Jürgen Klopp has reached an agreement in principle to become the new head coach of Germany's men's national football team, pending final approval and clearance from his current employer, the Red Bull Group [1, 2, 3]. The German Football Federation (DFB) held initial in-depth talks with Klopp in New York around July 10-11, 2026, where key contract points were agreed upon [1, 2, 3, 4].
If finalized, Klopp, 59, is expected to sign a four-year contract through 2030. This will be his first coaching role since leaving Liverpool in summer 2024 after nine years at the club, where he won seven major trophies including the Premier League and Champions League [1, 5, 6, 7]. Prior to Liverpool, Klopp managed Borussia Dortmund from 2008 to 2015, winning two Bundesliga titles [1, 3].
Since January 2025, Klopp has served as head of global football for the Red Bull Group and made pundit appearances on German television during the 2026 World Cup [1, 2, 3, 7]. He publicly apologized for earlier remarks hinting that former Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann’s tenure might be ending, calling himself an "idiot" and saying "nothing will be done to disrupt the process" while Nagelsmann remains in charge for now [5, 8, 6].
Nagelsmann resigned as Germany coach on July 3, 2026, after a disappointing World Cup elimination in the round of 32 by Paraguay on penalties. Germany had endured poor World Cup performances with group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022 and the same early knock-out exit in 2026 [1, 2, 3, 5, 8]. Klopp said Germany football "needs fundamental change" following these results and defended Nagelsmann’s abilities as a very good coach [7].
The DFB stated that negotiations will continue and any contract with Klopp requires approval from the supervisory board and shareholders meeting of DFB GmbH & Co. KG. Discussions with the Red Bull Group, Klopp, and the DFB remain ongoing as of July 2026 [3, 5, 8, 6].
Klopp said he is "completely recharged and ready" to return to coaching at the age of 59, describing himself as eager for the new challenge after his break since leaving Liverpool [2, 4, 9, 10, 7]. The next step awaits final agreements and formal signings, expected in the coming weeks.
