Germany drew the most logistically complicated route of any major contender — three countries in 11 days. Houston (USA) for the opener, then Toronto (Canada) for matchday 2, then back into the US for the closer at MetLife Stadium. The Canadian leg means a separate Canadian eTA in addition to the US ESTA, and a re-entry to the US after the Toronto match. ESTA + eTA both require advance application; both are cheap; both are easy to forget. This page is the practical guide for following Die Mannschaft in person.
All three Germany group matches are confirmed post-draw. The opener at NRG Stadium in Houston (1 PM Sunday — Texas heat is real but the stadium is climate-controlled) is followed by a 6-day gap to Toronto for Côte d'Ivoire, then 5 days to MetLife for the closer. Houston → Toronto is 1,400 miles (3.5h flight). Toronto → New York is 365 miles (1.5h flight, or the 13h scenic Amtrak Maple Leaf).
From the Houston opener to the New York closer is 12 days, with two flights minimum (Houston → Toronto, Toronto → NY) plus the inbound from Frankfurt/Munich. The Toronto detour is the wrinkle — but YYZ has US Preclearance, so the Toronto → NY flight lands at Newark or JFK as a domestic arrival. Saves 60–90 min in immigration vs flying back to the US fresh.
2026 uses a 32-team knockout bracket. Top 2 from each group plus 8 best 3rd-place teams advance. Germany should win or runner-up Group E. Likely venues:
German-American is the largest single ethnic ancestry in the United States — approximately 43 million Americans claim German descent. Most are 4th-generation+, but the cultural infrastructure (Oktoberfests, Biergartens, German Schools, Steuben parades) remains strong. For Germany matches, every host city has bona fide German bars.