Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann is the head coach of Germany at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the youngest German coach to lead the national team to a World Cup. Born in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria on 23 July 1987, his playing career was ended in his early twenties by a chronic knee injury, the same fate that produced his fellow countryman Thomas Tuchel.

Nagelsmann's coaching rise was meteoric. He was appointed Hoffenheim head coach at 28 — the youngest ever in Bundesliga history — and saved them from relegation before guiding them into the Champions League. He moved to RB Leipzig in 2019, reaching the 2020 Champions League semi-final, and then to Bayern Munich, where he won the 2021-22 Bundesliga before being dismissed in March 2023.

The DFB hired him in September 2023 to replace Hansi Flick, with a brief two years to rebuild before a home European Championship and a World Cup. His tactical identity — 4-2-3-1, structured high press, positional possession — has integrated Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala as a creative axis, with Joshua Kimmich as captain and the surprise recall of 40-year-old Manuel Neuer in goal for the 2026 squad.

Germany are in Group E with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curaçao, opening at NRG Stadium on 14 June. Nagelsmann's challenge: end Germany's title drought after early exits in 2018 and 2022 and prove that the country's tactical reboot is real.