Germany ended its participation in the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup this Monday (17th) with a 6-0 thrashing of Slovakia.

With this result, the Germans qualified for the World Cup for the 21st time in history, second only to Brazil, which has 23 appearances and is the only country to have played in every World Cup.

The only two editions of the World Cup in which Germany was not present were in 1930, in Uruguay, and in 1950, in Brazil.

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Historical Context:

  • 1930: Germany, like many other European teams, declined the invitation to participate in the first World Cup due to the long and costly ship journeys to Uruguay, in a context of post-World War I economic crisis.

  • 1950: Germany was banned from international competitions by FIFA due to its role in the Second World War. The ban was later lifted, allowing then West Germany to participate in the 1954 World Cup, which they went on to win.

Important Note:

Between 1949 and 1990, Germany was divided into two states:

  • West Germany (FRG): Participated in several World Cups and won in 1954, 1974, and 1990.

  • East Germany (GDR): Participated only once, in 1974, in the same group as West Germany.

Therefore, West Germany was absent only in 1930 (before the division) and in 1950 (due to suspension).

Since reunification in 1990, the German national team has participated in every World Cup, becoming four-time champions in 2014, in Brazil.

👶 A new star is born

Assan Ouédraogo was the one who closed the scoring in the rout over Slovakia, finishing off an assist from Leroy Sané.

And, at 19 years and 192 days old, the RB Leipzig midfielder became the youngest player to score for the German national team on his debut since Klaus Stürmer, in 1954.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 RONNY HARTMANN – AFP or licensors