Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp’s opening weeks in charge of the German national team have been a mixed bag, and his next assignment has just got tougher.
The former Liverpool boss took over after Julian Nagelsmann stepped down in the wake of Germany’s underwhelming 2026 World Cup campaign, signing a deal that runs all the way through to the 2030 tournament.
His tenure began with a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands, with Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo popping up late to cancel out Germany’s lead. Things got worse before they got better: a 1-0 home loss to Greece in Augsburg marked Germany’s first-ever defeat to the Greeks.
Jurgen Klopp responded by handing out an entirely fresh starting XI for the visit of Serbia to Munich, and it paid off – Florian Wirtz and Tom Bischof were on target in a 2-0 win, his first as head coach.
The October international window then closed with a goalless stalemate in Thessaloniki, Germany dominating possession (over 70%) and firing off 21 shots without finding a breakthrough.
Four games in, Klopp’s record reads one win, two draws and a defeat, leaving Germany third in Group A2 on five points, three adrift of both Greece and the Netherlands at the top.
Now comes a fresh setback.
According to Sky Germany, the DFB has confirmed that no German fans, including those already holding tickets, will be permitted to travel to Belgrade for the Nations League meeting with Serbia on 13 November, with the match set to be played in an empty stadium.
Sky reports the federation wrote to ticket holders to explain the decision, acknowledging the disappointment it would cause supporters who had already arranged flights and accommodation.
The closed-doors ruling stems from UEFA sanctions handed to the Serbian FA on October 9, after racist and discriminatory conduct from Serbian fans during Nations League fixtures against Greece and the Netherlands, both of which Serbia lost 2-1 at home.
UEFA’s punishment included a €50,000 fine and an order that Serbia’s next home game be played without spectators.
Further fines followed for other incidents – €22,500 for offensive chanting, €2,000 over pyrotechnics, and €15,000 for a pitch invasion, while a separate case tied to Serbia’s 2-1 defeat in Eindhoven on October 4 pushed the combined total to €129,500.
There had been earlier suggestions, per the Serbian federation’s own statement, that children and roughly 2,000 travelling fans might still be let in. The DFB’s letter puts that possibility to rest, with Sky describing the closed-stadium decision as final.
It isn’t the first time fan access has been restricted around this fixture, UEFA had already barred Serbian supporters from attending the reverse meeting in Munich, which Germany won 2-0.
With Serbia rooted to the bottom of Group A2 without a point, and only the top two sides progressing to the quarter-finals, there’s plenty riding on the November window.
Second-placed Greece, three points clear of Germany, face group leaders the Netherlands that same night, meaning a Belgrade win could pull Klopp’s side right back into contention.
Germany’s final test of the window follows soon after, as they host the Netherlands in Berlin on 16 November.
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