On Friday, December 5, 2025, the entire football world looked to Washington D.C. In the U.S. capital, the groups for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico were drawn. Naturally, in typical American fashion and with a big show, it took 76 minutes until the drawing of the groups finally began. Too long for the German critic front. Criticism poured in, which is above all one thing: Typically German! Yet there are so many reasons to look forward to this World Cup.
“Can you say that? That was a circus!”, said Pierre Littbarski, 1990 World Cup champion and Suzuki brand ambassador, at an event in Cologne. “It’s all too inflated.”
The latter is true, dear Litti – 48 instead of the previous 32 teams do indeed make the World Cup an endless event. But otherwise: We are in America – and it’s showtime! With show acts like Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Lauryn Hill and others. Living in America, feel-good vibes on a dreary December evening in Germany.
World Cup Offside: Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach Lionel Scaloni on December 5, 2025, at the World Cup group draw in Washington D.C. Photo: Imago Images
World Cup Draw: The Hour of the Professional Complainers
On Sunday, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf struck the same note on WELT TV: “We certainly would have done it differently and have done it differently.”
Certainly. That’s why we’re already looking forward to the politically correct World Cup draw for the Women’s World Cup 2029. It will surely be fun. World Cup by the rulebook…
In the choir of World Cup critics, DFB managing director Andreas Rettig, who had already made a name for himself with criticism regarding Qatar in 2022, could not be missing. He took aim at the newly created FIFA Peace Prize for U.S. President Donald Trump. “Personally, I don’t think football events are generally suitable for awarding such prizes,” Rettig told Kicker.
Whether he would have phrased it the same way if the prize had gone to “the right side”, we don’t know, nor does it really matter.
World Cup 2026 Survey: Germany’s Neighboring Country as a Counterexample
What we do know is that Germany, in Group E (how simple…), will first face World Cup newcomer Curaçao on June 14, 2026. Then follows, on June 20, 2026 in Toronto (Canada), the match against the supposedly toughest opponent, Ivory Coast. The group stage finale will be on June 25 in East Rutherford against Ecuador.
Tickets are available on the FIFA website, which staged itself impressively at the World Cup draw in Washington, from December 11, 2025 to January 13, 2026.
Will there be a rush from Germany for World Cup tickets? German media, as in 2022 in Qatar or 2018 in Russia, are once again eager to spread bad vibes in advance.
According to a survey by RTL and n-tv, 58 percent of the 1,000 participants said they felt “no anticipation for the World Cup.” Would have surprised me otherwise, to be honest…
Typically German – in the country of the four-time world champion, World Cup enthusiasm probably has to be written into existence by BILD…
Austria sees things very differently! After 28 years of absence, the ÖFB team returns to the World Cup stage and is especially excited about the clash with world champion Argentina on June 22, 2026 in Dallas.
“It’s something very special to face Messi at what is likely his last World Cup,” said RB Leipzig pro and Austrian national team player Christoph Baumgartner to the Vienna Kronen Zeitung (issue of December 7, 2025). “We are all incredibly excited.”
“Beaming faces, the word Messi in every second sentence, discussions, laughter, and predictions — for hundreds of fans at the ÖFB Christmas bazaar there was only one topic: the World Cup draw,” reported esteemed colleague Peter Moizi, describing Austria’s contrasting mood.
Norway’s goal scorer Erling Braut Haaland had predicted even before qualification that “the biggest party of all time” would take place in Oslo. Tens of thousands celebrated after the 4:1 despite bitterly cold temperatures in November. That’s World Cup excitement!
The jubilant scenes from the 4:2 against Denmark in the direct qualification duel in Glasgow went viral in Scotland, just like those from Ireland’s 3:2 victory over Hungary in Budapest. Even if the Irish have only reached the playoffs in March 2026 for now.
The excitement is also palpable for newcomer Curaçao. “We’re going to the World Cup and will soon have photos in the Panini album,” said Curaçao’s Livano Comencencia from FC Zurich.
World Cup Anticipation? Yes, please!
World Cup anticipation – I wouldn’t know what speaks against looking forward to this tournament and to a football trip to the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi has sparked football enthusiasm in the U.S., Mexico is a true football nation hosting the tournament for the third time, and Canada contributes two modern stadiums and attractive cities in Toronto and Vancouver — the new chosen home of world champion Thomas Müller.
Not least: The German team will play their group matches at 7 p.m. and twice at 10 p.m. — not in the middle of the night. And with Curaçao, the Ivorians, and Ecuador, they have arguably drawn the easiest group.
And again: One may feel however they like about Donald Trump, but it is considered certain that he will not be playing himself…
Der Autor: Carsten Germann berichtet seit 2002 aus erster Hand über den englischen Fußball, u. a. für DIE WELT, BILD am SONNTAG und seit April 2021 auch als leitender Redakteur beim Portal Fussballdaten.de. Zudem gab er mit den Büchern Football’s home (2007) und Absolute Dynamite! (2010) zwei Sammelbände mit seinen Fußball-Reiseerlebnissen aus Großbritannien heraus. Für DIE FUSSBALLREISE schreibt er regelmäßig über den Insel-Kick.