News (engl.)

Germany's women's national team have begun their preparations for the World Cup with wins over Australia and Japan. In an interview with DFB.de, head coach Christian Wück reflected on both matches and discussed the areas he wants the team to keep developing over the coming months.

DFB.de: Mr Wück, the first international break of 2026/27 is over. How do you look back on the past ten days?

Christian Wück: Very positively, and I think that's true for the players, the coaching team and the rest of the staff as well. We made good progress with our football during last year's Nations League Finals and then throughout the Nations League, so the question was how quickly we could pick things up again after such a long break, especially with two top sides to face. We didn't have much time together on the training pitch, but the sessions were sharp from the outset. The players immediately understood what we wanted from them and threw themselves into everything, both on and off the pitch. We can be very pleased with how the ten days went.

DFB.de: Australia and Japan have very different styles of football. What did you and your coaching team learn from facing these two sides?

Wück: The idea was to face teams from another continent and give our players that experience. As it turned out, we were able to play both Asian Cup finalists. Although they belong to the same continental confederation, their styles of play are very different, and that was clear in both matches. Australia tested us in one way and Japan presented a completely different challenge. We won both games, and there were spells in both games where the players read the situation really well and adjusted accordingly. That's the next step in our development. We want to improve the players' decision-making and see them consistently make the right choices in different situations. Being able to do that at this level is the next step for the national team.

DFB.de: Looking back on the ten days together, where do you think the team made the biggest strides?

Wück: In their belief in the way we want to play. That's incredibly important. We want supporters, whether they're in the stadium or watching on television, to recognise what we stand for and what kind of football we play, regardless of the opposition. I think the players have grown in confidence in the way we want to play. Once that belief turns into real conviction, it'll be easier for us to take the next steps.

DFB.de: The team came from behind to beat Japan. How important are experiences like that for a team's development?

Wück: It's extremely important for the team to learn how to win. That means always believing that anything is possible right up until the final whistle. What was even more important against Japan was that we managed to change the course of the game with just a few small adjustments. Some came from the coaching staff, while others were made by the players themselves during the match. They saw just how important communication on the pitch can be. For me, that was one of the decisive factors in turning the game around after we'd conceded.

DFB.de: Several players were unavailable for various reasons, and the team that started against Australia had an average age of just 24. How pleased are you with the development of the younger players in particular? Did anyone take the opportunity to make a case for themselves?

Wück: In that respect, the international break didn't go entirely to plan. Four players had to leave the squad, and we'd already had a fairly long list of players ruled out through injury before we even announced the squad. That's why I'm particularly pleased that we've been able to see the strength in depth we have. We've got quality players throughout the wider squad who we know can step up at international level.

DFB.de: Where do you currently see the most room for improvement?

Wück: I've stressed this time and again. We've reached a stage where it's about fine-tuning the details, getting the little things right and making sure everything works together. Ideally, I want our patterns of play, our movement and the understanding between players to come naturally, regardless of who's on the pitch. That's what we'll be working on over the coming weeks and months in the build-up to the World Cup and the Nations League. We'll keep making small improvements along the way.

DFB.de: What will be your main priorities as we approach the end of the year?

Wück: We'll continue the work we started after the Nations League Finals and keep developing the way we want to play. We've just played two games at home against high-quality opposition and won them both. Now we've got two games coming up, where we'll face different challenges away from home. It'll be interesting to see how the players respond to those challenges and, above all, whether they have the mentality to go away from home and play our own brand of football.