BERLIN, Dec 24 (Bernama-dpa) — Germany have a chance to win next year’s World Cup, former national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann believes, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
Klinsmann told Sky TV in an interview late Tuesday that the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will be a big challenge for everyone but that he rates Germany a contender.
“Everything is possible. Germany is in the pool of favourites, along with the other major European nations. And then you have the two mega-countries, Brazil and Argentina, who will of course have their say. But anything is possible,” he said.
“This tournament will be a huge challenge for all the participating teams; it will be a marathon. And why not get through this marathon, stay in it until the end and perhaps pull off the huge surprise of becoming world champions?”
Klinsmann, 61, won the 1990 World Cup, and Euro 1996, as a player. He coached Germany at the home tournament in 2006, coming third. He returned as US team coach in 2014, when Germany won their last title under his former assistant Joachim Löw.
Four-time champions Germany were eliminated in the group stage of the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022.
— BERNAMA-dpa