Matthäus backs Germany to win the World Cup in 2026

Germany maintained the euphoria of the European Championship with a 5-0 win over Hungary in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday.

And former Germany international Lothar Matthäus believes Julian Nagelsmann's side have the potential to win the 2026 World Cup if they keep up the good work.

"We are on a par and can become world champions! Our team doesn't have to hide from any other team in the world," Matthäus told Bild.

"If the team had shown this togetherness and unity in recent years, if we had played as compactly, we would have achieved better results in Qatar and Russia. We had the quality to play for the title then and we have it again now," Matthäus added.

According to the former Bayern Munich star, the team is "finally back on track".

"We are once again playing as a team, which has always been our trademark, and we are showing the conviction that has been transferred to the outside world. Players, fans, media - everyone now believes we can win the World Cup in 2026.

Matthäus points out that the German team came "very close" to winning the Euro 2024 title on home soil, and that "only nuances were decisive" in their 2-1 extra-time defeat to later winners Spain in the quarter-final.

"I compare it to the European Championship at home in 1988, when we lost to Holland in the semifinals. The Dutch were a bit better than us then, but the narrow defeat at our home tournament still hurt. It brought us together," he said.