Julian Nagelsmann has extended his national team contract beyond Euro 2028. (Photo by Alexander … [+]
Julian Nagelsmann has renewed his contract as head coach of the German national team beyond the 2028 European Championships. The contract extension was announced on Friday as part of the German Football Federation’s (DFB) 125th anniversary celebrations.
“In September 2023, when I joined the DFB, I could not have imagined being a national team coach beyond the home Euros,” Nagelsmann said. “Our big goal was a successful tournament.”
Although Spain eliminated Germany in the quarterfinals, the general feeling has been that Nagelsmann has steadied a program that has disappointed over the last several tournaments. Germany, uncharacteristically, failed to get out of the group stages of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and was eliminated in the round of 16 by England at Euro 2020.
Even though, it was a surprise that Nagelsmann opted to train the national team beyond the European Championships. The partnership between the DFB and Nagelsmann was at first considered a short-term solution.
Nagelsmann considered Germany’s most talented coach, was expected to return to club football after Euro 2024. Last spring, Nagelsmann was considered a serious candidate to return to Bayern Munich but instead surprised many by renewing his contract beyond Euro 2024 until past the 2026 World Cup, which will run in North America.
Despite being eliminated by Spain in the quarterfinals, Euro 2024 was considered a success. (Photo … [+]
“I also couldn’t have imagined back then what the national team meant to the people of Germany,” Nagelsmann said. “How many hearts it reaches and moves. This great feedback that we all, not just me, get every day shows us that we are on the right path together. And it’s not over yet. We have all created something together – fans, team, and coaching staff – that we now want to successfully develop further. We want to win titles together.”
How big has Nagelsmann’s impact been on the Germany squad? The 37-year-old has averaged 2.00 points per game since being in charge of the German national team; only six permanent Bundestrainer had a better average points per game average.
“Fans, players, and the entire DFB staff have been inspired by Julian over the past 16 months to achieve our goals,” sporting director Rudi Völler said in a statement. “During this time, he has built up a close relationship with the fans, the players and the team behind the team and has once again formed a unity. This is necessary for success. We are looking forward to working with Julian in the long term and as passionately as before to achieve our big sporting ambitions.”
Results aside, Nagelsmann’s biggest contribution to the German national team has been rebuilding a squad in dire need of reform. Nagelsmann successfully integrated several younger players, such as Aleksandar Pavlovic, Angelo Stiller, and Jamie Leweling. He also helped stabilize a defense that had struggled for years and fixed Germany’s problems at the no.9 position.
With all that in mind, Nagelsmann’s time at the DFB has been a major success. Now, the era is set to continue until at least 2028, something neither side expected when Nagelsmann first took the job.
