Germany lose FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying opener in Slovakia

Germany fell to their first-ever away defeat in FIFA World Cup qualifying after beginning their 2026 campaign with a surprise 2-0 loss to Slovakia in Bratislava.

Slovakia 2-0 Germany
Goals: 1-0 Hancko 42' (assist: Strelec) 2-0 Strelec 55' (assist: Gyömber)

The signs were there for Germany as former Hertha Berlin and Cologne midfielder Ondrej Duda flashed a shot just wide in the second minute.

Oliver Baumann twice denied Leo Sauer either side of Duda striking the woodwork, before the visitors threatened for the first time through Maximilian Mittelstädt. Florian Wirtz followed suit, but Martin Dúbravka was equal to the task.

Slovakia went one better on the stroke of half-time when Dávid Hancko beat Baumann with a well-placed strike from inside the area.

Germany were two goals down with less than an hour gone. - JOE KLAMAR

Germany showed signs of life as Leon Goretzka made Dúbravka work after the restart, only for Slovakia to forge ahead with their next meaningful attack. David Strelec was the scorer with a smart run and emphatic finish into the top corner.

The introduction of Karim Adeyemi injected momentary urgency into proceedings, but Goretzka could not land his attempt on target after combining with the Borussia Dortmund-based substitute.

Germany will now look to dust themselves off and get their first points on the board when they face Northern Ireland in their second Group A fixture on 7 September.

Match stats

• Germany have never not qualified for a World Cup. They did not enter the inaugural 1930 edition and were barred from entering in 1950. 
• These teams have faced each other 12 times so far, with Germany winning eight and Slovakia four.
• The most recent of those encounters was a 3-0 victory for Germany in the round of 16 at the 2016 European Championship. Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah are the only members of that squad still involved today. 
• Julian Nagelsmann's overall record as Germany coach reads: W12 D6 L6.
• Slovakia last played at a World Cup at the 2010 edition in South Africa. 
• Serge Gnabry has more international goals than any other current member of Germany's squad (22). He is followed by Goretzka (15), Niclas Füllkrug (14) and Kimmich (eight).

Teams

Slovakia: Dúbravka - Gyömber, Šatka, Škriniar (c), Hancko - Bero, Lobotka, Duda (Bénes 90') - Ďuriš (Rigo 66'), Strelec (Boženík 83'), Sauer (Tupta 83')
Unused subs: Rodák, Takáč, Pekarík, Mesík, Obert, Hrošovský, Bobček, Kmeť
Out: -  
Coach: Francesco Calzona

Germany: Baumann - Collins (Raum 46'), Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstädt - Kimmich (c), Stiller (Amiri 60') - Gnabry (Adeyemi 66'), Goretzka, Wirtz - Woltemade
Unused subs: Nübel, Dahmen, Koch, Groß, Leweling, Füllkrug, Anton, Nebel, Andrich
Out: Havertz (knee), Kleindienst (knee), Musiala (broken ankle), Schlotterbeck (knee), ter Stegen (back)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann

As it happened!

2 - 0

(1 - 0)

Slovakia

FINAL

Germany

FIFA World Cup
Qualifying, Group A Qualifying, Group A Tehelné pole, Bratislava

Full-time: Slovakia 2-0 Germany

The Nationalmannschaft lose a World Cup qualifier away from home for the first time in their history as they succumb to Slovakia. Leo Sauer was a thorn in Germany's side in the first half, but it was Dávid Hancko who broke the deadlock. After the break, David Strelec curled into the top corner shortly after wasting a fantastic opportunity, and Germany never really had an answer. The road to the USA, Mexico and Canada, therefore, starts in the worst possible way.

© JOE KLAMAR

Full-time

90'

Yellow card

Maximilian Mittelstädt

90'

Substitution

László Bénes

Ondrej Duda

90'

Five minutes added on

There is not long left at all for Germany to produce something special.

89'

Yellow card

Karim Adeyemi

85'

Flat

Germany have struggled to exert any sustained pressure in this second half. They are now staring at defeat unless they can stage a late, late comeback.

83'

Sauer off

The youngster comes off for a well deserved rest. He was a thorn in Germany's side throughout the first half.

83'

Substitution

Ľubomír Tupta

Leo Sauer

83'

Substitution

Róbert Boženík

David Strelec

Something up his sleeve?

Nagelsmann still has two substitutions left as we approach the game's climax.

© JOE KLAMAR

72'

Wide

Adeyemi is involved, laying the ball off for Goretzka. The Bayern man's shot is deflected behind.

66'

A sub apiece

Gnabry, who injured his arm in the first half, is replaced by Adeyemi. Will that provide Germany with some extra edge?

66'

Substitution

Tomáš Rigo

Michal Ďuriš

66'

Substitution

Karim Adeyemi

Serge Gnabry

64'

Wide

Kimmich tries to catch Dúbravka out, but his low shot hits the side netting.

64'

Free-kick

Germany have a set-piece in a dangerous position. Can they pull one back here?

