Germany women hit five, Nmecha set for World Cup start

Germany women thrash Slovenia 5–0

The women's national team wrapped up World Cup qualifying in style on Tuesday, smashing Slovenia 5–0 in Ljubljana. Vivien Endemann, Elisa Senß, Linda Dallmann, Larissa Mühlhaus, and Lea Schüller all got on the scoresheet (1). That is it for the qualifiers – next stop, Brazil 2027.

Nmecha set to start against Curaçao

Felix Nmecha is expected to be in the starting XI for Sunday's World Cup opener against Curaçao (3). Nagelsmann's quote says it all: he has never seen a player with Nmecha's size that smooth, doing the splits to win balls at foot-tennis. Aleksandar Pavlović alongside him, a physical and technical double pivot.

Lahm: play Kimmich in midfield

Philipp Lahm has weighed in on the Kimmich debate – and he is not sitting on the fence. Kimmich played midfield all season with Pavlović at Bayern, reached the Champions League semifinal, and Lahm argues you do not break up the spine of Neuer-Tah-Kimmich by shunting him to right-back (5). Clear message from a legend.

Müller clears the air on Neuer vs. Baumann

Thomas Müller addressed the heated goalkeeper discussion head-on, admitting "the communication was questionable" around Neuer's return. But he insists there is no demotion for Oli Baumann – just that Baumann needs to stay ready when called upon (4). Classic Müller: honest, blunt, and a little bit diplomatic all at once.

Kimmich: I nearly joined PSG in 2024

Joshua Kimmich has revealed he was close to signing for PSG in summer 2024. Luis Enrique called him, sporting director Luis Campos visited, and a lucrative contract was on the table (7). Two years on, he is Germany's captain preparing for a home World Cup. Funny how these things work out.

Squad settles into Winston-Salem base camp

Nagelsmann's squad held their first training session at the base camp in Winston-Salem on Monday (6). The tune-up phase is over. Sunday against Curaçao, it gets real.

Fan-reaktioner

Two decades since that magical 2006 opener against Costa Rica, fans are getting nostalgic on r/soccer. Philipp Lahm's curler and Torsten Frings' thunderbolt are still being shared like they happened yesterday. Five days out from another home World Cup, the timing couldn't be better.