Julian Nagelsmann’s tenure as Germany’s head coach ended on Friday, four days after a penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay sent the four-time world champions crashing out of the 2026 World Cup in the round of 32. The German Football Association (DFB) announced that Nagelsmann had requested to be released from his contract, which ran until 2028, and that the federation’s leadership would now “seek talks” with Jürgen Klopp, who has signalled his general willingness to take the post. The swift move, confirmed in a statement after a unanimous vote by the DFB’s supervisory board, marks the third time in as many tournaments that Germany have parted ways with a coach in the immediate aftermath of a World Cup disappointment.

The decisive blow came at Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Germany drew 1-1 with Paraguay after extra time and then lost 4-3 on penalties — the first shootout defeat in the nation’s World Cup history. Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Tah all failed from the spot, while Paraguay converted four of their five attempts. The result extended a grim sequence for German football: group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022 were followed by this earliest-ever knockout departure, leaving the team without a World Cup knockout victory since the 2014 final. German media described the performance across the tournament as sluggish and uninspired, with criticism focusing on Nagelsmann’s tactical choices, including the recall of 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and the persistent deployment of Joshua Kimmich at right-back.

Nagelsmann had initially insisted he would not walk away, telling reporters after the match, “I’m not one to run.” But a three-hour crisis meeting at DFB headquarters in Frankfurt on Thursday changed the calculus. According to reports in the German press, the federation’s leadership — including president Bernd Neuendorf, Bundesliga supervisory board chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke, and sporting director Rudi Völler — heard Nagelsmann’s analysis of the failure and then urged him to consider a voluntary resignation. The coach accepted, and a severance package estimated at €7 million was agreed. The DFB also disclosed that managing director Andreas Rettig would not extend his contract beyond the end of the year, while Nagelsmann’s long-time assistants Benjamin Glück and Benjamin Hübner will leave with him.

Viewed from London, Paris and Madrid, the speed of the German overhaul drew comparisons with the federation’s previous hesitancy after the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, when Joachim Löw and Hansi Flick were retained for months before being replaced. International observers noted that Nagelsmann, appointed in September 2023 and still only 38, had overseen a respectable run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and a Nations League semi-final, but the Paraguay defeat proved terminal. His exit adds to a lengthening list of coaches who have left their posts during or immediately after this World Cup, including Ronald Koeman (Netherlands), Hong Myung-bo (South Korea) and Sabri Lamouchi (Tunisia).

The focus now shifts to Klopp, who is under contract as Red Bull’s head of global football until 2029 but is reported to have a verbal agreement allowing him to take the national team job. German media have indicated that Red Bull would demand a transfer fee, a novelty for the DFB. Klopp, working as a television pundit during the tournament, had already stirred controversy by referring to Nagelsmann as coach “for now.” Germany’s next fixture is a Nations League match against the Netherlands on 24 September, by which time the federation hopes to have its new coach in place.