- Best Euros
- Winners 1972, 1980, 1996, Runner-up 1976, 1992, 2008
- 2016 Euros
- Semi finals
Germany's Euro Schedule
| Date | Fixture | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15th June 8pm | France v Germany | Munich |
| 19th June 5pm | Portugal v Germany | Munich |
| 23rd June 8pm | Germany v Hungary | Munich |
Road to the Euros
Qualifying for the tournament was never really in doubt from the moment the group was drawn. Germany took maximum points from Belarus, Estonia and Northern Ireland, scoring 25 and conceding just once in the process. The only competitive team in their group were the Netherlands, a side who have been away from tournament football for a long time and are very fragile defensively. Germany were fortunate to win 3-2 late on in Holland, and thoroughly deserved to lose 4-2 at home in the return game.
Current form
Since their qualifying campaign came to a close, we’ve seen further evidence of Germany’s dangerous attack and leaky defence. They produced thrilling 3-3 draws with both Turkey and Switzerland in October 2020 and squeezed past Ukraine 2-1 in between those games. A month later they beat Ukraine again, but not without conceding in a 3-1 victory, and following that they were hammered 6-0 by Spain. Things remained just as entertaining in 2021 as they were beaten 2-1 at home by North Macedonia before playing out a score draw with Denmark and beating Latvia 7-1 the week before the tournament. Regardless of the outcome, Germany conceded a lot of goals.
Squad assessment
This is a much, much younger Germany side than we’ve seen at previous tournaments, and although the average age is down, it doesn’t feel like any less experience is on show. Kai Havertz has been a star performer for a while, whilst players who are still relatively young like Gnabry, Koch, Werner, Sule and Kimmich have been performing at a high level for a number of years. But there are some obvious differences. With Muller slowing down in recent years and Werner missing a high volume of chances, there’s no obvious out and out goalscorer. The midfield does not compare to that of recent tournaments and even Loew’s decision to persist with a three-man defence has been questionable. Germany look dangerous with Gosens and co in wide areas, but they also look vulnerable to counters, so much so that Kimmich may be sacrificed from midfield in order to secure those wide areas. That has its own downfalls and Germany seems vulnerable.
Key players
It seems like it’ll have to be a group effort, but three things stand out. Manuel Neuer will come under lots of pressure with this creaky defence in front of him and needs to be at his best. There is also a requirement for Joshua Kimmich to perform and help out at the back whether he starts as a CDM, by far his best role, or whether he plays as a wing back. Finally, where are the goals going to come from? Serge Gnabry has produced in patches, while Thomas Muller has spent the last decade chipping in with double-figure tallies for both club and country. In recent years he’s modified his game and has assisted 42 goals in the past two seasons. His quality and experience will be much needed.
Click below to read more about each of Germany's Group F opponents: