Germany Just Wants To Be Germany Again

It's almost time for the World Cup. Before the tournament, we'll be previewing each of the top 15 teams by FIFA rankings that made the tournament. Why the top 15? Because that's how many we needed to do in order for the USMNT to make the cut. You can read all of our previews here.

If Brazil is the technicolor standard-bearer of soccer brilliance at the World Cup, then Germany is Brazil's monochromatic counterpart, a country that never fails to produce enough talent to be a serious threat every four years. Except, it appears, over the last two tournaments. Germany went out of the group stage in 2018, the first time the country had failed to advance past the first round since Quite Literally Hitler Times (1938), and then repeated the feat in 2022 to really drive home the doldrums. Throw in a couple of disappointing finishes at the Euros, and Germany enters the 2026 World Cup trying to recover its identity and traditions.