'We are not a first-class team anymore': Nagelsmann after Germany's shock exit

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted his side can no longer be considered among football's elite after their stunning Round of 32 exit to Paraguay at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The four-time world champions were knocked out 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Boston, extending a miserable run that has seen Germany fail to progress beyond the group stage in 2018 and 2022 before falling at the first knockout hurdle this year.

"When you exit the World Cup after you play Paraguay it is very bitter. It is very hurtful," Nagelsmann told the BBC after the match.

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"This is the third elimination in a row, so we are not part of the first-class teams any more."

Germany dominated possession with 75 per cent of the ball but struggled to break down a disciplined Paraguay side. Kai Havertz cancelled out Julio Enciso's opener before the match went to penalties, where Germany lost a World Cup shootout for the first time in their history.

The defeat has intensified scrutiny over Nagelsmann's future, although the 38-year-old insisted he had no intention of walking away.

"I'm not going to step back only because we are eliminated," he said.

"If the DFB want me to continue, I am going to continue. I know how the industry works and a lot of people now want me to leave. I want to continue if the German FA wants me to."

Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger said the problems run deeper than one disappointing tournament, arguing that German football has lost the qualities that once made it so formidable.

"For a long time, player development in Germany has been all about passing, style of play and being tactically innovative, but there's one element that maybe we didn't focus on enough, and that is having a bit of edge," Hitzlsperger told BBC Sport.

"It doesn't mean we just launch long balls, win headers and win ugly. But at the same time, we've lost that aura that made teams fear us. Other teams respect us but they don't fear us any more. We're no longer as difficult to beat, and we lack the physical presence we once had."

Former Germany defender Arne Friedrich also told the BBC that the elimination was "deserved" over the course of the tournament and suggested Nagelsmann should face the consequences after another disappointing World Cup campaign.