A small-pitch final in Queensland

The German over-80 national side won the senior football World Cup in Cleveland, Queensland, after beating the United States 2:0 in the final on a small pitch. It was the age group's debut at the eighth edition of the 70-plus World Cup, and the over-75 team had won the title the previous year. Each team has eight players, and matches consist of two halves of 30 minutes. The tournament ran from 12 to 16 October, and players had to play two matches a day to progress from the group stage to the semi-final and final. Deutsche Welle reports that the rules were slightly simplified, but the weather still wore on the participants. Five of the players come from Berlin, and Michael Rätsch plays for Hertha BSC.

Group stage and semi-final against Japan

Germany met Japan twice in the tournament. The team won the group-stage match 2:1, and Rätsch scored the winning goal. In the semi-final Germany beat Japan 3:1. Rätsch said Japan has a separate professional league for senior players, so the team had to rely on tactical means to win. The German side described its opponent as a set of players who train and compete regularly.

“These are footballers who play football regularly. We tried to succeed with tactical means.”

Sunburn and motivation

Heat and sun were a constant factor during the four tournament days. Rätsch said the players all came away with sunburn, but it did not dampen their mood.

“We all have red faces and sunburn. That did not diminish the joy.”

Günter Christmann, who was part of last year's over-75 title side and also played in the over-80 premiere, told Bild before the tournament that the players could not wait four years for the next event. He added that nobody knows whether they will still be alive for the next tournament.

“In our age we cannot wait four years for the next tournament.”

Wider context and next steps

Rätsch said the goal goes beyond the title, namely getting more older people to take up sport. Next year a European championship and several senior international matches are planned. N-tv reports that the over-75 team also retained its title at the same event, without Christmann. In the 70-plus category, Wales eliminated one German team in the semi-final and beat another German side 1:0 in the final, according to Deutsche Welle. The men's national team was knocked out early at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and is ranked 13th in the FIFA world rankings.