Germany news: Minister weighs cuts to UN contributions

Skip next section Neuer says he believes that Germany can win World Cup Published June 18, 2026 last updated June 18, 2026

Neuer says he believes that Germany can win World Cup

Forty-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has said that one of the reasons he returned to the German national team is because he believes they can win the 2026 World Cup.

Neuer retired from the team after Euro 2024, but then he agreed to return for the World Cup.

He is the only remaining player from the 2014 team that won the title, and he said returning for a fifth World Cup has to do with Germany's potential to win the tournament.

"I definitely believe the team can do it. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here! I think it’s an absolute gift for me to be part of this again. And for me, of course, it would be something very special to achieve it a second time," the goalkeeper said.

No German has ever won the World Cup twice as a player. Franz Beckenbauer won the World Cup in 1974 as a player and again as coach in 1990.

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Skip next section World Cup: Tuchel gets his way over national anthems June 18, 2026

World Cup: Tuchel gets his way over national anthems

England's head coach, German Thomas Tuchel , has scoredat photographers obstructing his view of the players as they sang another victory at the FIFA World Cup — this time, regarding the national anthem.

On Wednesday, after England's 4-1 victory over Croatia, Tuchel expressed his dismay over photographers obstructing his view of the players singing "God Save the King."

"I am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers for the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem," he said.

"I was waiting for this moment, it was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers half a meter away," Tuchel added. "I could not see one single player and it ruined a little bit my experience today."

His complaint has clearly been addressed. According to the Press Association, FIFA will now allow coaches to stand to the left or right of photographers during the anthems, giving them a clear view of their players.

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Skip next section Germany's army prepares for possible Strait of Hormuz deployment June 18, 2026

Germany's army prepares for possible Strait of Hormuz deployment

The German military, or Bundeswehr, is preparing for a possible mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz .

The German Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that the minesweeper Fulda and the tender ship Mosel, previously deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, had already passed through the Suez Canal early that morning.

MORE:  Strait of Hormuz: German military prepares for possible deployment

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Skip next section ANALYSIS: Wadephul signals to UN that it's Germany’s turn Published June 18, 2026 last updated June 18, 2026

ANALYSIS: Wadephul signals to UN that it's Germany’s turn

It may look like Germany’s in a huff because it failed to obtain a two-year seat on the UN Security Council . But that’s not the whole story.

The country urgently needs to save money, due to a long-lasting economic slump and soaring spending.

Almost all aspects of the federal budget are under close scrutiny, including the billions Germany feeds into the UN system on a yearly basis.

But what Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is probably also hinting is that Germany feels underrepresented on UN bodies and commissions. And since there are always appointments being negotiated on those levels in an organisation as big as the United Nations, Wadephul likely wants to send the message that now it’s Germany’s turn.

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Skip next section Wadephul after UN Security Council snub: 'Germany wants to be respected' June 18, 2026

Wadephul after UN Security Council snub: 'Germany wants to be respected'

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has hinted that Berlin could rethink its contributions to the United Nations in the wake of Germany 's failed bid for a temporary seat on the body's Security Council .

"It cannot be that we are one of the biggest contributors but don't have a say in certain decisions," he told the Rheinische Post newspaper in Bonn on Thursday. "So, of course, parliament will have to take a closer look at certain commitments in the budget."

Germany missed out on a rotating seat on the UN Security Council for the first ever time earlier this month when the available places in the "Western Europe and Others" group went to Portugal and Austria .

"Germany has interests and Germany wants to be respected," said Wadephul. "This is not a demand for dominance. But the United Nations must now be prepared for us to mark our position more clearly in future."

Germany fails in bid for temporary seat on UNSC

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