Overview
After a surprising defeat in the opening match of Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Germany was forced to quickly regain their form when hosting Ireland at home.
In midweek, Germany surprisingly lost to Slovakia, while their opponents had a smooth start with a victory over Luxembourg. That makes the upcoming confrontation important. Both teams want to get 3 points to create an advantage in the race for tickets to the next round.
Considered the leading candidate for the top spot and a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup, Germany did not start as expected when showing poor form at Bratislava.
This is only the fourth time in history that they have failed to qualify for the World Cup. The host Slovakia opened the score right before the break, then doubled the gap just 10 minutes after the second half started. Coach Julian Nagelsmann helplessly witnessed his students unable to get up.
With the format of only the group winning a direct ticket, while the second team having to play the play-off, this stumble left Germany with less space for mistakes.
Under Nagelsmann since September 2023, Germany have won just half of their 24 games, losing both of their last two Nations League games (to Portugal and France). At the same time, they have only kept a clean sheet in 5/17 recent matches.
More worryingly, Germany have conceded at least 2 goals in every match since the beginning of 2025. This is an alarming number for a team aiming to win the world championship.
Therefore, hosting Ireland is considered the moment that forces Germany to find a solution to the defensive crisis.
Despite Germany's uncertainty, Ireland still face the historic burden of travel to Cologne. They have lost all 9 recent confrontations against their opponents.
The 2026 World Cup will also mark the 40th anniversary of Ireland's last appearance in FIFA's biggest competition, and a decade after the mark at EURO 2016.
In recent years, this team has often struggled, but the rejuvenation of the squad under coach Michael O'Neill has brought a new vitality. This is also the captain who helped them win tickets to EURO in their first term.
Starting the qualifying round later than most European teams, Ireland opened with a 3-1 victory at Luxembourg. Jamie Reid scored early after a missed penalty kick, before the home team equalized late in the first half.
However, just 1 minute after the second half started, they regained the lead and took advantage of the extra man play to help Justin Devenny secure the victory.
This challenge will be much harsher, as the four-time world champions are waiting for O'Neill's team.
Personnel situation
Despite his many talents, Julian Nagelsmann still faces a personnel problem when missing a series of key players such as Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Deniz Undav, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Nico Schlotterbeck.
The tough match against Slovakia could see defender Nnamdi Collins given up this weekend. Meanwhile, Robin Koch, Karim Adeyemi and Pascal Gross are all trying to find an opportunity from the bench.
Up front, Nick Woltemade will compete for a starting position with Niclas Fullkrug. The duo Florian Wirtz and Serge Gnabry will support behind.
On the other side, Ireland also suffered losses. Striker Paul Smyth and defenders Daniel Ballard, Brodie Spencer and Ciaron Brown are all absent. In goal, Bailey Peacock-Farrell was called back to start instead of Pierce Charles and Conor Hazard.
O'Neill is likely to keep the same lineup to win against Luxembourg, but George Saville or Ruairi McConville could be given a chance to play.
Expected lineup:
Germany: Baumann, Raum, Tah, Rudiger, Mittelstadt, Kimmich, Gross, Adeyemi, Wirtz, Gnabry, Woltemade.
Ireland: Peacock-Farrell, McConville, McNair, Hume, Bradley, McCann, S. Charles, Devenny, Galbraith, Price, Reid.
The match between Germany and Ireland takes place at 1:45 am on September 8 (Vietnam time).
