News (engl.)

Germany are putting the finishing touches to their preparations ahead of their second group-stage match at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, against Ivory Coast on Saturday (22:00 CEST). Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer spoke at Germany’s base in Winston-Salem about his comeback, the squad and his “aura”.

Manuel Neuer on...

...his comeback: I’m still in touch with a lot of my former coaches. At my age, that’s completely normal – you can speak openly without there being any hidden agenda. I retired from international football in 2024 for good reason, after we’d had a fantastic home European Championship. It was the right decision for me, and I felt at peace with it away from football too. The past two years would have taken too much out of me physically. At Bayern, we were still competing on all three fronts right until the end, and then last year we had the Club World Cup as well. I was carrying knocks in February and March, had a few issues, and my first priority was to get back into a rhythm and show what I could do again. I spoke to the coach about how I was feeling and whether I was training consistently enough to be able to get through a full tournament. I had injury issues before 2014 as well, but this time I’ve had more time to prepare.

...his “aura”: For me, aura is about presence. When you’re out on the pitch, you want to give your teammates confidence and help them bring out their own strengths. It’s about letting them know, without saying anything and just through your body language, that there’s someone there they can rely on. That’s the positive energy I always try to pass on.

...his international future: This will be my last tournament. I’m not planning to play at another European Championship in two years’ time. Over the past few days, I’ve really had to face up to the fact that these could be my last games for Germany. That wasn’t something I had in my mind at the last European Championship, which is why there was no statement after we went out against Spain. I don’t want to dwell on any of that now, though. I’m looking ahead, I’m excited for every game and I’m not thinking about saying goodbye in the Germany shirt.

...the quality in the squad: There is a lot of experience in this team. We had a good side in 2012 as well, but unfortunately we produced our worst performance against Italy in the semi-final. We had a real chance then and could have gone all the way. This squad has a really good balance of fearless young players who are dynamic and full of energy, alongside experienced players who have been through a lot and all had good seasons with their clubs.

...the decision to come back: I couldn’t point to one specific moment. It was something that developed after that difficult spell when I was injured. My performances played a part too, and the way I was able to come back from injury at the very highest level of club football.

...Jonas Urbig: His future is in his own hands and he’s making excellent progress. We know each other really well from training together at Bayern. Jonas brings a lot to the group. He sets very high standards in training and really pushes himself, with an eye on the future as well. It’s important for him to experience a tournament like this, learn the routines and support the team. I don’t see him as someone who is just here for training. He is a fully-fledged member of the squad, and that is exactly how he comes across in training every day. He is a real asset to the team. But I also have to say that the other goalkeepers have had excellent seasons at their clubs too, and that Oli had an outstanding qualifying campaign. I have a lot of respect for all the goalkeepers who are here. There’s a really good dynamic within the goalkeeping group and we try to get better every day.

...his fitness: Sleep and nutrition are important. You have to be physically ready to perform every three or four days, and do everything you can to make sure of that. With the experience I now have of recovery and how my body responds, I know exactly what I need. I didn’t have that knowledge when I was 24. It means you can build the right routine for yourself and make sure everything is set up in a way that works for you.

...the team’s fan bus initiative: We’re arranging travel to the matches for 600 fans. It’s a good initiative that the team council came up with as a way of giving something back and making sure the fans feel part of it. Having that support here across the three host countries matters to us. It’s an expensive tournament for the fans who want to be here and get behind us, so I think this is a great gesture from the squad – and we’re paying for it ourselves.

...the chance to book a place in the knockout stages with a game to spare: That’s our aim. It’s all in our own hands. We made a good start and we don’t want to look back at previous tournaments. The players aren’t dwelling on that either; all our focus is on the next step, and for us that means Ivory Coast. We’ll be facing a very strong side in Toronto, but we’re really well prepared. We know what to expect, and I think Ivory Coast know what to expect too. It would be something special for us to have our place secured after two games. Then we can start looking further ahead. There’s already a lot of talk about France, but we’re not looking that far ahead. We just want to focus on the next game.

...Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck: I feel very comfortable with both of them ahead of me. They both had outstanding seasons. Jona played in front of me all season and I told him after the season what an exceptional year he’d had. To perform like that in your first year at Bayern is really impressive. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage that in my first season at Bayern, because we ended it without a trophy. Both of them have shown what they can do for Dortmund and Bayern, and I have complete confidence in them.

...Germany’s World Cup chances: I definitely believe this team can win the tournament – otherwise I wouldn’t be here. It’s a real privilege for me to be involved again. Of course, winning the World Cup for a second time would be very special. If I didn’t think we had that chance, I wouldn’t be sitting here now.

...the game against Ivory Coast: It will be important for us to have a good shape in possession, cut out the careless mistakes and make sure we’re well protected behind the ball when we attack. We know their players. They all have pace, especially their forwards. That means we can’t switch off for a second. We have to stay alert at all times and react quickly in transition, both with and without the ball.

...Germany’s team DNA: At a tournament like this, in conditions similar to those in Brazil, it comes down to going the extra yard. We have that power and energy in the squad. We also have a really good mix of youthful drive and dynamism, plus experience and good positioning. If you can keep going right to the end and maintain the tempo and intensity, then you give yourself a huge chance of doing something special here. We have that in this team, and I hope we can show it on the pitch.

...his younger teammates: I enjoy talking to younger players when they come into the squad. This time, it almost felt as though I was the new arrival again myself, and there were a few players I didn’t know yet. Generally, though, everyone is very open with each other.

...Oliver Baumann: We work together every day and have a very good relationship. On the pitch in particular, you have to support each other. After we arrived in Herzogenaurach, we had a long, honest conversation about how everything had unfolded. Oli was outstanding during qualifying. We know we have very good goalkeepers here, and that whoever plays in goal is someone the team can rely on.

...how he is feeling physically: I felt good in the final few days before the Curaçao game and was confident it would stay that way. It’s completely normal for little issues like that to crop up before a tournament. In my case, I’ve often gone into tournaments not quite at 100%. That has worked out well before, so maybe it’s a good omen.

...the way Germany work: Everyone keeps developing, and Julian has done that too. He is very focused, always concentrates on the game in front of us, and is clear in what he says and in what he wants from the team. The players don’t have to ask many follow-up questions because he has been working with them for a while now. We know what he is like on the touchline, in his technical area. He is a very emotional coach, but that is part of it because he puts his heart into the job. His analysis and team meetings are so clear that we can go into games with real purpose, and I see that as a good sign.