Germany and the Netherlands battled for goals in the final match to secure their place in the FIFA World Cup.
Published November 18, 2025
Four-time World Cup champions Germany finally qualified for the 2026 tournament after defeating Slovakia 6-0 on Monday.
This will be Germany’s 21st appearance in the World Cup, but Germany has only missed two tournaments: the first World Cup in 1930, when they failed to qualify, and the 1950 World Cup, when they were not allowed to participate.
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European rivals the Netherlands also qualified with a 4-0 win over Lithuania on Monday, making it through the group stage unbeaten.
The road was even more dramatic for Germany, who lost to Slovakia in their opening Group A game. They bounced back from just their third loss in the World Cup qualifiers and won five straight. Germany needed a draw on Monday to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but four goals in the first half put the game out of reach.
Germany’s most recent World Cup victory was in 2014, but they have failed to make it past the group stage the last two times. The Netherlands have finished runners-up three times and are still aiming for their first World Cup trophy.
Slovakia and Poland will advance to the play-offs, with the draw to be held on Thursday.
