Christian Wück named new Germany women's coach

After much speculation and plenty of recriminations following a failed World Cup campaign in 2023, the German Football Association (DFB) picked International Women's Day to announce Christian Wück as their new permanent coach.

The 50-year-old said it will be "an honor" to take over once interim coach Horst Hrubesch departs after the upcoming Olympics in Paris. 

"When the request came, I didn't hesitate for long: coaching this team, further developing the existing individual quality of the players and thus making the team fit for success in the future is one of the most exciting and responsible tasks in German soccer," he said.

Cultivating youth key task for Wück

The coaching vacancy has been open for more than six months as Martina Voss-Tecklenburg eventually resigned following a shock group stage departure at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.  

Wück has been inside the DFB system for more than a decade, coaching various youth teams after a playing career that included spells at Wolfsburg and Arminia Bielefeld.

The DFB sports director Nia Künzer said that history of developing youth players was a key reason for the appointment of Wück. His task, she said, is to: "Introduce young players to the senior national team and to shape current players into leaders - he is the right man for the job."

The first real test for Wück will be qualifying for Euro 2025 in Switzerland. Germany have been handed a relatively tame group alongside Austria, Iceland and Poland. One of the big questions for the incoming coach will be whether to stick with the old guard, led by Alexandra Popp and Svenja Huth or forge a new group.

mp/km (SID, DPA)