Former German international Toni Kroos delivered a scathing critique of the German national team following their elimination by Paraguay in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. He believes the Mannschaft now lacks world-class players and blames overconfidence as a key factor behind their disappointing exit.
The day after Germany’s shock defeat to Paraguay, reactions continue to pour in across the country. Among the most outspoken is Toni Kroos, who did not hold back in his podcast Kroos & Kroos: die WM unter der Lupe.
The former midfielder gave an unfiltered assessment of the current state of the German squad. According to him, Germany no longer has a single player capable of turning big games the way the top stars of this World Cup do.
“We currently don’t have a single world-class player. We have players with world-class potential, but that doesn’t mean they are world-class. The world-class players are currently deciding all the World Cup matches and are leading the top goalscorers’ list. We don’t have any. Let’s be honest,” said Toni Kroos.
The 2014 World Cup winner also drew comparisons between this team and those that helped Germany shine at major tournaments. “Back in the days of our successful tournaments, I always had the feeling we could shift into another gear. This team is no longer capable of that,” he added.
🇩🇪 Toni Kroos: “We currently don’t have a single world-class player. We have players with world-class potential, but that doesn’t mean they are world-class. The world-class players are currently deciding all the World Cup matches – and they are leading the top goalscorers’ list.… pic.twitter.com/CgjpinKAc2
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 1, 2026
Beyond individual quality, Toni Kroos also called out the Mannschaft’s mentality. In his view, the Germans approached the match with an unjustified sense of superiority.
“We simply think we’re better than Paraguay and that we’ll win somehow,” he concluded, suggesting that this attitude was a major reason for Germany’s early exit.
Piala Dunia 2026
Piala Dunia FIFA 2026 akan menjadi edisi paling revolusioner dalam sejarah sepak bola dunia. Turnamen ini untuk pertama kalinya akan diselenggarakan di tiga negara sekaligus, yaitu Amerika Serikat, Kanada, dan Meksiko. Selain itu, jumlah peserta juga meningkat dari 32 menjadi 48 tim, membuka peluang lebih besar bagi negara-negara dari berbagai konfederasi untuk tampil di panggung global. Format baru ini akan menghadirkan lebih banyak pertandingan, atmosfer kompetisi yang lebih luas, serta jangkauan penonton yang semakin besar di seluruh dunia.
Dengan skala yang jauh lebih besar, FIFA menargetkan turnamen ini sebagai ajang yang tidak hanya kompetitif tetapi juga spektakuler dari sisi teknologi dan pengalaman penonton. Stadion-stadion modern di berbagai kota tuan rumah telah dipersiapkan untuk menghadirkan pertandingan berkelas dunia, didukung oleh inovasi seperti peningkatan sistem VAR dan pengalaman digital bagi fans. diprediksi akan menjadi tonggak baru dalam evolusi sepak bola internasional, memperkuat popularitas olahraga ini sekaligus menciptakan momen-momen bersejarah yang akan dikenang dalam waktu lama.
