Germany edge past USA in final FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up

Germany earned a 2-1 victory over the USA in Chicago on Saturday in their final warm-up game before the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off next week.

USA 1-2 Germany
Goals: 0-1 Havertz 2’ (assist: Kimmich), 1-1 A. Robinson 37’, 1-2 Sané 57’ (assist: Havertz)

With Manuel Neuer still unavailable due to a calf complaint and Deniz Undav only fit enough to be among the substitutes, Julian Nagelsmann otherwise fielded his strongest available XI against the USA, with the notable selection of Nathaniel Brown at left-back ahead of David Raum.

Germany enjoyed the perfect start by taking the lead after just two minutes when Kai Havertz escaped his marker to head in a Joshua Kimmich free-kick from the right. Havertz had the ball in the net again from Leroy Sané’s cut-back a short while later, but it was disallowed as the ball had previously gone out of play.

The USA, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman starting and a host of former Bundesliga stars also in their ranks, gradually grew into the game. After a couple of half chances for Sergiño Dest and some last-ditch blocks to deny Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson struck a sensational equaliser with a 25-year volley that left Oliver Baumann no chance.

The game remained a fiercely contested affair in the second half, but it was Germany who scored next when Leroy Sané’s scuffed shot from inside the box rolled into the bottom corner.

Both teams made a number of substitutions after that, eager to give as many players some minutes before the World Cup proper. The game lost its flow as a consequence and became a more disjointed spectacle in the closing stages, as Germany eased the result to the final whistle. 

As it happened!

1 - 2

(1 - 1)

USA

FINAL

Germany

Friendly
World Cup warm-up World Cup warm-up Soldier Field, Chicago

Full-time: USA 1-2 Germany

Germany emerge 2-1 winners from this action-packed and competitive friendly with the USA in Chicago. Havertz headed the Germans into an early lead, before an eye-catching Antonee Robinson volley drew the Americans level in the 37th minute. Both teams had chances - the USA in particular were guilty of some profligate finishing - but it was Julian Nagelsmann's men who found the winner, Sané slotting home Havertz's pass halfway through the second half.

© IMAGO/Jacek Boczarski

End of second half

90'

+ 3

Two yellows

A little bit of argy-bargy between practically everyone on the pitch sees Schlotterbeck and Weah get yellows. The ref reminds everyone it's a friendly and play continues.

90'

+ 2

Yellow card

Nico Schlotterbeck

90'

+ 2

Yellow card

Timothy Weah

90'

Yellow card

Maximilian Beier

90'

We're going to have...

...six minutes of added time in Chicago.

86'

Baumann denies Aronsen!

US heads have not gone down yet: Aronsen drives forward and forces Baumann to palm the ball over the bar!

83'

Amiri unlucky!

Substitute Amiri takes Anton pass and sweeps an effort towards goal that curls just wide. Worthy of a goal!

82'

Subs a-plenty

The large number of adjustments on both sides has disrupted the flow of the game somewhat, although the players that have just come off the bench will be extremely keen to make an impression, with the World Cup just a few days away.

81'

Baumann saves from Scally!

The Hoffenheim man tips Scally's effort around the post - close one!

80'

Substitution

Maximilian Beier

Florian Wirtz

80'

Substitution

Leon Goretzka

Felix Nmecha

80'

Substitution

Nadien Amiri

Jamal Musiala

80'

Substitution

Angelo Stiller

Aleksandar Pavlović

72'

Substitution

Malik Tillman

Brenden Aaronson

72'

Substitution

Christian Roldan

Tyler Adams

72'

Substitution

Joe Scally

Alex Freeman

72'

Substitution

Ricardo Pepi

Folarin Balogun

72'

Substitution

Sergiño Dest

Timothy Weah

72'

Substitution

Max Arfsten

Tim Ream

70'

Second-half water break

There's a short break in play as both sides take a minute to re-hydrate.

65'

Pavlović has a go

Pavlović is presented with a shooting chance just outside the box, but he hits the ball high over the crossbar.

62'

Flurry of changes

Both sides make several changes, with Nagelsmann proving good to his word by giving Deniz Undav - who replaces goalscorer Havertz - the final 30 minutes of this clash.

62'

Substitution

Auston Trusty

Antonee Robinson

62'

Substitution

Sebastian Berhalter

Weston McKennie

62'

Substitution

Mark Mckenzie

Miles Robinson

62'

Substitution

Giovanni Reyna

Christian Pulisic

62'

Substitution

David Raum

Nathaniel Brown

61'

Substitution

Deniz Undav

Kai Havertz

61'

Substitution

Waldemar Anton

Joshua Kimmich

Germany regain the lead!

The Germans make it 2-1, and it's Sané who gets it! The attack-minded No.19 doesn't catch his shot from Havertz's pass all that cleanly, but it nevertheless bounces into the left-corner of Freece's net!

