According to Toni Kroos, next year’s World Cup will probably not be a great moment for the German national team. The former DFB player sees other teams among the title favorites. There is a surprising candidate in the quartet.
Germany, Argentina? Or the Brazilian national team? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! When it comes to the favorites for next summer’s World Cup, ex-national player Toni Kroos has other nations in mind.
The Brazilian striker legend Romario invited the 35-year-old to chat on his YouTube channel. During the conversation, Romario wanted to know from Kroos who he considered among the potential title candidates. At first he came up with unsurprising teams – he named Spain, Portugal and France. So far, so expected.
Romario asked what was going on with the German national team, with defending champions Argentina and record world champions Brazil. Well, said Kroos, who ended his career at Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, he doesn’t see the German team or Romario’s home country “in the top five” at the World Cup. Feel sorry for him.
“Germany is always there, but I don’t see them as one of the favorites”
Morocco, however, did, and Kroos declared the North African ensemble one of the tournament favorites. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the team was only eliminated in the semifinals against France. “They are technically strong. They have improved enormously in the last few years,” said Kroos. At the current Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco qualified for the round of 16 as group winners with a 3-0 win against Zambia on Monday evening.
In fact, there are indicators that support Kroos’ belief. At the last World Cup, Morocco knocked two major football nations, Spain and Portugal, out of the tournament, and in the group stage the team left Croatia and Belgium behind.
Subscribe to WELTMeister Spotify, Apple Podcasts or directly via RSS-Feed.
In addition to captain Achraf Hakimi from Champions League winner Paris St. Germain, coach Walid Regragui can count on top-class players such as Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United), Bilal El Khannouss (VfB Stuttgart), Ismael Saibari (PSV Eindhoven), Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid), Sofyan Amrabat (Betis Sevilla) and Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahce). At next year’s USA-Canada and Mexico tournament, Morocco will be in a group with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.
Even apart from the success at the last World Cup, Moroccan football has been on the rise recently. Morocco’s selection won the bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics, and in October 2025 the Moroccan talents became U20 world champions after a final triumph over Argentina.
However, Kroos does not believe that the German national team will triumph. “Germany is always there, but I don’t see them as one of the favorites. I’m sure they will reach the semi-finals or quarter-finals, but they are at a slightly weaker level,” he said.
The German team starts the tournament on June 14th in Houston against Curaçao. Then there will be a duel against Ivory Coast in Toronto on June 20th before the final group game against Ecuador in East Rutherford on June 25th.
pk
