Against Slovakia, it is not just about the World Cup ticket for Germany

The German national team begins its World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia. In addition to securing a World Cup ticket, the goal is also to avoid a potentially tough group at the 2026 tournament. Follow the match live from 8:45 p.m.

Slovakia: Dubravka - Pekarik, Skriniar, Hronom, Obert, Hancko - Lobotka, Hrosovsky, Duda - Schranz, Bozenik, Strelec

Germany: Baumann - Collins, Tah, Rüdiger, Mittelstädt - Kimmich, Stiller, Goretzka - Gnabry, Wirtz - Woltemade

Of course, Julian Nagelsmann's main goal is a win in the first World Cup qualifier in Slovakia. However, a win on Thursday evening (8:45 p.m./ARD) in Bratislava isn't just important for the national coach for the World Cup ticket itself. A slip-up in the FIFA world rankings would cost the national team dearly and would increase the risk of a difficult World Cup group in the summer of 2026.

The German national team (1716.38 points) is currently locked in a three-way battle with Croatia (1707.51 points) and Italy (1702.58 points) for ninth place in the FIFA rankings. This will secure a spot in the top pot for the World Cup draw on December 5 in Washington – assuming direct qualification as group winners.

An early duel at the 2026 finals against top opponents such as Argentina, Spain or France would then be ruled out, as would being placed in the climatically and logistically difficult group of co-hosts Mexico.

Nagelsmann has already emphasized the importance of this on several occasions. Germany is currently ranked ninth in the world rankings. They will have to defend this position in their two matches against Slovakia, Northern Ireland, and Luxembourg. The Netherlands (1758, 18) and Belgium (1736, 38) in seventh and eighth place, respectively, appear to be already pulling away.

The decisive factor will be the ranking after the qualification round in November. Until then, the German national team can lose a lot of ground with a single defeat due to the complicated calculation system. A loss in Bratislava, for example, would cost 18.07 points, but a win would only bring 6.93 points.

At least: Since Croatia will face weaker opponents in the Faroe Islands (+2.14) and Italy against Estonia (+2.51), they won't be able to reduce their deficit for the time being, even if they win, even if Germany also wins. However, they may have to wait until the final matchday in November.