© Alexander Hassenstein

57'

Leroy Sané

GOAL!

1:2

54'

Sané's free-kick flies over

Germany earn a free-kick in a useful position, but after much discussion, Sané balloons the ball over the bar.

49'

Freese saves from Nmecha

Havertz lays the ball off nicely to Nmecha, whose shot lacks power - it's comfortably saved by Freese.

46'

The second half is underway!

A big 45 minutes ahead for both head coaches, as they fine-tune their line-ups ahead of the World Cup.

Kick-off!

Half-time: USA 1-1 Germany

The whistle goes on an entertaining 45 minutes at Soldier Field in Chicago. Germany opened the scoring through a Havertz header after just two minutes, and it looked in the subsequent 10-15 minutes that they might run away with things. The United States dug deep to come back into the match, however, Antonee Robinson's sensational volley drawing his side level in the 37th minute. With the USA pushing at the end of the first half, the second period promises to be intriguing!

© Jamie Squire

Half-time

45'

+ 3

Another effort deflected

Pulisic fires a shot goalwards from just outside the box, but it's again deflected behind for a corner. The US are finishing the first half on a high note.

45'

Three mins of stoppage time

Three minutes to go at Soldier Field. Can either side find another goal before the break?

44'

Pulisic's shot deflected

Now Pulisic leads the Germany defence a merry dance, but his shot at the end of the run is deflected behind for a corner.

42'

USA pushing now!

Dest picks up Antonee Robinson's pass, before taking on his man in the box and creating enough space for a shot. He fires it over the bar, which he may regret, as that was a real chance - the hosts are looking confident now!

What a strike!

Wow, and suddenly it's 1-1! From Tah's clearing header, Antonee Robinson smashes a fantastic first-time finish into the roof of the net, leaving Baumann with no chance!

© Alexander Hassenstein

37'

Antonee Robinson

GOAL!

1:1

36'

Pavlović tries his luck

Pavlović gets to a loose ball first, but doesn't catch his hopeful long-range shot right and hits it straight at Freese.

32'

US corner causes trouble

Dest's corner is nodded down by Tillman, but the Germany rearguard immediately clears!

26'

Back underway

The match resumes with a USA goal-kick. If they're to get back into this match, they're going to have to improve on their total of two off-target shots so far.

23'

Hydration break at Soldier Field

The ref orders the players to take a water break - it's 26 degrees Celsius in Chicago today.

Halfway through the first half...

...and this match has developed into a hard-fought encounter. Pochettino will likely be pleased with the way in which his charges have responded to going behind so early.

© Alexander Hassenstein

18'

Bit more possession for the home side

The crowd had gone quiet due to Germany's strong start, but they are making themselves heard again now following a sustained period of possession during which the Stars and Stripes worked the ball well from flank to flank without creating a viable chance.

12'

US starting to gain a foothold

Pulisic and Balogun combine on the left, but the Monaco striker's low cross just evades Dest at the back post.

10'

Sniff of a chance for the USA

Dest breaks into the box, trying to get on the end of a through ball, but Brown does well to snuff out the half-chance.

6'

Almost two!

The visitors have the ball in the net through Havertz again, but Sané was deemed to have run the ball out of play before crossing from the right. Germany dominating right now.

What a start for Germany!

Germany take the lead after just two minutes on the clock! Kimmich finds Havertz in the middle, and the Arsenal man slots a firm header into the back of the net for the opener!

© Alexander Hassenstein

2'

Kai Havertz

GOAL!

0:1

And we're off!

The anthems have been sung and the players are ready - now for the match!

© Alexander Hassenstein

Kick-off!

We've got about...

...10 mins to kick-off at a packed Soldier Field!

10:23

Watch: The best of Jamal Musiala!

Previous meeting

The last time Germany and the USA went head-to-head was in a 2023 friendly in East Hartford, Connecticut. The United States took an early lead through Pulisic, but the Germans produced an impressive comeback to win 3-1, with Musiala scoring the third goal.

© IMAGO/MIS

3:31

Watch: What makes Nmecha so good?

Soldier Field looking pristine

There's about half an hour to go till kick-off, and Chicago's Soldier Field is filling up nicely ahead of this intriguing friendly.

© IMAGO/Markus Ulmer

Ouédraogo going straight to HQ

Karl has now landed back in Munich to begin his rehabilitation, but his replacement in the squad - Ouédraogo - did not fly out to Chicago to be with the rest of the team. Instead, he has travelled to the Germany camp's World Cup headquarters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

© IMAGO/Steffie Wunderl

More on that Germany line-up

Nagelsmann keeps faith in Brown after his strong recent performances for Germany in friendlies against Ghana and Finland. In addition, Nmecha is preferred to Goretzka and will again pair up with Pavlović in the double pivot that was so effective versus the Finns.

© KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

More on that USA line-up

Freese gets the nod in goal over Turner, and Pochettino opts for a centre-back pairing of Ream and Miles Robinson. Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen's Malik Tillman is set to earn his 30th cap for the Stars and Stripes.

© TIM VIZER

Starting line-up: Germany

Formation:4-2-3-1

12

Oliver Baumann

18

Nathaniel Brown

15

Nico Schlotterbeck

4

Jonathan Tah

6

Joshua Kimmich

5

Aleksandar Pavlović

23

Felix Nmecha

17

Florian Wirtz

10

Jamal Musiala

19

Leroy Sané

7

Kai Havertz

Germany subs

Nübel, Urbig, Anton, Raum, Rüdiger, Thiaw, Amiri, Goretzka, Groß, Stiller, Beier, Leweling, Undav, Woltemade

Starting line-up: United States

Formation:4-2-3-1

24

Matt Freese

5

Antonee Robinson

12

Miles Robinson

13

Tim Ream

2

Sergiño Dest

4

Tyler Adams

16

Alex Freeman

17

Malik Tillman

10

Christian Pulišić

8

Weston McKennie

20

Folarin Balogun

USA subs

Aaronson, Arfsten, Berhalter, Brady, McKenzie, Pepi, Reyna, Roldan, Scally, Trusty, Turner, Weah, Wright, Zendajas

Who will start for Germany?

With this being the last warm-up game before the World Cup gets going in earnest next week, it's safe to assume that Julian Nagelsmann will begin with his strongest XI to get them in rhythm. He's already confirmed that Neuer won't play and that Undav will feature for a maximum of 30 minutes, while Karl has now arrived back in Germany to begin his rehabilitation. That all means a likely 4-2-3-1 formation looking something like this: Baumann (pictured) - Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Raum - Pavlović, Goretzka - Sané, Musiala, Wirtz - Havertz.

© IMAGO/Harry Langer/DeFodi Images

Mauricio Pochettino on facing Germany

"Germany are among the three or five most powerful teams in this World Cup. With a great coach like Julian [Nagelsmann], whom I know well, I think Germany are a serious contender to win the World Cup. I think it's a great opportunity for us to test ourselves."

© IMAGO/KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI

Florian Wirtz on the World Cup

"I feel very good. I am ready to take on my role here and push myself to the limit. I am really looking forward to the tournament."

© IMAGO/Markus Ulmer

Julian Nagelsmann on facing USA

"I think it will be a very exciting final friendly. The atmosphere will be great, and they play good football. It will be a good final test for us, and is one we're really looking forward to."

© IMAGO/Markus Ulmer

Mixing with the locals

Antonio Rüdiger and Leroy Sané visited the German International School in Chicago on Thursday, while Leon Goretzka and David Raum met youngsters at the local Goethe Institute on Wednesday. Julian Nagelsmann might be impressed that Goretzka and Raum sat right at the front of the class...

© Alexander Hassenstein

Assan Ouédraogo called up as replacement

FIFA regulations allow participating teams to replace injured players in their squads prior to the start of the tournament, with Nagelsmann choosing to call up RB Leipzig's Assan Ouédraogo in Karl's stead. “In Assan, we’re now bringing in a player who, like Lenny, made an excellent start with us," said the coach. "He’s also extremely talented and we want him to play with courage, freedom and confidence."

© IMAGO/Franziska Gora

Karl ruled out of World Cup

On late afternoon local time in Chicago, the DFB confirmed that Karl's injury was a torn muscle fibre in his left thigh, meaning he won't be able to participate at the tournament. "I’m incredibly sorry for Lenny," said Nagelsmann once the extent of the injury was confirmed. "With his carefree attitude, creativity, pace and personality, he fitted into the team perfectly. It’s a huge shock for him and for all of us that he’ll miss the World Cup."

© Alexander Hassenstein

Still no Neuer

Julian Nagelsmann confirmed on Friday that Manuel Neuer will play no part in this game as he continues to recover from a calf injury. "He’s doing well and is on his way back to full fitness. Even so, we don’t want to take any risks tomorrow in order to maximise the chances of everything going perfectly for him during the tournament and to avoid any setbacks. He’s had a few calf injuries this season, which is why we’ve decided not to take any chances tomorrow."

© IMAGO/Bernd Feil/M.i.S.

Undav's workload being managed

Nagelsmann also confirmed that VfB Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav (pictured, r.) will be used sparingly in the friendly against the USA: “Deniz took things a little easier this week, rejoined parts of training yesterday and completed the full final training session today. He definitely won't play more than 30 minutes tomorrow, though, because we don't want to take any risks.”

