Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has finally been confirmed as the new head coach of the Germany national team, but the German FA had to make several concessions in order to get their man
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been unveiled as the new head coach of the Germany national team(Image: Photo by Markus Ulmer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp has officially been unveiled as the new head coach of the Germany national team, but it was not a straightforward appointment.
The DFB (German Football Association) parted ways with former boss Julian Nagelsmann earlier this month after a disappointing showing at the 2026 World Cup. After sailing through to top group E, they fell at the first hurdle in the knockout rounds with a penalty shootout defeat against Paraguay in the Round of 32.
Former Liverpool boss Klopp had been heavily linked with the role for weeks, and his appointment was made official at a press conference at the DFB Campus in Frankfurt on Friday morning. Klopp has been out of management since leaving Anfield at the end of the 2023/24 season.
After a brief break from football, the German took on a new role at the start of 2025 as Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer. After more than a year in the position, Klopp now makes his long-awaited return to the sidelines, with former Liverpool coaches Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz joining his backroom staff.
Although it had been widely speculated for years that Klopp would one day take the reins of the German national team, it was not a cut-and-dried appointment. He was still under contract with Red Bull, and a number of concessions had to be made to get a deal over the line.
During Friday’s unveiling, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf confirmed it became clear very early in negotiations that Klopp could not do both jobs simultaneously. To secure his release from Red Bull, the association agreed to make a €1m ($1.1m) donation to the company’s Wings for Life foundation.
New Germany boss Jurgen Klopp will be joined in his former Liverpool assistant Pepijn Lijnders(Image: Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
The DFB will also play three international matches at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig by 2030. The national team last played at the stadium in November last year, when they defeated Slovakia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier.
“We’re very happy to be able to present Jurgen Klopp today as the new coach,” Neuendorf said. “We’ve had very intense discussions.
“He was our ideal solution from the start. We at the DFB were unanimous in saying he was the candidate we had to talk to. Our talks with Jurgen only strengthened our belief that he’s the right man at the right time.”
Klopp will take charge of the national team for the first time in September when Germany faces the Netherlands in a Nations League match.. Interestingly, another former Liverpool boss could be in the opposing dugout for that game, with the recently departed Arne Slot rumored to be among the favourites to take over the Dutch national team following Ronald Koeman’s post-World Cup resignation.
