Germany begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday night with a trip to Bratislava, where they'll face Slovakia in a match that feels like the perfect opportunity to set the tone for the road ahead. For a team with Germany's pedigree of four World Cups and three European Championships, qualification is always expected. But Julian Nagelsmann's men know they have a point to prove after some inconsistent recent results.
Softfootball understands that Die Mannschaft arrive ranked ninth in the world and overwhelming favourites to top their group. Their World Cup qualifying record is one you can easily ignore, having won their last seven games, five of them with clean sheets, and an incredible 18 consecutive wins on the road in qualifiers.
In those away games, they've averaged more than three goals per match, a reminder of how ruthless the German national team can be when the stakes are high, and german fans would love to see this continue