Germany is set to kick off its preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a friendly against neighboring Switzerland in Basel. This encounter marks the first of four warm-up fixtures for Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, who will also face Ghana in Stuttgart later in this international break.
This upcoming game will be Germany’s first international friendly in almost two years. Their last preparatory match was a home European Championship warm-up where Pascal Groß secured a late win against Greece in Mönchengladbach.
Despite a surprising 2-0 defeat in a World Cup qualifier away to Slovakia, the first time they had lost an away qualifier, Nagelsmann’s team has since maintained a perfect record throughout the rest of the campaign. They have showcased strong offensive capabilities, scoring 13 goals and conceding only once in their last four matches, including a six-goal haul in the return fixture against Slovakia.
Meanwhile, Switzerland navigated their qualifying group unbeaten, though they drew their last two away games against Slovenia and Kosovo. Manager Murat Yakin, a former defender for Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern, will lead the Swiss side in his third major tournament, following quarter-final exits at the 2022 World Cup and previous Euros.
Head-to-Head Record
The last meeting between these two teams at St. Jakob-Park in 2012 saw Eren Derdiyok net a hat-trick within the first 50 minutes, contributing to Switzerland’s memorable 5-3 friendly victory. Fellow ex-Leverkusen player Tranquillo Barnetta assisted all three of Derdiyok’s goals, his only international treble. That match also saw Mats Hummels and Marco Reus score their inaugural goals for Germany against Ottmar Hitzfeld’s squad.
Since then, the last three encounters, including a 1-1 draw in the Euro 2024 group stage, have all ended in stalemates. Switzerland has maintained an unbeaten run since late 2024, when an injury-time penalty from Bryan Zaragoza for Spain concluded their Nations League campaign.
Team News
Germany has faced several injury setbacks, with Stuttgart’s in-form winger Jamie Leweling, Bayern Munich’s Aleksandar Pavlović, and Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha all withdrawing from the squad after receiving call-ups from Nagelsmann. Angelo Stiller and Chris Führich were called up as replacements for Pavlović and Nmecha, respectively, and are set to play at their club ground on Monday. Nagelsmann decided against calling a replacement for Leweling, a decision that reportedly puzzled Niko Kovac, who had previously questioned Max Beier’s omission. The Borussia Dortmund attacker, however, did not receive a call-up despite the latest injury.
Bayern Munich duo Jonas Urbig and Lennart Karl are the only new additions to the squad, while Jamal Musiala misses out as a precautionary measure. Kai Havertz, however, makes his return to the squad for the first time since late 2024.
Switzerland also made a late squad change, with Noah Okafor stepping in for the injured Filip Ugrinić. Their squad, as is typical, features numerous current and former Bundesliga players. Yakin’s team will conclude this international break with a match against Norway in Oslo.
Predicted Lineups
Switzerland:
Kobel; Rodriguez, Elvedi, Akanji, Widmer; Xhaka ©, Sow, Aebischer; Vargas, Embolo, Manzambi
Germany:
Baumann; Raum, Schlotterbeck, Rüdiger, Kimmich ©; Goretzka, Stiller; Wirtz, Gnabry, Sané; Woltemade