everywhere, it’s a lot of fun.”
Schulze Solano re-nominated
However, the use of another player who can also pull the strings in the midfield center is questionable: Sydney Lohmann (FC Bayern Munich), like defender Camilla Klüver (VfL Wolfsburg), is currently struggling with muscular problems. Therefore, Wück, in consultation with his coaching team, decided to expand the squad to 24 players.
Defender Bibiane Schulze Solano, a real Spain expert, was re-nominated. The 27-year-old has German and Spanish citizenship and also plays for Athletic Bilbao in the country of the world champions.
Questions from the national coach about the upcoming opponent should be just as natural as enjoying Saumagen in Kaiserslautern…
