Germany’s ongoing struggles in the FIFA World Cup are rooted in broader structural, political, and cultural challenges within German football, according to Fernando Carro, CEO of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Germany, a four-time World Cup champion, experienced a surprising early exit in the tournament’s last 32 in June, losing to Paraguay. This followed disappointing performances in the previous two editions, with the team failing to advance beyond the group stage in 2018 and 2022.
Carro, who has led Leverkusen since 2018 and helped secure the club’s first Bundesliga title in 2024 alongside a German Cup victory, highlighted the need for fundamental changes. “Germany still have outstanding individual players, but it seems fewer are rising to the top level,” Carro said, emphasizing the importance of investing more heavily in youth development. He stressed the necessity of better integration between academic institutions and sports programs, alongside upgrading football infrastructure to modern standards.
He pointed to bureaucratic delays as a significant obstacle, citing Leverkusen’s nearly decade-long struggle to gain approval for a new training facility. Despite scaling back the facility’s original plans and selecting an appropriate site, the project remains stalled in regulatory processes. “That just illustrates one example of a much broader challenge here in Germany,” Carro noted.
Beyond infrastructure, Carro discussed a cultural dimension affecting German football. Drawing comparisons with neighboring football powerhouses Spain, France, and England—countries that recently reached the World Cup semifinals—he praised their collective ambition, resilience, and systematic investments in academies, coaching, and player development. “These are similarly developed football nations that have invested consistently in modern infrastructure and academies as well as in coaches and player development,” Carro said, underscoring the importance of learning from these models.
Germany is poised to appoint Jurgen Klopp as the new national team coach following Julian Nagelsmann’s resignation. While Carro acknowledged Klopp's impressive career achievements, he cautioned that a single coach cannot resolve fundamental, long-standing issues alone. “The conditions around him are at least as important: a strong and modern youth development concept, state-of-the-art infrastructure, clear performance principles and a willingness to change,” he argued.
Carro’s analysis reflects a consensus among some football experts who see Germany’s recent setbacks as symptoms of deeper, systemic problems rather than isolated failures on the pitch. Addressing these challenges, he suggests, will require sustained effort, investment, and cultural shifts within the country’s football ecosystem.