© IMAGO/UWE KRAFT

Karl injured in training

Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl suffered an injury in training on Friday and had to be taken to hospital as a result. "We'll have to wait and see what the outcome is," said Nagelsmann. "To be honest, it didn't look particularly good. But I'd ask you to be a little patient – we're heading to the hospital now to get some scans done [...] He first needs some time to process the situation himself, and so do we, before we decide what to do next. We need a diagnosis for that. Once we have it, we'll update you and then see whether, hopefully, he can continue with us at the tournament or whether we'll need to call up a replacement. But we'll take it one step at a time."

© Alexander Hassenstein

3:36

Watch: Chris Richards' road to the top

The USMNT centre-back missed his side's friendly win over Senegal a few days ago and will not feature against Germany either due to an ankle injury. As such, he won't have the chance to test his mettle against former Bayern Munich team-mates Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sané, as well as Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann. Here's a look at his start in the professional game in Germany.

Unannounced doping tests

The DFB confirmed that FIFA doping control officials made an unannounced visit to their team hotel in Chicago on Thursday evening. A total of six players were required to provide urine and blood samples.

© IMAGO

Nmecha-Pavlović pairing

With Joshua Kimmich deployed at right-back for Germany, club-mate Aleksandar Pavlović and Dortmund's Felix Nmecha are pushing to be Nagelsmann's midfield double pivot at the finals. "Pavlo is very hard-working and covers a lot of ground, and so does Felix, who plays a bit higher for us than he does at Dortmund," the Germany head coach said after the Finland win. "I was happy with both of them, and they worked very well together."

© KARL-JOSEF HILDENBRAND

First training stateside

After touching down in Chicago on Wednesday, the Germany squad went to train at Chicago Fire's training facility, with everyone apart from Manuel Neuer, who is still working individually to regain fitness, taking part.

Tah admits World Cup doubts

Germany's Jonathan Tah has told the DFB's Journal publication about his "doubts" he might not get to play at a World Cup, after missing the cut in 2018 and 2022. The Bayern defender went on to say perseverance was key to his rise for club and country. "I had to develop further, but I didn't have to change my character," he explained.

© DFL/Getty Images/Pau Barrena

0:29

Watch: Touchdown in Chicago

Neuer and his teammates have arrived in the Windy City, much to the delight of the locals.

On their way

Germany's 26-man squad, and coaches, are off to the World Cup!

© IMAGO/HMB Media/Claus

0:47

Watch: Connecting with the fans

After beating Finland on Saturday, Germany then played their opponents again in a training session before spending time with fans prior to their departure to the USA.

Will Neuer face the US?

Germany's returning No.1 was back on the training pitches on Monday, suggesting he'll have a role to play against the USA this weekend. The Bayern great missed the Finland win after picking up a calf strain on the final day of the Bundesliga season.

© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Gawlik

Pulisic goal

The US were also in action on Sunday, sneaking past Senegal 3-2. Former Dortmund ace Christian Pulisic was among the goals in Charlotte.

© IMAGO/Patrick Magoon

Germany overpower Finland

Deniz Undav scored twice and made another as Germany beat Finland 4-0 in Mainz on Sunday. Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala were also on target, while teenager Lennart Karl marked his full debut with an assist.

© KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

Fearsome frontline options

Former Augsburg man Ricardo Pepi (pictured) netted 19 goals in 34 games in all competitions for Dutch champions PSV in 2025/26, while Monaco striker Folarin Balogun bagged the same amount in 43 games. Coventry's Haji Wright - formerly of Schalke - is another dangerous option for Mauricio Pochettino; he scored 18 goals in 43 matches on the way to winning the English Championship and earning promotion to the Premier League.

© IMAGO/DeFodi.de

2:29

Watch: The Bundesliga's best Americans

Out for an upset

The United States will look to record an eye-catching win over Germany as they prepare to host the World Cup for the first time since 1994, and they've proven they're capable of it before. They've won two of their past five meetings with Germany, the most recent of which was in 2015, when Mix Diskerud (pictured) and Bobby Wood fired them to a 2-1 friendly win in Cologne.

© imago sportfotodienst

7:42

Christian Pulisic: Made in the Bundesliga

The former Dortmund wonderkid is now a seasoned pro having played amongst Europe's elite since his early days at Signal Iduna Park. But how did his footballing journey begin?

Gladbach duo make the cut

Both Gio Reyna and Joe Scally will represent their country at their home tournament, with Reyna making the squad despite an injury-hampered season that saw him make just four league starts.

© IMAGO/Norbert Jansen / fohlenfoto

Bundesliga influence

The World Cup host nation's squad for this summer's tournament contains ten players that have played or are currently still playing in the Bundesliga: Chris Richards, Joe Scally, Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, Christian Pulisic (pictured), Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright.

© IMAGO/William Volcov

Hello and welcome!

Welcome to live coverage of this friendly fixture between USA and Germany.