Julian Nagelsmann resigns as Germany coach

Julian Nagelsmann resigns as Germany coach, DFB opens talks with Jürgen Klopp, severance reports sit beside long contracts and short patience

Germany’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann has resigned days after the national team’s World Cup exit, with the German Football Association moving quickly to sound out Jürgen Klopp as a successor. The Guardian reports that the DFB confirmed on Friday that Klopp told the federation he is “fundamentally willing” to take over, while discussions begin.

Nagelsmann had been under contract with the DFB until 2028, but stepped down after Germany went out in the last 32 to Paraguay. The Independent reports the defeat came after an uneven tournament, and notes Germany have not won a World Cup knockout match since lifting the trophy in 2014.

The speed of the pivot shows how little protection a long contract provides when a national team fails on the biggest stage. The Guardian describes a three-hour meeting at DFB headquarters in Frankfurt shortly before Nagelsmann’s resignation. The Independent adds that Nagelsmann suggested earlier in the week he would continue if the federation wanted him to, implying the decision was as much institutional as personal.

Klopp’s availability is shaped by another contract that appears built for exit. He is currently under contract as Red Bull’s head of global football, but both the Guardian and the Independent cite German reporting that his deal includes a clause or understanding allowing him to leave if the Germany job becomes available. The same arrangement that locks in corporate control over a network of clubs also leaves room for a prestige role that sits outside the club game.

Money is part of the churn even when the employer is a federation rather than a club. The Guardian cites Bild reporting that Nagelsmann was offered a severance package of seven million euros, roughly equivalent to a year’s salary, to cut short a deal running to 2028. For the federation, paying to end a contract can be cheaper than paying for another tournament cycle that sponsors and fans have already mentally written off.

For Klopp, the calculation runs in the other direction. A national-team role offers fewer training days and a smaller ability to reshape squad building, but it comes with a single, clear scoreboard: tournament results. Germany’s recent record means the job arrives with a built-in narrative of decline and renewal, and little time to manage it.

Nagelsmann’s contract was signed to last until 2028. It ended after a last-32 defeat and a meeting in Frankfurt.