Rudi Völler jokes about early kickoff and recalls his five World Cup highlights

Germany’s DFB sport director Rudi Völler told German TV ahead of the national team’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup in Houston that the 12 p.m. local kickoff forces players to eat breakfast extremely early. He quipped that a player would need to “pull a few spaghetti in at half‑past eight in the morning” to be ready for the game.

In the same interview Völler reflected on the five moments that shaped his World Cup career – from Germany’s 1986 semi‑final in Mexico, the controversial incident in the 1990 final, his role as a player‑coach in the 1994 quarter‑finals, to the loss to Brazil in the 2002 final and his experiences as a mentor to the current squad. The comments gave insight into the team’s preparation and Völler’s long‑standing connection to the tournament.