How Has Germany Performed in Previous World Cups?
Germany is tied with Italy for being the most successful European nation in the World Cup, with 4 titles. The German team has qualified for 19 previous editions of the legendary tournament, and have won the title 4 times, finished in second 4 times, and placed third 4 times.
When the World Cup was launched in 1930, Germany did not enter the competition as it was held in Uruguay. They were not the only European nation that did not travel across the Atlantic Ocean to play in the competition, but in the following World Cup, which was held in Italy, the German team entered and finished in third place. In the following World Cup tournament in 1938, the event was held in France and Germany entered the competition again but they crashed out in the first round.
During the Second World War, the World Cup was put on hold, and it would only return in 1950. Germany, now split into West Germany and East, was banned from entering the competition. There were German football teams for both sides of the country, but these were not financially supported. There was an abundance of talent in the West German team, but all of these footballers were amateur, and a number of them did not play in the domestic amateur leagues but instead were poached by neighbouring countries that could pay them. Thus, it came as one of the biggest surprises in 1954 when the West Germany team became the World Cup champions. In the finals, held in Bern in Switzerland, West Germany faced Hungary. Hungary were the favourites to win as they had already met the German side in the group stage and thrashed them 8-3. Hungary took the lead, scoring 2 goals in the first 8 minutes, but Germany managed to equalise by the 18th minute. Hungary pressed the German team but to no avail, and Germany scored a goal in the 84th minute, taking the lead. Hungary scored a goal 2 minutes later, but it was controversially ruled offside, and then the score remained 3-2 to Germany at the final whistle, making them the new champions.
Though they reached the finals in 1966, they lost to England, and it would take Germany another 20 years before they could win the World Cup again. In 1974, West Germany held the World Cup, and in this competition East Germany also qualified, their only appearance in the World Cup. Both East and West Germany were placed in the same group, and although East Germany beat West in their match, it was West Germany who advanced all the way to the finals. There, they faced the Netherlands, captained by Johan Cruyff. Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the Olympiastadion in Munich, to win their second title.
Germany would reach the final in 1982 and 1986, but was beaten by Italy and then Argentina. In 1990, Germany reached the finals for a third tournament in a row. There, they faced Argentina, for a second time in a World Cup final, and this time Germany won. Germany reached the finals once more in 2002, but they lost 2-0 to Brazil. In 2014, Germany got their revenge when they faced Brazil, who hosted the competition, in the semi-finals and thrashed them 7-1. Germany headed to the finals, where they faced Argentina for a third time. The game finished goalless and went to extra time and the Germans scored a late goal to clinch their fourth World Cup title.
Germany’s Qualification Route to the World Cup
Germany had a hugely disappointing World Cup in 2018, when they crashed out in the group stage, finishing at the bottom of the table. In 2020, Germany appointed Hansi Flick to take over as head coach. Joachim Low, the long-time manager of Germany, faced humiliation at the World Cup of 2018 as well as the UEFA Nations League, where they failed to advance to the playoffs. Hansi Flick, who was the former Bayern Munich manager, had won a Champions League and 2 Bundesliga titles at club level, and he was also the assistant manager of Germany in their 2014 World Cup campaign. Having had so much experience with German players, he was the natural replacement for Low.
In the World Cup qualifiers, Germany, along with their new manager, did not disappoint. Germany was placed in a group with Armenia, Iceland, Lichtenstein, North Macedonia and Romania. The strong favourites, Germany won all but one of their 10 games, scoring 36 goals and only conceding 4. Their performances and winning run made Germany the first to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, having sealed their berth on October 11, 2021.
Germany’s World Ranking
When Germany started the qualifiers, the team held the 15th position in the World Rankings. This was extremely low, especially considering the team had won the World Cup just 6 years before. With their successful World Cup qualification, Germany moved up the World Rankings to the 11th position, where they currently sit.
Which Players Are Available to Germany?
Since 2018, the German team has been greatly invigorated: many of the older players who won the 2014 World Cup were dropped in favour of young up and coming talents who play in some of the best teams in Europe. In goal, Germany still has Manuel Neuer, who is the captain of the team, and alongside him, they have some great secondary options in Andre Ter-Stegen, Kevin Trapp and Bernd Leno. In defence, their key players include Antonio Rudiger, Lukas Klostermann, Matthias Ginter, Jonathan Tah and Niklas Sule.
The German midfield has plenty of options, with both attacking players and defensive players. Joshua Kimmich, Julian Brandt, and Leon Goretzka are slightly more defensive players, whilst Iilkay Gundogan, Kai Havertz, Julian Draxler and Marco Reus are amongst their more attacking options.
In attack, Germany can field Thomas Muller, Timo Werner, or Kevin Volland as centre forwards, and they can use Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, and the highly rated youngster, Jamal Musiala as wingers.
How to Bet on Germany at the World Cup
There are many different types of bets you can make on the players in the German team. In addition to the huge list of player props that will be available for each game, there are also some bets for each player’s performance at the World Cup as a whole. These include bets such as which player will win the golden boot, golden glove, golden ball and which player will be given the best young player award.
Golden Boot Bet
This will be an interesting bet. Thomas Muller is the current leading goalscorer in the German side, and at the age of 32, he is still more than capable of increasing his tally. He has a total of 10 World Cup goals, 6 behind the all-time leading goalscorer Miroslav Klose. It is quite an impressive record, considering he has only played in 3 World Cups, and scored in only 2 of them (because of the disastrous 2018 campaign). There may be something to be said for Timo Werner and Serge Gnabry, who are also important goal scorers in the side, but Thomas Muller is probably the favourite in the German attack.
Golden Glove Bet
This award is given to the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Manuel Neuer is the first choice goalkeeper for Germany and fans will remember that he won this award in 2014, when Germany won the World Cup.
Golden Ball Bet
The golden ball is awarded to the most influential player in a team, whose performances help their side either win the World Cup, or reach the latter stages of the tournament. In 2014, Thomas Muller came in a close second behind Lionel Messi in the golden ball award. He is definitely a leading player in the German side and can lead the team to victory. There are also players such as Iilkay Gundogan, who has shown at Manchester City that he can be a key team player, and also Joshua Kimmich, who is one of the most reliable players in the Bayern Munich midfield.
Best Young Player Bet
Jamal Musiala has played 15 times for Germany and he has scored 1 goal. At the age of 19, he can definitely qualify for the best young player in the World Cup if he helps his team to reach the latter stages of the tournament. To win this award, however, Musiala will have to be in the starting team or at the very least create a huge impact as a substitute.
Other Bets
In addition to the bets you can find on players, there are even more bets that you can place on the team as a whole in the World Cup. You can bet on Germany to reach the knockout stages, reach the finals and also to win the competition.