The German national team is rapidly losing positions in the FIFA rankings. Even before the series of friendly matches in June, the Germans were only in 14th place, and after the disastrous results, they will drop a few more lines. Hans-Dieter Flick’s team has been exempted from qualifying for Euro 2024 and is forced to prepare for the home tournament only through test matches.
So far, the process of building a team at the head coach is going with a creak, and the threat of resignation has hung over Flik himself. In addition to the lack of victories, fans are annoyed by the quality of the game and tactical lack of ideas. Flick himself is not going to resign, but if the black series continues, no one will ask about his desires.
Three failures in a row
The previous Bundestim era was associated with the name of Joachim Loew, who gave the national team a total of 17 years. Under him, the team reached the final of the Euro and took the gold of the World Cup, for a decade remaining one of the main contenders for the title of major tournaments.
It seemed that Loew and the German Football Association managed to build an ideal system. Youth and youth teams did not experience a shortage of talent, which smoothly flowed into the main team. The generation of Ballack and Schweinsteiger was replaced by Müller and Goetze: the car remained the same powerful, it was just necessary to change parts in time.
A failure in the system was outlined after Euro 2016, where the Germans reached the semi-finals. After that, the failures began. At the World Championships in Russia, Germany finished last in the group. At Euro 2021, she left her quartet with great adventures, but immediately ran into England. After that, Leo handed over the national team to Flick, but it didn’t get any better with him either: the recent World Cup in Qatar turned into another failure and absence from the playoffs.
At some points, the Germans were frankly unlucky, but no one canceled the formula about chance, coincidence and regularity. Obviously, the German national team was covered by a systemic crisis, similar to the one that was at the beginning of this century. Then the situation was corrected by a global restructuring of the entire process of preparing young players and the corrosive approach of Joachim Loew. Now it becomes obvious to many that after his departure, the team was transferred to the wrong person.
Two years ago, Flick’s shares before joining the national team were as high as possible. In a short period at Bayern, from a no-name coach, he turned into a phenomenon who gave out a record winning streak, and in 2020 scored a treble with a victory in the Champions League. The following year, he routinely won another German championship, but due to disagreements with the scandalous boss Salihamidzic, he was forced to leave the club.
The choice in favor of Flick seemed ideal: the national team was the first in Europe to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and went to Qatar with high hopes. As a result, the Bundesteam was more remembered for its action with closed mouths, but not for football. The German national team at all times was called a car, but under the control of Flick, it turned into a decrepit moped. The Germans did not demonstrate any new ideas, incredible speeds or outstanding physical fitness.
Flick was blamed for putting too much trust in Bayern players. The coach really relied on the players he knew well, for example, on the same Kimmich, while reducing the role of Ilkay Gundogan. The smartest playmaker he constantly removed from the field in the second half. The lack of reliable defense, without which there is nothing to catch in major tournaments, is another problem that Flick could not do anything about.
Representatives of the gold team-2014 have grown old, but there were no new leaders. The defeat at the start of the group stage from Japan eventually became fatal. Even then, the German press called for the immediate dismissal of Flick, but they decided to give the coach another chance.
Continuation of the nightmare
Usually, it is not customary to attach great importance to friendly matches, but against the background of the failure in Qatar, each new misfire of the Bundesteam was perceived as painfully as possible. After the March meetings with Peru (2:0) and Belgium (2:3), the audience behaved relatively calmly, but three June freight trains finally shook Flick’s position.
It all started with a game against Ukraine (3:3) in Bremen: the experimental squad of the Germans managed to get only a draw, and even then thanks to two goals in the end. This was followed by defeats from mediocre Poland (0:1) and Colombia (0:2), which could not reach the last World Cup.
In total, over the last nine matches, the Flick team has only three victories over such “grands” as Oman, Costa Rica and Peru. The pressure on the head coach at home is colossal: journalists do not even think of being patient and looking for positive moments in the game.
Flick is rightly criticized, but there are no less questions for the heads of German football. Still, before his finest hour at Bayern, he never showed himself as a coach. For three years he worked in the German Football Association as a sports director (he was in the national team at the victorious 2014 World Cup), and he headed the top club largely by accident. Flik is more suited to the role of a manager, rather than a developer of innovative schemes or a specialist in introducing young players to the national team.
The problems of the 2022 World Cup have not gone away: the team often possesses the ball without threatening someone else’s goal, and when it is lost, it is lost and provides opponents with too much space. The lack of real “deciders” like Muller or Klose is another problem for Flick. For this role, Florian Wirtz or even Kai Havertz is clearly not being pulled yet.
