Unforgettable EM and road to the World Cup: this is how the year went for the women of the DFB

What a year for the German women’s national team! 44 goals in 17 games have gone to the Women’s DFB in 2022. Whether it’s Lina Magull’s free kick against England, Lea Schüller’s header against Serbia, Klara Bühl’s long shot against Switzerland or Alexandra Popp’s direct acceptance of a place in the European Championship final against France, there were some spectacular goals. But also difficult times. We look back.

The highlight of 2022: definitely the European Championships in England, both sportingly and socially. « We played a great European Championship. The best thing is that the tournament triggered something on many levels. We couldn’t have imagined this before the tournament, » said national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. A special moment for their European runners-up was the reception after the lost European Championship final at the Römer in Frankfurt, where almost 7,000 fans greeted the team jubilantly.

With their performance in England and the hype the team caused in Germany, the DFB women were voted third in the vote for ‘German Team of the Year’.

« What the women did on their way to Wembley Stadium and the second European Championship, how they rode the wave of success, was phenomenal. The team, led by coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, was enthusiastic and aroused emotions”, concluded Panagiotis “Joti” Chatzialexiou, the sports director of the national teams.

Lena Oberdorf was the best young player of the tournament in England. The 20-year-old pulled the strings in midfield and appeared in five of the six games played by the women of the DFB. In the final at Wembley in front of 90,000 spectators in the stadium and nearly 18 million viewers, she completed her 32nd international match.

DFB captain Alex Popp received another award. She was named « Person of the Year » by « kicker ». After a serious injury, Popp took a break from the national team for nearly a year before getting back into shape in time for the European Championship.

With six goals in five games, she ultimately played a key role in bringing Germany to the final. She couldn’t be there due to muscle problems.

« It wasn’t the most enjoyable thing for me that I played at the European Championships, but the fact that I could be there at all. To be able to have those moments, that I was able to fight back athletically and have the confidence of the national coach, that was the icing on the cake, » she said in the kicker’s interview.

The year started with mixed feelings. The Arnold Clark Cup in February saw a draw against Spain and two losses against England and Canada. Germany came last in the four-nation tournament and there were still some question marks over what could be improved ahead of the European Championships this summer.

The form was at the rendezvous when the German team arrived in England. With enthusiasm, goal threat and almost tireless defensive work, the German team won the hearts of the fans and eventually qualified for the final, which they narrowly lost 2-1 to England after extra time. Even after the European Championship, the upward trend continued: Germany qualified perfectly for the 2023 World Cup with a 3-0 victory against Turkey and 8-0 against Bulgaria. And there was also a victory in front of a local audience in the friendly match against France.

After winning and losing to the United States at the end of the year, Germany continued to gain points in the world rankings, overtaking Sweden. The DFB women are now in second place behind the United States, just five points behind. Germany hasn’t been this close to the top in years.

The three-part documentary series « Born for this » about the Germany women’s national team, published in 2022, deals with the preparation for the European Championship in England, the double burden of twin mother and goalkeeper Almuth Schulth , injury worries to Alexandra Popp and the competition for places in the European Championship squad. The documentary also tackles social issues such as sexism, racism and equality.

Germany have confidently qualified for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. After the 3-0 victory against Turkey on September 3, participation was assured. With a total of 15 goals, Lea Schüller ranked among the top scorers.

And the goals are already set. “It is clear that we will go to the World Cup to play for the title. It is precisely this goal that we can formulate offensively,” says Martina Voss-Tecklenburg. « There is no doubt that it will be difficult and many teams can do it as well and we are aware of that. » In Group H, Germany meet Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.