Nagelsmann relies on the power of Goethe for European Championship preparations

A European Championship training camp in the east is a first for the national team. However, the DFB squad will only be in Thuringia for a short time. A possible preparation match in Dresden also seems to be off the table. Bayern star Müller can play for a colleague on the golf course.

A few days in Thuringia and then off to Franconia earlier: Julian Nagelsmann wants to make the recently faltering national soccer team fit for the title in a hurry with a two-part training camp ahead of the home European Championship. Just over a week after the last Bundesliga matchday and only one day after the cup final, the DFB team will move into the Spa and GolfResort Weimarer Land in Blankenhain in Thuringia on May 26, 2024. According to the DFB, training will take place on the newly built pitches at the luxurious facility until May 31.

A piquant fact: Thomas Müller and the other Bayern players will be able to live in Harry Kane's new home. The Munich star striker will move into the hotel with its half-timbered ambience south of the Goethe city of Weimar with England's national team for the European Championships shortly afterwards. Nagelsmann and his European Championship entourage have long since moved on to Herzogenaurach. A good week earlier than planned, the national team moved into their European Championship quarters at the "Home Ground" of equipment supplier Adidas.

This also means that a planned European Championship test match in Dresden is off the table. The match planned for the first few days of June is more likely to take place in southern Germany, with the dress rehearsal possibly taking place on June 7 with another test in North Rhine-Westphalia. However, the exact dates, venues and opponents have not yet been finalized.

Start of preparations without Spain pros

For Nagelsmann, the tournament countdown begins in the idyllic countryside. However, it is not certain whether the DFB head coach will be able to start with a full squad straight away. Captain İlkay Gündoğan and goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, for example, still have to play with FC Barcelona at Sevilla FC in the Spanish league on May 26. Participants in the DFB Cup final, possibly from Bayer Leverkusen or VfB Stuttgart, will also not be able to take part straight away. The Champions League final in London will not even take place until June 1 - possibly with the Bayern national team players or the BVB professionals.

These imponderables should not distract Nagelsmann. The location is fixed. "We'll find the perfect conditions in the Weimar region to prepare for the great task of the European Championship at home," said the national coach. "We need a very special team spirit to get as far as possible in the tournament," added the 36-year-old. The course south of the A4 promises perfect conditions - even for passionate golfers like Müller and Kane.

For Völler, it's also about the fans

As Thuringia's Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee recently confirmed at the announcement of the England Quarter, the construction of the sports fields on the site and other infrastructure measures were supported by the federal state with around one million euros. The image boost for the region is said to be huge. Recently, there had been repeated criticism that eastern Germany, with the venues of Leipzig and Berlin, was not enough of a showcase for the European Championship.

For Rudi Völler, the choice of hotel is also an important message to the fans. It was clear to prepare in Germany and not abroad, as has been the case before tournaments in recent years. "The European Championship should not only take place at the ten EURO venues, but throughout Germany," said the DFB sports director. "We are deliberately taking the national team to the east of Germany before moving into our quarters in the south of the country. We are looking forward to seeing our fans in Thuringia," said Völler.

The international year begins for Nagelsmann with the test matches on March 23 in Lyon against France and on March 26 against the Netherlands in Frankfurt. The group opponents at the European Championship are Scotland on June 14 in Munich, Hungary on June 19 in Stuttgart and Switzerland on June 23 in Frankfurt.