Last chance
Flick, despite all the failures, is not going to resign. The head coach assures that he has a lot of ideas suitable for the national team and promises to perform better in the September matches. For Flick, the games against Japan and France promise to be decisive, despite their friendly status.
Now the head coach is saved by the patience of the authorities, who are still calmly reacting to defeat in games with a line-up that is far from optimal. In addition, if you remove Flik, you need to find an adequate replacement, and there are not so many free coaches of the national team status in Germany. Julian Nagelsman is still out of work, but he is clearly focused on working at a top club.
In such a situation, Flik can be inspired by the experience of a good friend of Joachim Loew – Stanislav Cherchesov, who at one time had to face total negativity on the eve of a home tournament. The Russian national team has been rolling nondescript freight trains for two years, the press demanded the coach’s early resignation, not expecting anything good before the start of the 2018 World Cup. How it all ended, everyone remembers well.
Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.
This summer, the 23rd FIFA World Cup finals will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico. All professional football players, without exception, dream of playing in this tournament, from stars such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to players whose names are not well known to the public (perhaps only for now).
However, some star and very famous football players are at risk of missing the next World Cup. The reason for this is health problems…
Joshko Guardiol
Age: 23 years old Citizenship: Croatia Club: Manchester City
Joschko Guardiol, the key defender of Manchester City, who has been playing for the “citizens” since the summer of 2023, suffered a serious injury recently – in the match against Chelsea in early January 2026, which ended with a score of 1: 1. As a result of the medical examination, a fracture was detected in the fibula bone of Guardiola’s right leg. Manchester City doctors immediately announced to the technical staff and club management that they could no longer trust the Croatian player at the end of this season. Yoshko’s estimated recovery time is approximately four months. However, this is the most favorable prognosis as recovery may take five or six months.
Theoretically, if Guardiol returns from hospital towards the end of May, he will have the chance to be included in the Croatian national team at the 2026 World Cup. Of course, the centre-back will have to go abroad without training and far from the best conditions, but… Without Josko, the Croatian national team will definitely lose a lot, because by the age of 23 Guardiola had already made 46 appearances and scored 4 goals for the “checkers”.
Takumi Minamino
Age: 30 years old Citizenship: Japan Club: Monaco
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine
Takumi Minamino may not be a world football star, but he can certainly have such status in his native Japan. In the past, the winger had a two-and-a-half-year contract at Liverpool, but Takumi never managed to become a key figure for the Reds. As a result, Minamino has been playing in France since the summer of 2022 for Monaco, which paid a large sum of 15 million euros to the British for his transfer.
In Monaco, Minamino is constantly a key player, but on December 21 last year, in the 5th round match of the French Cup against Auxerre (2:1), the Japanese midfielder was injured, and then doctors determined that it was a rupture of the cruciate ligament in the knee. The normal recovery time in such cases is 6-9 months, effectively ending Takumi’s hopes of playing in the 2026 World Cup. It will be a real miracle if the midfielder, who played 73 times for Japan and helped the Blue Samurai defeat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly match in October, continues to take part in the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Muhammed Salisu
Age: 26 years old Citizenship: Ghana Club: Monaco
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine
Mohammed Salisu, Minamino’s teammate and one of the strongest players in the current Ghana national team, also risks not being able to play in the 2026 World Cup. The former football player from Southampton, for whom Monaco paid 15 million euros in August 2023, was injured in early January this year and it is very possible that he will not be able to go to the USA, Canada and Mexico as a player for the national team.
Doctors diagnosed Salisu with a cruciate ligament tear in his knee. In theory, this could mean that Muhammad will miss slightly less than he would with a rupture… But in the near future, Salis will need to undergo several additional examinations that will help determine the severity of his injury and what treatment would be more appropriate to choose. And there is a risk here that further examination will reveal that the African has more serious injuries than currently expected. Then he will definitely not be able to play in the 2026 World Cup, but so far doctors have not specified a specific time frame for recovery. It is clear that we are talking about months, not days or weeks…
Andreas Christensen
Age: 29 years old Citizenship: Denmark Club: barcelona
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine
The Danish national team has not yet qualified for the 2026 World Cup. In March, this team will first have to play against North Macedonia and, if successful, in the play-offs against the winner of the Czech Republic-Ireland double. However, the Danes are seen as the favorites by many, but they will definitely have to earn a ticket to the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico without key defender Andreas Christensen.
