Germany enter their Women’s Nations League final against Spain carrying the weight of unfinished business, four months after their agonising extra-time exit in the Euro 2025 semifinals.
The two-leg showdown begins on Friday in Kaiserslautern, with the decisive return fixture scheduled for 2 December in Madrid.
In July, Aitana Bonmatí’s 113th-minute winner in Zurich ended Germany’s Euro campaign and denied them a chance to erase the pain of their extra-time defeat to England in the Euro 2022 final. Now, Christian Wueck’s squad are preparing for another opportunity to measure themselves against the reigning world champions — and to take their revenge.
Manchester City midfielder Rebecca Knaak, who played in the summer semifinal, said Germany have not forgotten the sting of that defeat.
“We definitely want to show we can beat Spain. The loss still hurts,” Knaak said on Tuesday. “We’ve learned from that match and know what we need to improve. There’s a score to settle, and now we’ve got two games to put things right.”
Historically Europe’s dominant force in women’s football, Germany have seen their supremacy eroded as rival nations have rapidly progressed. Despite eight European titles and two World Cups, their last major tournament triumph came eight years ago at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Wueck, who assumed the role after the 2024 Olympics, has stabilised the team amid challenging turnover. Veteran striker Alexandra Popp and goalkeeper Merle Frohms retired from international football, while key players Giulia Gwinn, Lena Oberdorf and Sarai Linder have all suffered serious injuries.
Oberdorf is sidelined for several months after another ACL tear in October, but Gwinn has recovered from a ligament injury and will captain the team against Spain.
Germany also welcomed back goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger on Wednesday, after she joined camp late following Gotham FC’s NWSL title win and subsequent celebrations.
Although Wueck avoided framing the final as a revenge mission, he acknowledged the scale of the challenge.
“We’re incredibly excited for these games, and for the chance to play Spain — the best team in Europe,” Wueck said. “We know we’ll need an absolute top performance just to compete. But I believe we have the potential to win.”
Midfielder Jule Brand echoed her coach’s confidence, saying a victory would “send a message” to rivals and build momentum ahead of next year.
Brand noted that the atmosphere inside Kaiserslautern’s iconic Fritz Walter Stadion — situated atop the Betzenberg hill — could play a decisive role.
“Grandma, grandpa, everyone supported Kaiserslautern,” said the 23-year-old, who attended matches there as a child.
Despite having home advantage for the second leg — and the possibility of extra time or penalties — Spain coach Sonia Bermúdez has no intention of adopting a cautious approach.
“I’m not playing for a draw,” Bermúdez insisted. “I want to win there, and hopefully with lots of goals. Germany are a fantastic team, and we fully respect how difficult this will be.”
