Nation: Germany
FIFA ranking: 11th
World Cup achievements: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014)

Sky Sports' Joe Shread:

If you want World Cup pedigree, look no further than Germany. No team in the tournament's history has reached more finals than Germany's eight, while their four titles can only be bettered by Brazil.

Germany's World Cup glory is no distant memory, with their most recent triumph coming just eight years ago in Brazil, when they stunned the football world by thrashing the hosts 7-1 in the semi-finals.

However, Germany's proud record at major tournaments has taken a knock in recent years. Joachim Low's side travelled to Russia in 2018 as the reigning champions but were humbled by Mexico and South Korea on their way to an embarrassing group-stage exit.

Germany fared better at Euro 2020, getting out of a tricky group that also contained Portugal and France, but still fell short of their lofty expectations when being knocked out in the last 16 by England.

Those back-to-back failures finally brought an end to Low's 15-year tenure, meaning Germany will be going into a major tournament without the 62-year-old at the helm for the first time since the 2006 World Cup.

This did not appear to be a cause for concern, though. Low's successes earlier in his reign had allowed him to cling onto his position for a couple of tournaments too many, and his replacement - Bayern Munich's treble-winning manager Hansi Flick - brought a breath of fresh air to the national team.

However, after guiding Germany to wins from his first eight games in charge, Flick - who spent eight years as Low's assistant and was part of the staff that masterminded the 2014 World Cup win - has just one win in the last seven matches he has overseen.

What's more, even the most optimistic fan of Die Mannschaft will likely admit to being unnerved when they were drawn in the same group as Spain for this winter's tournament.

For a side accustomed to reaching finals on a fairly regular basis, Germany have a surprisingly poor record against Spain, having beaten them just once in their last seven encounters.

Three of the most painful defeats of the long Low era came at the hands of Spain - 1-0 reverses in the Euro 2008 final and 2010 World Cup semi-finals, plus a 6-0 thrashing in Seville in the two sides' last encounter two years ago.

While Germany should remain confident of advancing from a group that also contains Costa Rica and Japan, Spain's lurking presence lessens the room for error for Flick as he looks to restore the national team's reputation as major tournament masters.

Group E

Fixtures & results

Most recent squad

Route to final

Insight

The eight consecutive wins at the start of Flick's tenure helped to ensure Germany qualified for the World Cup on the back of a dominant qualification campaign. Flick's side topped their group with nine wins, 36 goals scored and just four conceded from their 10 matches. Their only defeat - a 2-1 humiliation at home to North Macedonia - came in the dying days of Low's time in charge.

But after stumbling through their Nations League campaign - they conceded nine goals in six games and finished behind Italy and Hungary - doubts have begun to creep in at just the wrong time.

Last month's international break was particularly disappointing for Germany, with Hungary claiming a 1-0 win in Leipzig and England fighting back from 2-0 down to claim a draw against Flick's side at Wembley.

The manager has been consistent in his selections, with 4-2-3-1 being the go-to formation and familiar faces like Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich remaining prominent, while Chelsea forward Kai Havertz - who scored twice in the draw with England - is a regular under Flick.

However, right-back remains a problem position for Flick, who has started three different players in the position in the last four games. West Ham centre-back Thilo Kehrer, RB Leipzig centre-back Lukas Klostermann and Borussia Monchengladbach winger Jonas Hofmann have all found themselves shunted onto the right of the back four, but none have convinced.

In a team packed with established stars of European football, there is a danger Germany's right side could prove to be their Achilles heel.

Jamal Musiala

Name: Jamal Musiala
Position: Attacking midfield
Club: Bayern Munich
Age: 19

Germany's struggles at recent international tournaments have partly been caused by a lack of cutting edge in the final third. Low's team had the majority of possession in matches against France, Hungary and England at Euro 2020 yet failed to win any of them and were held scoreless in all but one.

Those troubles in front of goal were also present at the 2018 World Cup, when Germany scored in only one of their three group games on their way to an early exit.

But since then, Jamal Musiala has emerged as one of the brightest talents in European football and now looks ready to showcase his creative and goal-scoring abilities on the biggest stage.

Musiala, who played for England up until U21 level, was part of Germany's Euro 2020 squad but played just nine minutes across their four matches, with Low not appearing to trust the then-18-year-old to step up in the biggest games.

But Flick has no such issues. The former Bayern boss gave Musiala his debut for the Bundesliga side and has gone on to hand him 17 caps at international level, with the teenager often occupying a role on the left of attack or behind a lone striker.

While Musiala has only one goal and two assists so far for Germany, his impressive form for Bayern in the first half of the season suggests he is ready to increase his output with the national team and perhaps make England regret that he did not make a different decision over his international allegiances.

Where will Germany stay?