Klopp and the DFB increasingly close to an agreement: The German national team awaits the outcome with Red Bull
Jürgen Klopp could become the new head coach of the German national football team, but his appointment on July 11, 2026, has not yet been officially concluded. The German Football Association, DFB, announced that association president Bernd Neuendorf and vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke held a first intensive discussion with Klopp in New York about the possible assumption of the head coach position. According to that official DFB announcement, the discussion produced an understanding on the essential points of a potential contract, but negotiations will continue next week. The association especially emphasized that the completion of the deal also depends on an agreement with Klopp's current employer, Red Bull. For that reason, the situation at this moment can be described as a very advanced phase of negotiations, but not as a formal appointment.
The information from the original text, according to which Klopp had agreed in principle to take over the German national team, has been confirmed for the most part by the official DFB statement, but with an important reservation. The association does not speak of a signed contract, but of a potential contract and the continuation of negotiations. The DFB also stated that any eventual contract would have to be finally approved at a joint meeting of the supervisory board and the shareholders' meeting of DFB GmbH und Co. KG. This means that the political and sporting leadership of the association has opened the way for Klopp's arrival, but that legal, organizational and contractual steps are still pending. In practice, precisely those final details often determine the pace of an official announcement, especially when the candidate is already tied to another major sports organization.
Nagelsmann's departure opened an urgent search for a successor
Germany began its search for a new head coach after the departure of Julian Nagelsmann, whose contract with the DFB was terminated on July 3, 2026. According to the association's official announcement, representatives of DFB GmbH und Co. KG and the supervisory board unanimously accepted president Bernd Neuendorf's proposal for the immediate termination of the contractual relationship with the then head coach. The DFB stated that Nagelsmann had asked the association's leadership a day earlier, in a confidential conversation, to be released from his duties after the disappointing performance at the 2026 World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. In the same announcement, Nagelsmann said that the decision had been difficult, but that the team deserved an unburdened new beginning after a major disappointment. This ended a period that began in September 2023, when Nagelsmann took over the national team in a demanding phase after previous poor results.
The context of the departure was further intensified by the way Germany ended its World Cup campaign. According to the DFB's information about the tournament, the national team was eliminated in the round of 32 after a defeat to Paraguay following a penalty shootout. It was a particularly painful outcome because the 2026 World Cup was played for the first time in an expanded format with 48 national teams and an additional knockout round, which increased the number of matches, but also the pressure on major football nations. FIFA states in its official presentation of the format that, after 12 groups, the two first-placed teams from each group and the eight best third-placed national teams advance to the knockout phase, forming the round of 32. In such a system, the early elimination of one of the most decorated national teams in world football had a strong impact and accelerated the debate about the direction in which the DFB should move.
The DFB publicly identified Klopp as the desired candidate
It is especially significant that the DFB directly mentioned Jürgen Klopp already in the announcement of Nagelsmann's departure. The association stated at the time that the leadership would talk with Klopp about filling the head coach position and that he had already signaled a basic willingness to take on the role. Such a level of openness is unusual for head coach appointment procedures, because associations most often limit themselves to general wording about the search for the best solution. In doing so, the DFB clearly showed that Klopp was not merely one of the candidates, but the central figure in the plan to rebuild the national team. The later announcement about the talks in New York confirmed that negotiations had meanwhile moved from a publicly expressed wish into a concrete phase of aligning contractual and sporting frameworks.
Klopp has long been perceived in German and European football as a coach who can combine tactical clarity, strong communication and an intense style of play. The DFB data center states that as a coach he has managed 828 matches, with 423 wins, 206 draws and 199 defeats. That statistic includes his tenures at Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, clubs where he built a reputation as an expert capable of long-term projects and strong player identification with the team. In its official presentation of Klopp's role, Red Bull emphasizes that after Liverpool he took on a strategic, rather than day-to-day operational, job in the company's football system. Precisely the move from such a global advisory role into the national team head coach function would mean his return to direct work with a team at the highest level.
Red Bull remains the key part of the final negotiations
The biggest remaining obstacle, according to the official DFB statement of July 11, is an agreement with Red Bull. In January 2025, Klopp began working as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer, and the company announced at the time that he would oversee the international network of clubs, support sporting directors, contribute to global scouting and participate in coach development. Red Bull emphasized that Klopp would not run the clubs' day-to-day operations in that role, but would have a strategic and mentoring role within the wider football system. That distinction is important for understanding a possible agreement with the DFB, because a national team head coach does not work at the same rhythm as a club coach, but still assumes direct sporting responsibility for matches, training camps and the long-term selection of players. That is why it is necessary to clarify under what conditions Klopp would leave, freeze or reshape his obligations toward Red Bull.
According to the DFB, the continuation of negotiations is expected next week, and both sides believe that the talks could end successfully if an agreement is reached with Klopp's current employer. This leaves several open questions: when Klopp could officially begin work, what the composition of his coaching staff would be, how much authority he would have in the broader restructuring of the national team program and how the relationship with the association's existing sporting leadership would be arranged. The DFB has already announced that Nagelsmann's assistants Benjamin Glück and Benjamin Hübner are also leaving with him, which further points to the possibility of a broader change in the coaching staff. The same announcement also stated that sporting director Andreas Rettig will not extend the contract that expires at the end of 2026, although he had informed the association president of this even before the start of the World Cup. All this shows that the question of the new head coach is not an isolated personnel decision, but part of a broader restructuring after the tournament failure.
