Nagelsmann for the World Cup draw
“It’s good that we are challenged”
12/05/2025 – 11:27 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Julian Nagelsmann’s selection will face Curaçao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the preliminary round. The national coach is optimistic.
Julian Nagelsmann reacted with satisfaction to the World Cup group losers Curacao, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ecuador. “It’s not a super easy group, but a doable one in which we want to prevail,” said the national coach on ZDF after the draw in Washington. On MagentaTV, Nagelsmann added: “It’s good that we are challenged. That you don’t have three easy opponents, that you also have to make an effort and push yourself to your limits.”
Newcomer Curaçao with national coach Dick Advocaat will be “exciting to analyze. But we won’t make the mistake of underestimating them,” said Nagelsmann, referring to their opening opponents on June 14th in Philadelphia or Houston.
African champions Ivory Coast, the second opponents on June 20th in Toronto or Kansas City, are “a team that you can beat, but that you shouldn’t take lightly,” added the national coach.
On June 25th they will face Ecuador in Philadelphia or East Rutherford, who are “not easy to play”. “They have three or four real top stars,” said Nagelsmann about players like Moises Caicedo from club world champions FC Chelsea or Willian Pacho from Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and recalled that “they came second behind Argentina in the qualification.”
If they win the group, the DFB team could already face runner-up world champion France in the round of 16. If Germany only comes second, record world champions Brazil would be considered opponents in the second knockout round. “Don’t take the second step before the first,” said Nagelsmann, “that deserves respect.”
Positive: When choosing a neighborhood, Nagelsmann can probably plan with the preferred southeast of the USA. “We’re not revealing anything yet,” he said: “We have a team management that has been very hard-working and has looked at a lot. I’ve already been out and about and looked at several base camps. We’ll find top conditions and are confident that we’ll be able to announce very good things.”
More comments on the World Cup draw:
Bernd Neuendorf (DFB President): “I see it the same way (like Nagelsmann, editor’s note). I’ve already said in advance that you have to have respect for everyone. Côte d’Ivoire, African champions, is certainly a very, very serious opponent. Curacao is an exotic one. But I’m also extremely happy that we drew a lot like that. We’ve also played against Ecuador at the World Cup. In that sense, we’re a well-known opponent South America. But we have a good mix of different continents. Everyone who has qualified, in South America, in Africa, should be taken very seriously. But I think the boys will prepare optimally.”
Mats Hummels (2014 World Champion, on MagentaTV): “This is a group in which there will be no doubt about progressing. It’s a bit of a shame that the famous ‘groups of death’ were eliminated because of the many groups, the mode was watered down.