Germany Next Game: How They Advance or Get Eliminated

Nobody saw this one coming.

Germany, the defending World Cup champions, are in danger of missing out on the Round of 16. After a loss to Mexico in the opener, Germany must now battle back in Group F against Sweden and South Korea.

How Germany Advances

With two games left in Group F, there’s only a small chance Germany miss out on the next round. Mexico might have been the toughest opponent of the group, and they played a tactically superior game in their opener.

How historic would this disappointment be? In World Cup history, Germany has never been eliminated in the group stage. Germany has reached at least the quarterfinals at every World Cup since 1984.

With Mexico taking control of the group, Germany can still finish as the runner-up with good results in their last two matches. Korea will be taking zero points into their final with the Germans, so Germany can still decide their fate by defeating Sweden on Saturday.

If Germany want to turn their fortunes around, they’ll need to be better in the midfield. That’s where they were burned by Mexico on the counter, as Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira were exposed for their lack of athleticism.

Sweden are an effective passing side that could potentially frustrate the Germans. It’s not the Zlatan-focused team of old, but a more well-rounded side without a definitive weakness.

Sweden were unable to crack the Korean defense in their opener, instead scoring on a second half penalty. Sweden effectively shut down the Korean attack, not allowing a single shot on target in the match. That won’t happen against Germany, but it speaks to Sweden’s organization and teamwork in the back. ‘

Should Germany be the group runner-up, they’ll play the team that finishes atop Group E. That team is likely Brazil, setting up a provocative rematch of the 7-1 beatdown at the 2014 World Cup.

How Germany Can Be Eliminated

If things go poorly against Sweden, the defending champions will be a near-lock to head home early.

If Sweden pulls the upset and take all the points, Germany will have zero points through two matches. Their only hope would then be for Mexico to defeat Sweden in the finale, and Germany beating Korea by enough goals to cover the differential.

If Sweden and Germany play to a draw, the Germans will once again need to root for Mexico in the finale. They’d have to hope for a draw or a Mexico win from the Sweden-Mexico finale. Again, beating South Korea would be paramount in any scenario.

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