News (engl.)

After an impressive 7-1 win over Curaçao in their opening game at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Germany’s focus has now turned to their second group match against Ivory Coast on Saturday at 22:00 CEST. Captain Joshua Kimmich spoke at a press conference in the media centre in Winston-Salem about Germany’s next opponents, the mood in the squad and the performance against Curaçao.

Joshua Kimmich on...

...the opening game against Curaçao: It was a convincing win. We had one five-minute spell where we struggled a little, but we kept things very tight and could have scored even more goals. We’ve seen from other teams’ opening games that beating supposed weaker opponents is not something you can simply take for granted.

...Nathaniel Brown’s birthday: We haven’t sung for him yet. I’m not even sure he’s awake. He’s generally a very quiet, reserved guy, but on the pitch he plays with real courage and shows what he can do. I’m glad he’s here with us. He had an excellent game, scoring a goal and setting up another. That’s not a bad way to start a World Cup.

...Ivory Coast’s Yan Diomande: He has developed at an incredible rate. A year ago, hardly anyone knew who he was. He’s had an outstanding season in a team where things haven’t always gone smoothly, but he has performed consistently well and produced some spectacular moments. His dribbling is exceptional and he has frightening pace. However, Ivory Coast have plenty of other players too, so we’ll need to prepare properly.

...Germany’s opponents Ivory Coast and Ecuador: We didn’t actually watch their game because we were on the plane. Ivory Coast are very strong physically and handle the conditions well. Ecuador defend extremely well. Ivory Coast have some fantastic players in attack and can break quickly, so both games will be tough.

...Felix Nmecha: He’s one of the most talented players we have. He’s quick, powerful and technically outstanding for someone of his size. His goal was exceptional, a brilliant finish, and he caught the eye in plenty of other moments too.

...where Germany stand: We’ve only played one game so far, and that was against a side who clearly aren’t at world-class level. The next matches will ask different questions of us, and they should give us a better idea of where we really are. I do believe we have a lot of quality and can hurt the top teams. But we have to become more solid defensively. We’re conceding too many goals, and that can’t happen against the best teams.

...the mood in the squad: The mood is always viewed more positively after a win. Fortunately, we won our first match, so the mood is good. But I felt that was already the case before the opening game. It’s not perfect every single day, but it’s important that we all get on well and work together towards our goal. At the moment, that’s working very well. We’ve won ten games in a row and I feel we’re heading in the right direction.

...maintaining focus: We had a day off and then trained hard again the next day. We did a lot of 11-v-11 work to get used to the conditions. The players who didn’t feature in particular trained really well yesterday. We have to stay focused, and ideally that comes through good training, where we work on the things we want to improve and make our strengths even stronger.

...Julian Nagelsmann: In general, being a club coach and being in charge of Germany are two different things. I think you can see that he has settled into the role now. He communicates very clearly and addresses things openly and honestly, both in one-to-one conversations and with the squad as a whole. You can really see that development. I also thought the period after the European Championship was a really good one, including the Nations League. He stayed true to himself during that time and kept his nerve. He does that very well, and that’s why the players buy into what he’s doing.

...the tournament so far: Overall, you can see that it’s becoming harder and harder to win games, because even the supposed smaller teams are improving, both technically and tactically. Curaçao wanted to get the ball down and play. You could see the same with Haiti against Scotland, where Haiti wanted to play and had good chances. The gap is closing. A 7-1 win from us is not something you can take for granted. You have to do a lot right to score seven goals.

...Leroy Sané: I’m aware of the criticism and I don’t really understand it. I thought he was extremely committed, especially in the way he reacted when we lost the ball. He kept tracking back and never left me exposed. Of course, he didn’t score, and for an attacking player that tends to shape the post-match reaction. But when I looked at Leroy’s body language, which is something he has been criticised for in the past, I thought it was really positive. He’s always the first to celebrate. The most important thing for him is that we win as a team. From the team’s point of view, I thought he had a good game.

...the new drinks breaks: The coach made a few adjustments during the drinks break. I felt it helped us, if anything. We were a bit unsettled after they made it 1-1, and the break helped us.

...the phone call with Chancellor Merz: It was a brief call. It’s nice to feel that support from back home in Germany. There were obviously a lot of cameras there, so it was more about the message it sent: that plenty of people are behind us and willing us on.

...the Bayern contingent in the national team: We’ve known each other for a long time and have certain habits and ways of doing things that we can bring into this group. The national team has also developed over the last few years, and over the past few months in particular I’ve felt that this could become a team that grows together and keeps improving in the years ahead. We have a lot of young players, and I trust them to still be part of this group in two or three years’ time and become important figures in the team. We didn’t do that well enough in the years after the 2018 World Cup. I believe this group of players can do it.

...the make-up of the squad: Apart from Manuel Neuer, we only have players here who haven’t won anything with Germany yet. They have that hunger and drive to achieve something special. The lads love playing football. You could wake Pavlovic up at two in the morning and he’d play – there’s nothing he enjoys more. It’s really special to have so many players here, whether they’re 20 or 36, who all love the game and are excited by the idea of having a whole country behind them, willing them on.