Jürgen Klopp has been named as head coach of Germany’s men’s national soccer team, the German Football Association announced Friday.
Klopp has signed a four-year contract that will see him take charge of the squad through to the 2030 World Cup.
He’ll be assisted by Peter Krawietz, Pep Lijnders and former Germany international Sven Bender.
The appointment comes after a disappointing early exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Germany crashed out of the tournament in a shock Round of 32 defeat to underdog Paraguay after a dramatic penalty shootout. Julian Nagelsmann resigned as Germany’s coach in the wake of the stunning defeat to the South Americans.
“The national team can connect us Germans like hardly anything else. That’s exactly what makes this task so special for me,” the 59-year-old Klopp said in a statement.
“I’m looking forward to this special task in German football, which we will approach together with humility and patience: developing a team that fights for each other, that enjoys football, and behind which the people of our country can rally with complete conviction,” he added.
“We’ve had very intense discussions. He was our ideal solution from the start,” German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf said after Klopp’s unveiling.
“We at the DFB were unanimous in saying he was the candidate we had to talk to. Our talks with Jürgen only strengthened our belief that he’s the right man at the right time.”
A fresh start
This is Klopp’s first role in international management after a successful time at club level.
Klopp started his head-coaching career with Mainz 05 in 2001 – the club where he spent over a decade as a player.
A move to Borussia Dortmund followed in 2008 and Klopp led Die Schwarzgelben to back-to-back league titles in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.
After seven years in Dortmund, Klopp swapped Germany for the northwest of England as he became the new head coach of Liverpool.
Klopp quickly became an icon in Merseyside after a transformative nine years with the club.
The head coach led Liverpool to a first league title in 30 years and three Champions League finals – winning the competition in 2019.
After leaving Liverpool in 2024, Klopp was working as Red Bull’s head of global soccer.
Turning the tide
Klopp will be tasked with getting Germany back among the world’s best international teams.
Germany’s men’s team has four World Cup titles and has won the European Championship three times but has been well below par of late.
After winning it all at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Germans have regularly disappointed on the big stage.
Germany failed to make it past the group stage in the 2018 and 2022 editions of the tournament before this year’s shock exit.
The side has also failed to reach the semifinal stage of the European Championship in its last two attempts.
While Klopp may not have a squad as talented as previous iterations at his disposal, there are reasons to be optimistic.
The future of the German national team will revolve around young talents like Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Aleksandar Pavlović.
These players are already key components of the side and will look to kick on with Klopp at the helm.
With the likes of Kai Havertz and Joshua Kimmich adding a more experienced presence, Klopp will be confident of getting the best out of his squad.
Klopp’s first official game in charge will be away against the Netherlands on September 24 in the UEFA Nations League.
CNN’s Aleks Klosok contributed to this report.
