Jürgen Klopp turned a stray joke into the pre-match story around Germany’s World Cup 2026 opener, and Thomas Müller helped keep it alive. On the eve of the match against Curaçao in Houston, Klopp said in a MagentaTV pre-show that it was lucky Julian Nagelsmann was still the coach, then repeated the word “Noch.”
That line landed because Germany’s campaign was about to begin at 19 Uhr deutscher Zeit, with the game carried live by ARD and MagentaTV and tracked in a live ticker on bild.de. What should have been a routine television moment quickly became the one phrase everyone wanted to decode: was Klopp joking about Nagelsmann’s future, or simply teasing the setup around the squad?
Thomas Müller gave the clearest answer from inside the camp. Before kick-off, he checked the pitch and said, “Noch ist der Rasen ein bisschen trocken,” then joked when Klopp told him he had used the word “noch” twice. “Ach so, ja. Eigentlich für dich gepachtet. Hab nicht gewusst, dass du es exklusiv gebucht hast,” Müller replied, after saying the team discusses things “sachlich, wenn es um den Sport geht.” He also said the squad are “riesige Fans der Mannschaft und des Turniers” and would not let themselves be bent by outside reactions.
That is the point Klopp later tried to draw a line under. He said the discussion was never criticism of the national coach and that he was talking about the squad and options, not Nagelsmann personally. He added that he was “mehr als happy” with the starting lineup and hoped the players would develop a feeling for the tournament, which is a very different message from a swipe at the coach’s job.
Nagelsmann himself was asked about the “Noch” remark at the press conference before the Curaçao match and declined to comment further. That silence leaves the exchange exactly where it stands today: as a public joke that grew larger than the person who made it, and as a reminder that before Germany has even settled into its World Cup campaign, every word around the team is being read for meaning.
