Netherlands vs Germany: two rebuilds, one opening night
Both left the 2026 World Cup at the round of 32. Both start this Nations League campaign with a new head coach. They play each other on the opening night, and neither has a competitive result to protect.
Quick answers
- Netherlands vs Germany, Thursday 24 September 2026, 20:45 CET — the opening night of Group A2.
- Both countries have a new head coach: Jürgen Klopp for Germany and Xavi Hernández for the Netherlands.
- Both were eliminated at the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
- Group A2 also contains Serbia and Greece, who meet on the same night.
- It is the first of four matches in thirteen days for both teams (24 September – 6 October).
- The two met twice in the previous edition, drawing 2–2 in Amsterdam before Germany won 1–0 in Munich.
The short answer. This is the first competitive match either coach has taken, and it arrives eight weeks after both countries went out of the World Cup at the round of 32. Germany reached the semi-finals of the last Nations League; the Netherlands were eliminated in the quarter-finals. With four matches in thirteen days in this window, the opening night is less about a statement and more about which squad can carry the load — but a defeat to the neighbour never reads as neutral.
Two new coaches, two identical problems
The World Cup exit was the same for both: out at the round of 32, to teams they would have expected to beat. The response in both federations was the same too — a new head coach, and a first competitive fixture that could not be harder to read.
| Germany | Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Jürgen Klopp | Xavi Hernández |
| World Cup 2026 | Out in the round of 32 | Out in the round of 32 |
| Last Nations League | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals |
| First fixture | Netherlands (a), 24 September | Germany (h), 24 September |
The last two meetings
They met twice in the 2024/25 edition, in the same group. The first ended 2–2 in Amsterdam; Germany won the return 1–0 in Munich. Both matches came before either coach arrived, so there is no tactical read to carry over — which is exactly what makes the opening night interesting.
What the window does to both squads
Four matchdays in thirteen days, then two more in November. For a new coach that is a strange gift: no time to install anything complicated, but four matches to find out who can play the simple version well. Expect rotation by matchday 3 in both squads, and expect the group table to look odd by early October because of it.
The shirts
Germany and the Netherlands both play in this group, alongside Serbia and Greece.
2026-2027 Germany Home Shirt (Kimmich 6)
2026-2027 France Home Shirt (Upamecano 4)
2026-2027 Portugal Home Shirt (G.Ramos 9)
2026-2027 England Home Shirt (Watkins 19)
Related reading
When is Netherlands vs Germany?
Who are the new coaches?
How did the two teams do at the last World Cup?
What happened the last time they met?
Who else is in Group A2?
How many matches are in this window?
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