Why Klopp would be a different choice from a classic national team head coach
If the negotiations are completed, Klopp would take over the national team at a moment when the DFB is expected not only to change the name on the bench, but also to provide a convincing answer to the question of how to recreate a stable competitive identity. In the past, Germany often linked major national team cycles with a clearly defined model of play, discipline and a strong player development system. In recent years, discussions about the national team have been marked by a lack of continuity, public pressure and frequent changes in expectations. In such an environment, Klopp would bring a recognizable coaching profile, but also great expectations that would begin immediately after the official announcement. His advantage would be the ability to communicate with players and the public, while the biggest challenge would be adapting an intense club mindset to the limited time a national team head coach has with the players.
Klopp's career shows that he had the greatest success where he was able to build a team culture over a longer period. Mainz grew under his leadership into a more stable club with a clear identity, Borussia Dortmund became a symbol of aggressive pressing and fast transitions, and Liverpool again won the most important domestic and European trophies during his tenure. In its official profile, Red Bull recalls that Klopp, after almost 25 years on the touchline, chose a different role, with an emphasis on the development of football, coaches and talents. A national team head coach, however, does not have the luxury of daily training, transfers and the club market, but must build from a limited number of gatherings a system that functions under the pressure of major tournaments. Precisely that difference between club and national team work will be one of the key questions if Klopp takes over Germany.
The 2026 World Cup also changed the framework of expectations
The expanded format of the 2026 World Cup additionally changed the way successes and failures of major national teams are interpreted. FIFA organized the tournament in North America with 48 national teams and 104 matches, which meant greater global representation and a longer path to the final stages. For the strongest football countries, this simultaneously opened more room for error in the group, but also brought a new danger in the early knockout round, where one bad evening can end the entire project. Germany's elimination by Paraguay in the round of 32 therefore had a strong symbolic effect: the national team made it through the group, but failed to turn that progress into a serious run through the knockout phase. After that, the DFB very quickly accepted Nagelsmann's departure and began negotiations with Klopp, sending the message that it does not want a long period of transitional uncertainty.
In sporting terms, the new head coach would have to immediately begin thinking about the next cycle, not only about repairing the consequences of the World Cup. National team football is increasingly congested, and players come from clubs with different tactical requirements, match rhythms and workloads. This means that more than a motivational impulse will be required from the future coaching staff: a clear selection policy, agreement on the roles of key players, a stable model of play and precise communication with clubs will be needed. Klopp's possible value for the DFB lies precisely in the fact that he could connect the sporting project, public energy and a development perspective. But the official framework for such a job has not yet been announced, so all claims about the length of the contract, powers and composition of the staff should be treated as unconfirmed until they are confirmed by the DFB, Klopp or Red Bull.
What follows before the official announcement
According to the currently available information, the key steps now are the continuation of talks between the DFB and Klopp, reaching an agreement with Red Bull and formal approval of the possible contract within the bodies of DFB GmbH und Co. KG. The DFB clearly stated that Neuendorf and Watzke had already reached an understanding with Klopp on the essential points of a potential contract, but also that the talks have not been completed. This is an important difference between an agreement in principle and an official appointment, especially in a situation in which the candidate has an active role in an international sporting system. If Red Bull agrees to a solution that satisfies all sides, the DFB could relatively quickly present the new head coach and open a new phase for the German national team. If negotiations become complicated, the association would have to decide whether to wait for Klopp or activate an alternative plan.
At this moment, the most precise formulation is that Klopp is very close to the Germany bench, but that he has not yet been officially confirmed as head coach. The original reports about an agreement in principle coincide with the DFB's confirmation that there is an understanding on the key points, but the association's official announcement leaves room for final conditions. Nagelsmann's departure, the early end of Germany's World Cup campaign and the DFB's open turn toward Klopp have created an unusually clear direction in the search for a successor. Nevertheless, the final decision will depend on the contractual outcome with Red Bull and on the formal decisions of the DFB bodies. Until then, the German national team remains in a transitional phase that could very quickly grow into one of the most high-profile coaching turns in modern European football.
Sources:
- German Football Association, DFB – official announcement about the talks between Bernd Neuendorf and Hans-Joachim Watzke with Jürgen Klopp and about the essential points of a potential contract (link)
- German Football Association, DFB – official announcement about the departure of Julian Nagelsmann, the termination of the contract and the intention of the association leadership to talk with Klopp (link)
- Red Bull – official presentation of Klopp's role as Head of Global Soccer and description of his duties in Red Bull's football system (link)
- DFB Data Center – official coaching profile of Jürgen Klopp with data on matches and clubs he managed (link)
- FIFA – official schedule, results and format of the 2026 World Cup with 48 national teams and 104 matches (link)
- FIFA – official explanation of the 2026 World Cup knockout phase and qualification for the round of 32 (link)