61'

Yellow card

Antonio Rüdiger

60'

Change in the middle

Amiri is brought on by Nagelsmann as he looks for some extra threat in midfield. The Mainz man has an early chance to impress, but pulls a shot wide of the post.

60'

Substitution

Nadiem Amiri

Angelo Stiller

55'

Two in front!

Strelec wasted an easier chance moments before, but he now has his team two to the good as he cuts inside Rüdiger before curling into the top corner. Germany's task just got harder.

55'

David Strelec

GOAL!

2:0

© Lars Baron

54'

Chance!

A brilliant opening for Strelec, who is found on the edge of the box unmarked. However, his first-time shot goes straight into Baumann's grateful hands.

53'

Wide

Woltemade heads past the post. Germany are at least getting more shots off here.

51'

History on Germany's side

Remarkably, Germany have never lost a World Cup qualifier away from home. There is still time to keep to make sure that record remains intact.

48'

Great stop

Germany's first chance of the second period falls the way of Goretzka, who draws a save from Dúbravka. Hopefully for Nagelsmann and Co., that is far from the last chance of the game.

46'

Substitution

David Raum

Nnamdi Collins

46'

Back underway

Germany have 45 minutes left to turn this game around. They need to do much more than in the first half.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Slovakia 1-0 Germany

That first half was very much about Leo Sauer, who caused Germany so much trouble down the left wing. It was a slow start from the visitors and, while they had a couple of opportunities, it was the home team who were the more threatening. Ultimately, Dávid Hancko was the half's only goalscorer, slotting past Oliver Baumann from close range to give Slovakia the lead at the break. Plenty for Nagelsmann to ponder at the interval.

© IMAGO/Matthias Koch

Half-time

43'

Slovakia in front!

The home side have been dangerous for most of the half, and they now have their lead. Sauer is not involved, but the goal comes from the right, as Hancko plays a one two before sweeping home from inside the area. Work for Germany to do now!

43'

Dávid Hancko

GOAL!

1:0

42'

Sauer again

The winger continues to terrorise the right side of the Germany defence. This time, he skips past Collins and fires in a stunning cross for Strelec. He doesn't read it, though, and doesn't get the right connection.

38'

Slight lull

The game has quietened down in the past few minutes. There's still time before the break for either team to make the difference, though.

32'

Brilliant stop

Wirtz has been quiet so far, but he burst into life, dribbling past an opponent before drawing a stop from Dúbravka down to his right. It just goes to show that he can strike in instant.

31'

Over

Woltemade gets on the end of Mittelstädt's cross, but he can't keep it down and it instead goes well over the crossbar.

27'

Sauer again

Slovakia's 19-year-old is proving to be a real problem for Germany at the moment. This time, he has Rüdiger in all sort of trouble, and only a Tah block stops Baumann from being tested once again. Nagelsmann has to find a solution for the teenager.

27'

Save

Kimmich is next to try his luck, but this one is straight at Dúbravka and he easily holds.

© IMAGO/Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images

24'

Denied!

Germany then break down the other end and, after Woltemade is thwarted by a Slovakia defender, Mittelstädt's shot is pushed behind by Dúbravka. From the resulting corner, Rüdiger's heads wide. The game has suddenly burst into life!

23'

Sauer again

Another chance for Sauer from a similar position. Again, though, it is at a good height for Baumann to save. Germany, though, are struggling to contain the 19-year-old at the moment.

22'

Post!

From the set-piece, former Hertha man Duda strikes the post! Slovakia are starting to cause problems.

21'

Save!

Baumann is called into action for the first time, and he needs to be on his toes to parry Sauer's shot behind for a corner. That is the best opening of the game so far.

16'

High press

When Slovakia get on the ball in their own half, Germany are looking to press them as early as possible.

11'

Spell of possession

For the first time in the match, the hosts have the ball for a sustained period. Still no shots from either team yet.

6'

Plenty of the ball

Nagelsmann's side are enjoying the majority of possession in these early stages. Still, they'v4 not troubled Dúbravka between the Slovakia sticks just yet.

2'

Close!

A very early chance for Slovakia. Duda flashes a first-time cross across the face of goal, but two Slovakia players are inches away from getting on the end of it. An early warning for the visitors.

1'

Underway

We are up and running here in Bratislava.

Kick-off!

Almost ready for kick-off

The two teams are making their onto the field of play.

Familiar faces

There are several current and former Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 players in the Slovakia squad. Matúš Bero currently plays his football for VfL Bochum, while Ondrej Duda was previously on the books of Hertha Berlin and Cologne. He played in the capital with Peter Pekarík, who remains at the Old Lady, the team on the opposite side of the city to László Bénes' Union Berlin. At the moment, though, the latter is on loan at Kayserispor in Turkey.

© CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images

10:04

Watch: The best of Nick Woltemade

Following his transfer to Newcastle United, Woltemade has been picked to lead the line by Nagelsmann against Slovakia. Enjoy some of his best moments from his time at VfB Stuttgart.

