News (engl.)

We’re now just days away from the moment we’ve all been waiting for. On Sunday (kick-off 19:00 CEST), Germany will finally get underway in their group stage campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, as the national side get the ball rolling against opponents Curacao. Ahead of the fixture, Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck took questions on the World Cup debutants, the conditions at the DFB Base Camp in Winston-Salem and the fans’ expectations for the tournament.

Jonathan Tah on...

...Nico Schlotterbeck: Nico is an incredible central defender, who I’ve known for a few years at this point. He’s also a really special character, very extroverted, always has a witty remark up his sleeve. I like that about him! On the pitch as well, he has so much to offer us. Especially when it comes to quality on the ball, there are very few in Europe who can match his level. I think it’s so impressive, the way he’s developed as a player over recent years.

...Manuel Neuer: I’ve now had the chance to play alongside Manuel for a year at Bayern. He just has this special presence, an aura like no other. When we were still really young, we would see Manuel in goal as we watched the games on the television. You have to have so much respect, then. He’s fantastic at what he does.

...the focus in training: In our recent sessions, we’ve been concentrating on those finer details that will be important for our games – obviously, depending on each opponent, but also in a basic sense for the tournament as a whole. We’ve already come on such a long way and we’re well-drilled in our patterns of play.

...his first World Cup: I’m honestly delighted to have the opportunity to play my first World Cup. Even now in the run-up to the action, I’ve felt just how big of a deal this tournament is. It’s the greatest thing you can experience as a footballer, and so I’m just feeling really grateful.”

...Germany’s second opponent, Ivory Coast, where his background lies: I grew up as a German here in Germany, but I learnt that culture through my father, and I also feel a connection to the country. I went there last year to visit my grandmother and some other relatives. It’ll be quite the special game for that reason.

...the climate in the USA: Of course, it is extremely hot here, and we knew that coming into the tournament. I’ve always said that can be something of an extra challenge for me. I believe that it only makes things worse if you spend the whole time complaining about it. You have to accept the situation and find solutions for it.

...World Cup songs: I like it when they’re performed by actual musicians. It gives you a boost. I think when we kick off our campaign, and if we can be successful, then the World Cup song will come naturally with that.

Nico Schlotterbeck on...

... Jonathan Tah: Jona has come on a great deal in the past three, four years, getting even better than he was. He’s now played his first season at FC Bayern München, and he did incredibly well. He is an unbelievably good defender. You could see that in our friendly against the USA. Particularly in those one-on-one situations, he’s an absolute force to be reckoned with. I’m glad that he’ll be out there next to me. We have different strengths, which is a good thing for us both. If we both utilise our abilities on the pitch, we’re a very good duo. We don’t need to bow down to any other centre-back pairing in the world.

...the team’s day off: I actually heard on Monday or Tuesday that we’d be doing less on the pitch on the Thursday. Yesterday we had a really long training session, and so the day to relax did me a lot of good personally. We’ve played a lot of practice games, eleven versus eleven, tried a lot out and managed to take things up yet another notch.

...his injury: Since I underwent surgery on my knee, I’ve no longer had any problems there. I knew that the year following the injury would be tough. I was coming off the back of a long layoff, went straight into a new season and wanted to play 90 minutes each and every game. I’m really happy with the way the season went, the way my knee held up so well. I feel really good now, I’m fully fit and thrilled that we’re getting started with the real thing on Sunday.

...the mental aspect: I was 22 or 23 in Qatar, so I didn’t truly understand just how much it meant. Now, looking at the team with so many players who are so talented and yet still don’t lose their heads, you properly comprehend just how massive this tournament is. We have a really good mix here. And from chatting to the guys here, everyone is just buzzing, there’s no overwhelming pressure there. We know how good we are.

...the opening opponent, Curacao: It’s really different from European football. When you play in the Bundesliga, you get to know the players over the years. With Curacao, many of their players play abroad. We’ve been getting the iPads out ahead of the game and analysing how they play. The crucial thing for me is to always know which the stronger foot of your opponent is. That makes a huge difference to how you defend.

...the role of a World Cup favourite: I know just how good we are. I honestly believe that we don’t need to fear anybody. We are a top team with great individual quality. We possess those classic German characteristics: discipline, passion, resilience. If we’re able to show those attributes in our performances, we can be really, really good.

...dark horses for the tournament: I’m really excited to see how Mexico do. They’re playing on home turf, which can provide you with a certain euphoria. I think it will become clear pretty quickly, which teams that aren’t fancied so much are actually capable of putting in really strong performances.