Euro 2024: Hosts Germany, without a major tournament win since 2014 World Cup, aiming to end winless decade on home soil
- Since reaching the Euro 2016 semi-finals, Germany have only once been in the knockout stage of a major tournament
- German fans, under new coach Julian Nagelsmann, hoping for a repeat of their ‘summer fairy tale’ 2006 World Cup campaign
Hosts Germany will go into Euro 2024 hoping for a deep run in the tournament that will captivate the home crowd and help restore their international reputation after the three-time European champions have gone a decade without a major title.
Germany lifted the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for a fourth world crown but have since failed to make any impact at major tournaments.
They crashed out of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the group phase for their worst record in more than 80 years and were eliminated from the Euros three years ago in the round of 16.
When Julian Nagelsmann took over from Hansi Flick in October 2023, the team were already under pressure for immediate improvement, less than a year before the tournament.
A disastrous 2022 World Cup campaign was followed by a string of bad results, including a 4-1 demolition by visitors Japan in September last year.
The results, combined with the prospect of failing at the Euros in front of a home crowd, hastened Flick’s departure.
