Germany reassesses World Cup prospects after being taught lessons by France and Portugal

BERLIN (AP) — Two defeats and last place in a mini-tournament it expected to win have dealt Germany a cold dose of reality ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The Nations League final four in Germany was supposed to show Julian Nagelsmann’s team can count itself among Europe’s best, but a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Munich followed by a 2-0 defeat to France in Stuttgart instead revealed a gulf in class.

It showed that tournament-winner Portugal, beaten finalist Spain – the European champion – and a talent-packed France team are among the favorites with defending champion Argentina to win soccer’s biggest prize next year.

Nagelsmann was keen to highlight the positives, noting that Germany dominated and created a host of chances in the first half against France on Sunday – but counterpart Didier Deschamps had already said what little importance he gave the third-place decider, and it was clear which side was more motivated in front of the Stuttgart fans.

Kylian Mbappé scored before the break and set up Michael Olise for the second goal as Les Bleus shook off their apathy in the second half and might have scored more.

“If you look at the first half, honestly, they were not bothered about winning. But they still won,” Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said.

Germany’s forwards were simply not as clinical as France’s.

It was a similar tale against Portugal, which rallied to beat Germany on Wednesday.

Portugal coach Roberto Martínez changed the game when he introduced substitutes Vitinha, Francisco Conceição and Nelson Semedo in the second half, and Germany needed goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen at his best to stop the visitors scoring any more.

Coach Nagelsmann pointed to the injury-enforced absences from his team – Jamal Musiala, Angelo Stiller, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Tim Kleindienst, Jonathan Burkardt and Yann Aurel Bisseck.

But France was also without key players like Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga while Deschamps had to do without three of his preferred four-man backline – William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé.

Even with a full-strength squad, it’s debatable whether Germany can match its rivals’ strength in depth when it comes to player development and the quality of youngsters coming through.

Nine players in Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s Nations League squad are young enough to play at the Under-21 European Championship starting Wednesday in Slovakia.

Star player Lamine Yamal is just 17 while Real Madrid’s new signing Dean Huijsen looked like he’d been playing for Spain for years. The final was just his fourth appearance.

“It’s quite clear, when it comes to the depth of the squad, that we have to abandon the illusion of getting it sorted out in a year,” Nagelsmann said. “We have a few positions in German soccer that are given too little attention.”

Nagelsmann pointed to Spain’s use of wide players in attack – like Yamal or Nico Williams – and said Germany’s dearth of wing backs had been a problem for years. Kimmich has been deployed at right back when his favored position is in midfield.

“Right now we’re looking at what’s important to see where we are in the world, what we need for the future, and to learn the right lessons from that,” Nagelsmann said. “It would be nice if we could get one or two of the players up to speed by next year, but of course that’s a limited window of opportunity.”

The 37-year-old Nagelsmann appealed for patience from journalists, saying he was sure with the players he has that they “will play a very, very good (World Cup) qualifying campaign and a very, very good tournament” in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.

Nagelsmann then attempted to push some of the responsibility onto the media.

“You have to have a bit of trust and pull the handbrake a bit,” he said. “You’re in the same boat.”

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Germany players pose for the team picture ahead of the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann gestures during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany's Joshua Kimmich fails to stop the ball from going over the line during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Germany's Jonathan Tah, center, Joshua Kimmich, right, and Aleksandar Pavlovic are dejected after Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scored his side's second goal during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany players leave the field at the end of the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)