Keeper linked with Sporting left on the bench as Germany thrash Slovakia | OneFootball

Germany confirmed this Monday, November 18, their qualification for the 2026 World Cup by winning Group A of the European zone, thanks to a 6-0 thrashing of Slovakia in Leipzig. The victory secures Germany’s 21st appearance in the finals and their 18th consecutive qualification. Alexander Nubel, the goalkeeper who has been linked to Sporting, was an unused substitute.

Nick Woltemade opened the scoring in the 18th minute, followed by goals from Serge Gnabry (29’), Leroy Sané (36’ and 41’), Ridle Baku (67’), and Assan Ouedraogo (79’), in a match completely dominated by the German side. The ‘Mannschaft’, world champions in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014, only missed the 1930 and 1950 editions.

The qualification now secured represents the sixth European spot already allocated for the 2026 World Cup, a tournament that will take place between June 11 and July 19 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With 33 teams already qualified in an expanded format of 48 participants, Germany joins the group of contenders to win the tournament.

Alexander Nubel is under contract with Bayern Munich until 2029 – having been signed from Schalke in the 2020/21 season as a highly promising talent. His career path has also been compared to that of Manuel Neuer, the legendary goalkeeper who moved from Gelsenkirchen to Munich.

The keeper – valued at 12 million euros – has played 15 matches for Stuttgart, where he is on loan for the third consecutive season. For Bayern, he played in only four matches in 2020/21, after which he was loaned out to Monaco for two seasons.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.