Bayern Munich midfielder and German international Leon Goretzka says European teams are emboldened heading to the World Cup.
Published On 29 Jan 2026
Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka says United States President Donald Trump “has managed to make us feel not only German, but also European”.
Goretzka, who plays club football for Bayern Munich, in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper published on Wednesday, spoke about the World Cup being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, and he suggested Germany and other European teams will be the favourites.
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“Others have caught up, but in the most important game in the world, we’re still ahead of every continent,” Goretzka said.
“Far from being left behind, Europe will show everyone what’s what on the field.”
The countdown to the June 11-July 19 football tournament has drawn calls for a boycott. Oke Gottlich, the president of Bundesliga club St Pauli and one of the German federation’s 10 vice presidents, last week said the time had come to “ seriously consider and discuss this”.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter also weighed in on Monday.
In his X post, Blatter quoted Mark Pieth – a Swiss lawyer specialising in white-collar crime and an anti-corruption expert, who called on fans to boycott the World Cup – and added, “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
Pieth, who also chaired the Independent Governance Committee’s oversight of FIFA reform a decade ago, had initially been quoted in an interview last week with the Swiss newspaper Der Bund.
“I’m aware of the political debates,” Goretzka added. “Still, I expect it to be a great tournament. It will advance football there and convince many people that it’s a fantastic game.”
Germany has been drawn in World Cup Group E with Ivory Coast, Curacao and Ecuador.
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