Jurgen Klopp takes Germany manager job through 2030 World Cup
Jurgen Klopp has been named Germany manager on a four-year deal after Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup exit, ESPN reported.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Jurgen Klopp is the new Germany manager, with ESPN reporting that the former Liverpool boss has been appointed on a four-year contract running through the 2030 World Cup.
The move ends Klopp’s two-year break from coaching after leaving Liverpool and gives Germany the marquee name many around the national team wanted after another tournament letdown.
According to ESPN, Julian Nagelsmann’s position became untenable after Germany went out to Paraguay on penalties in the round of 32 at the World Cup. Klopp had watched that disappointment up close while working as a pundit for German broadcaster MagentaTV.
Earlier this month, Klopp said on MagentaTV that he had left Liverpool because he lacked the energy to continue there, adding that he now felt “more than recharged” and “ready.”
Why did Germany hire Jurgen Klopp?
Germany have struggled to match their 2014 World Cup-winning standard at major tournaments, and ESPN described Klopp as the obvious successor for many people connected to the team. His appeal is tied to both his trophy record and his reputation for lifting clubs that need a jolt.
Klopp built his name at Mainz, where he first coached after spending 11 years there as a player, and later turned Borussia Dortmund into Bundesliga champions twice. At Liverpool, he arrived in 2015 and restored the club to the top of English and European football.
Former Mainz forward Conor Casey told ESPN that Klopp stood out in Germany because of his energy and personality. Casey said players responded to a coach who seemed to live every moment with the team.
Ilkay Gundogan, who played for Klopp at Dortmund, told ESPN FC that Klopp’s strengths include his relationships with players and staff. Gundogan described him as demanding, authentic and honest, and said Germany needed someone who could bring the country back together after the Paraguay defeat.
Is international management a better fit for Klopp now?
Klopp stepped away from Liverpool after saying in January 2024 that he was running out of energy. Since then, he has worked as head of global football at Red Bull rather than returning to the daily grind of club management.
In January 2025, Klopp said in an Instagram video that he was not retired, only in a different job. His agent, Marc Kosicke, later pushed back on talk of a club comeback when Real Madrid links surfaced, saying Klopp was happy at Red Bull and had no ambition to coach a club.
International management offers a different rhythm. National team coaches work with players in shorter camps and tournament windows, rather than running a club squad every day across a long season.
Dan Clubbe of Liverpool fan channel The Redmen TV told ESPN that the Germany role could suit Klopp because it lets him stay active in football while avoiding the strain that came with his previous club jobs.
There will still be pressure. ESPN noted that Germany’s squad includes young attacking talent such as Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, but said Klopp faces a tough task if he is to win Euro 2028 or the 2030 World Cup.
Klopp also returns with some baggage from his Red Bull role. ESPN reported that Mainz fans protested with banners after he joined the energy drink company’s football operation in 2024, while media in Dortmund criticized the decision because Red Bull’s ownership model is divisive in German football culture.
Now the cap is back in the technical area, and the job is clear: revive Germany’s national team, win over skeptics and prove that Klopp’s recharge was real.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.