More on that Germany team

Eintracht Frankfurt defender Nnamdi Collins makes his senior Germany debut in Bratislava this evening. The 21-year-old looks set to start at right-back, freeing up captain Joshua Kimmich for a place in central midfield alongside VfB Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller.

Slovakia starting XI

Dúbravka - Gyömber, Šatka, Škriniar, Hancko - Bero, Lobotka, Duda - Ďuriš, Strelec, Sauer

Slovakia subs

Rodák, Takáč, Pekarík, Mesík, Obert, Boženík, Bénes, Tupta, Hrošovský, Bobček, Kmeť, Rigo

Germany starting XI

Baumann - Collins, Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstädt - Kimmich (c), Stiller - Gnabry, Goretzka, Wirtz - Woltemade

Germany subs

Nübel, Dahmen, Koch, Groß, Leweling, Füllkrug, Amiri, Adeyemi, Anton, Nebel, Raum, Andrich

Back-to-back qualifying wins

They also faced each other in qualifying for the 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland. Lukas Podolski struck twice in a 4-1 victory in Bratislava in October 2006, before a Thomas Hitzlsperger header secured a 2-1 triumph at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion eight months later.

© IMAGO / Eisele

Last time out...

Germany have won all three of their competitive encounters with Slovakia. The teams last met in the last 16 of UEFA EURO 2016, with goals from Jérôme Boateng, Mario Gómez and Julian Draxler earning Jogi Löw’s side a comfortable 3-0 victory.

© Ben Queenborough/BPI/Shutterstock via IMAGO

2026 friendly opponents announced

Should Germany qualify for the World Cup finals automatically, they will face Ivory Coast in Stuttgart on 30 March and Finland in Mainz on May 31st. These fixtures are also subject to the World Cup qualifying draw.

© IMAGO/APP

Germany's World Cup qualifying group

Slovakia are one of three opponents Nagelsmann and Co. will face as they attempt to reach the 2026 finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Northern Ireland and Luxembourg make up the rest of group, with the winners qualifying directly for the tournament and the runners-up going into the play-offs.

A decade later...

Other than Kimmich (r.), Antonio Rüdiger (l.) is the only player in this current squad who featured in that 2016 game. Julian Brandt, Emre Can, Leroy Sané and Marc-André ter Stegen were all involved too.

© CHRISTOF STACHE

Full circle moment

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich earned his first senior cap against Slovakia way back in May 2016. A 3-1 loss didn't make for the best of starts, but the Bayern man can smile about it now. "I remember it fondly," he said. "I still remember it was pouring with rain, the pitch was hardly playable. The game was interrupted, and we conceded two goals from set pieces, both from my direct opponent."

© imago sportfotodienst

Nagelsmann: "Goal is to become world champions!"

The Germany coach made his ambition clear in his pre-match press conference, saying: "It's healthy for all of us to have the goal of becoming world champions. I also told the team that's our goal. If any of the players think differently then they don't even need to travel there."

© Lars Baron

Everyone fit and ready

Germany held their final training session on Wednesday morning at the team's base in Herzogenaurach, with all 23 members of the squad coming through unscathed. They subsequently made the short trip to Nuremberg airport, from where they departed for Bratislava.

© Christian Kaspar-Bartke

All white on the night

Germany will play in an all-white strip in Bratislava. Their retro-look anniversary jerseys were designed by DFB partner adidas in honour of the German Football Association's 125th anniversary.

© IMAGO/osnapix / Marcus Hirnschal

Nagelsmann: "Baumann will be our number one"

Nevertheless, Nagelsmann already has a pecking order in mind. "Oliver Baumann will be our number one," he said when announcing this squad at the end of August. "Oli has been playing at a high level for many years and has also made a great impression with us. He saved us against Italy, and he is highly respected within the team. He's a great guy and an outstanding character. I have great trust in him. He'll be our number one until Marc hopefully returns healthy and fit."

© Maja Hitij

New goalkeeping era

Manuel Neuer and, to a lesser extent, Marc-André ter Stegen have dominated Germany's goalkeeping landscape over the last 15 years or so, but with the former now retired at international level and the latter out injured, the door is open for someone else to stake their claim. Alex Nübel (r.), Oliver Baumann (2nd r.) and Finn Dahmen (l.) are the men with the opportunity to do so this month.

© Alexander Hassenstein

0:29

Watch: A glimpse at what Paul Nebel can do

The Mainz attacker received his first senior international call-up this month. Check out his attacking talents - he was nominated for Bundesliga Player of the Month in December last year.

Which newcomers will feature?

Paul Nebel (pictured) is one of a trio of fresh faces in Julian Nagelsmann's squad, alongside Nnamdi Collins of Eintracht Frankfurt and Finn Dahmen of Augsburg.

© Alexander Hassenstein

0:43

Watch: Germany stars arrive for international duty

Here's how Julian Nageslmann's squad arrived at the team's base in Herzogenaurach.

Welcome!

Germany kick off their qualifying campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Bratislava on Thursday night. Stay tuned for all the action as Julian Nagelsmann's side get Group A under way.