Van Der Sar Skeptical Germany Can Win 2026 World Cup
Edwin van der Sar is not convinced Germany can really contend for the 2026 World Cup title. The former Netherlands goalkeeper, who made 130 international appearances, said he sees Brazil, France and Spain more clearly in the race as the tournament heads toward its 11 June start.
Van Der Sar on Germany
“Zu meiner Zeit kannte man die deutschen Spieler noch ein bisschen besser als heute. Natürlich gibt es junge Spieler, die nachkommen, etwa Florian Wirtz oder Jamal Musiala.” He followed that with a blunt verdict: “Ich bin aber ein wenig skeptisch, ob die deutsche Nationalmannschaft wirklich um den Titel mitspielen kann.”
That doubt lands in a tournament that will bring 48 nations and 104 matches into North America, making the 2026 edition the largest World Cup ever. Van der Sar called it “a new adventure” for FIFA and the participating nations, a line that fits a competition with more teams and more room for surprise.
Brazil France Spain
When he named the teams he trusts more, van der Sar started with Brazil. “Ich denke, dass Brasilien als Rekordweltmeister immer ein Favorit auf den Titel ist.” He then pointed to France and Spain, saying, “Frankreich hat bestimmt 24 fantastische Spieler auf allen Positionen, die Mannschaft ist also doppelt besetzt.”
He added, “Und natürlich ist mit den Spaniern zu rechnen – dank ihrer hohen Qualität und vor allem der starken Barcelona-Spieler.” That leaves Germany in a different place than the traditional powers he singled out, even if he did not dismiss the team completely.
Germany Memories
Two old matches against Germany still shaped the way he talked about the national team. “Da kommt mir sofort die Begegnung bei der Europameisterschaft 2004 in Portugal in den Sinn,” he said, recalling a group game in which the Netherlands trailed 0:1 before Ruud van Nistelrooy equalized late.
He also went back to 1988, when the Netherlands beat Germany 2:1 in the European Championship semifinal in Hamburg. “Marco van Basten ebnete mit seinem 2:1-Siegtreffer im Halbfinale in Hamburg den Weg für den ersten internationalen Titel der niederländischen Nationalmannschaft, nämlich den Gewinn der Europameisterschaft.”
For van der Sar, that history sits beside the present: a 55-year-old former international who won nearly everything in club football, never became world champion or European champion as a player, and now sees a 48-team World Cup that could reshape the picture but still does not automatically push Germany to the front of the line.
