Greece defeats Germany 1-0 in Nations League and climbs five spots in FIFA rankings

Defeat for Germany in Augsburg

Greece secured a 1-0 away win against Germany at the WWK Arena in Augsburg, recording their first victory over the German national team. Midfielder Dimitris Kourbelis scored the decisive goal for the squad managed by Ivan Jovanovic. The performance featured prominent contributions from younger players, including Borussia Dortmund forward Konstantinos Karetsas, whose dribble past Jonathan Burkardt gained wide attention following the match. Greek players celebrated the outcome in the dressing room alongside Jovanovic after taking three points in their League A campaign.

Group standings and qualification targets

The result in Augsburg followed Greece's opening 2-1 away victory over Serbia, putting the national team at the top of their Nations League A group with six points from two matches. Netherlands sits second with four points, Germany is third with one point, and Serbia occupies fourth place with zero points. Finishing in the top three positions of the group secures a place in Pot 1 for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw. Greece prepares for two consecutive home fixtures at Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, hosting the Netherlands on 1 October and Germany on 4 October.

Movement in FIFA world rankings

Following the consecutive away wins against Serbia and Germany, Greece climbed five positions in the FIFA world rankings to 41st place, improving upon their previous standing from July. Germany dropped one position to 13th following the defeat on home soil. The Netherlands maintained 9th place globally, while Serbia fell three positions to 43rd, two spots behind Greece. The ranking update reflects the initial two rounds of the autumn Nations League fixtures.

Managerial assessment and German reaction

The fixture marked the first defeat for Germany under manager Jürgen Klopp, who assumed full accountability for the tactical setup and team selection during his post-match comments.

The result is not good, but it is part of the process, without doubt. The line-up, the way the team was formed and all the substitutions were 100% my responsibility. It was my idea. It was clear that we would not manage to completely break down an opponent defending deeply.

Klopp noted that his squad had spent only one week working together and required additional training to establish routines against deep defensive blocks. Former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger expressed concern over Germany's form while evaluating the individual quality in the Greek squad.

We are no longer a top team. We are just an average team at the moment. We no longer have players who make the difference. Even Greece has Karetsas, Tzolis and Pavlidis. For me, these are players who make the difference. I hope Jürgen Klopp can create a team that plays his football.

Television analyst Michael Lahoud on CBS described the performance as potentially Greece's most significant international result since their Euro 2004 triumph, characterizing the squad as a growing presence in European football.