Multiple media outlets reported on Friday that German national team manager Julian Nagelsmann has stepped down following his side’s stunning round-of-32 elimination by Paraguay at the World Cup.
According to accounts from Bild and Sky Germany, Nagelsmann, who was under contract until the 2028 European Championship, accepted the German Football Federation’s (DFB) request to vacate his position.
His exit clears the path for former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is widely considered the federation’s primary target to take the reins.
Klopp, who departed Anfield in 2024 after a highly decorated tenure highlighted by Champions League and Premier League triumphs, currently works as Red Bull’s global head of football but reportedly possesses a release clause that allows him to accept the Germany vacancy.
The 59-year-old maintains immense popularity in Germany and has been serving as a television pundit for German broadcasts throughout the World Cup.
On Thursday, Nagelsmann attended a three-hour meeting at the DFB headquarters in Frankfurt, where he was reportedly offered a severance package of seven million euros ($8 million)—roughly equivalent to a year’s salary—to step aside.
If his departure is officially finalized, the 38-year-old Nagelsmann will become only the second manager in German history to be dismissed from the national team, following his predecessor Hansi Flick, who suffered the same fate in 2023.
Germany’s tournament ended in Boston on Monday with a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay after the contest finished 1-1 at the end of extra time. This represented the first time the Germans have ever lost a shootout at a World Cup.
The four-time world champions previously suffered consecutive group-stage exits at Russia 2018 and in Qatar four years later. The German side has failed to win a knockout match or record a clean sheet at the tournament since their 1-0 victory over Argentina in the 2014 final in Brazil.