The 29-year-old Barcelona defender, who lost his role as an important figure in the Blaugranas in recent years largely due to frequent health problems, suffered a partial rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at the end of December last year and preferred a conservative treatment method. This in theory leaves Denmark with a better chance of continuing to play at the 2026 World Cup in the summer if they manage to qualify.
Eder Militao
Age: 27 years old Citizenship: Brazil Club: Real
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine
On December 8, 2025, it was learned that Eder Militao, the defender of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, was injured. It was related to a muscle tear in his left thigh, which resulted in doctors deciding it would take around four months for the Brazilian player to fully recover. In fact, we should see Militao on the football fields at the beginning of April, two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
It would seem, what is the risk of Eder missing the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico? The problem is that Militao has literally become “glass” in recent years. It haunts injury after injury. Muscle injuries and cruciate ligament problems in the knee have almost become a “chronic” for the Brazilian defender; Therefore, no one has confidence in Militao’s real playing conditions and abilities to go to North America in the summer. It is worth noting that Eder played four matches for the Selecao in the 2022 World Cup; two in the group stage, 1/8 against South Korea in the final (4:1) and 1/4 against Croatia in the final (1:1, 2:4 – on penalties).
Justin Kluivert
Age: 26 years old Citizenship: Holland Club: Bournemouth
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine
Bournemouth and Netherlands midfielder Justin Kluivert, the son of legendary former Orange forward Patrick Kluivert, may also join the sadness of those who will miss the final part of the 2026 World Cup due to health problems. Justin had surgery on his problematic knee on January 4 and now doctors will try to get him back on his feet as soon as possible so that Kluivert can continue to be useful to both Bournemouth and the Dutch national team.
Predictions so far are that Justin will return by April. This will allow the football player to realize his dream and play in the World Cup, especially since Justin took part in six matches and made one assist. But you can think as far ahead as you want and, more importantly, how Kluivert’s recovery process will actually progress after he missed a total of two calendar months last year due to various injuries and health problems…
Levi Colwill
Age: 22 years old Citizenship: England Club: Chelsea
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine
Young defender Levi Colwill was seen by many observers as one of the key figures in the process of rejuvenating the England national team squad. Colwill made his debut in the “three lions” camp in October 2023 and was expected to go to the 2026 World Cup as he was the best player for his hometown Chelsea last year and is currently valued at up to 50 million euros on the Transfermarkt portal, but…
In August 2025, Levi tore his “crucifixes”, so he was away from football for a long time. Latest predictions suggest Colwill’s recovery is expected in late May or early June, making it extremely unlikely that this will contribute to the Chelsea center being recalled to the England squad for the 2026 World Cup. In the end, Thomas Tuchel in the USA, Canada and Mexico will need the most prepared football players who can finally seriously compete for the championship and are not limited to elimination at an early stage or a brave fight almost to the end, but without winning the cup. We would like to remind you that Football England was waiting for its second championship because it won its first and first in the 1966 World Cup.
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Head coach of the Senegalese national team Pap Tyaw left the press conference after the final of the Africa Cup of Nations against the Moroccan team (1:0) due to the booing of Moroccan journalists. Reuters reports it.
Tyaw took the Senegalese players off the pitch in protest after their goal was disallowed and a penalty was awarded against the Senegalese in second-half injury time with the score 0–0. After 15 minutes the Senegalese national team players returned to the pitch. Team goalkeeper Edouard Mendy he took the ball forcefully after a penalty from the Moroccan Brahim Diaz. Regular time ended with the score 0:0; the Senegalese won in extra time.
The Senegalese team won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time. The Senegalese won for the first time in 2021. The Moroccan team won the tournament in 1976.
The Africa Cup of Nations is held every two years. The winner of the previous tournament was the Ivory Coast team. The next Africa Cup of Nations will take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
Brazilian football club Internacional has agreed on the transfer of the Russian midfielder CSKA Rodrigo Villagra. This was reported by the International press service.
“In the next few days the athlete will arrive in Porto Alegre to undergo a medical examination and complete the necessary legal and administrative procedures,” reads the note. At the end of these phases and after successfully passing the medical examination, the player will be officially declared a member of the Club for the 2026 season and will join the professional team at the training ground under the guidance of Paulo Pezzolano.
Villagra is 24 years old and plays for CSKA since March 2025. This season, the Argentine has played 11 matches for the club in various tournaments, without scoring any goals. He previously played for Argentina’s River Plate, Talleres and Rosario.
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
