Beating Italy Matters More Than Meets the Eye for Germany's World Cup Ambitions
The upcoming Italy match holds significant importance for the World Cup contest. - The significance of the Italy match can't be overstated for the World Cup competition.
For Julian Nagelsmann, the high-stakes scrap with Italy isn't merely about snatching the Nations League title. This two-legged tussle in the quarter-finals of the UEFA competition carries significant weight for next year's World Cup too.
If Germany victorious in the Thursday (20:45 CET/ARD) and Sunday (20:45 CET/RTL) showdowns against Italy, both in Milan and Dortmund respectively, the likelihood of a less daunting group during the 2026 World Cup in America increases.
The rationale? With victories under their belt, Germany climbs from their current 10th spot to ninth place in the FIFA World Ranking, overtaking Italy. Maintaining this position seals Germany's spot as a seeded team for the World Cup group draw. Direct duels with world heavyweights like World Cup champions Argentina, European champions Spain, France, England, or Brazil early in the tournament are avoidable in this case.
Nagelsmann also highlighted his reluctance to draw Mexico. As one of the twelve group heads alongside the co-hosts USA and Canada, their potential presence in the group stage could be a concern if seeding isn't secured.
"It's crucial to be a seeded team in the World Cup draw to evade a team like Mexico with the geographical advantages at stake," said Nagelsmann. Future group-stage opponents in the event of Mexico's inclusion could be Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey in Mexico, with high altitude and temperatures, as well as Atlanta in the USA. It seems a match to avoid for Nagelsmann.
Keep your eyes peeled for the chasing squad
The 28-point gap between Germany and Italy in the World Rankings is certainly not insurmountable, especially following two triumphs in the head-to-head clashes. However, the World Rankings are a amalgamation of all past results calculated using a mathematical formula devised by FIFA.
At least ninth place must be safeguarded in the Nations League final round in June and the World Cup qualifiers from September to November. However, a word of caution: Uruguay, Colombia, Croatia, and Morocco all lurk closely behind, with less than a 20-point difference between them.
- Italy
- Football National Team
- Julian Nagelsmann
- Nations League
- Germany
- Mexico
- Clash
- Avoiding Mexico
- German team
- Milan
- USA
- Italian football national team
- UEFA
- German team
- ARD
- Sunday
- RTL
- Dortmund
- America
- FIFA World Ranking
- Coach Julian Nagelsmann acknowledges the importance of overtaking Italy in the FIFA World Ranking, as it could secure a seeded position for the German team in the World Cup group draw, helping them avoid potential difficult opponents like Argentina, Spain, France, England, or Brazil.
- If Germany successfully beats Italy in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, they could potentially climb from their current 10th spot to ninth place, which would be beneficial in avoiding challenging teams like Mexico, due to Mexico's geographical advantages and potential inclusion in their group.
- In the UEFA Nations League final round in June and the World Cup qualifiers from September to November, the German team must aim to maintain at least ninth place in the FIFA World Ranking to ensure they can avoid potential competitive opponents like Uruguay, Colombia, Croatia, and Morocco.
