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Who are the defending World Cup champions?

By Adam Stocker

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 12: Philipp Lahm of Germany poses with the FIFA World Cup Trophy prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2014 at the Park Hyatt hotel on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 12: Philipp Lahm of Germany poses with the FIFA World Cup Trophy prior to the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2014 at the Park Hyatt hotel on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) /
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Germany are the reigning World Cup champions, winning their fourth title in 2014.

Germany enter the 2018 World Cup as the defending World Cup champions. Die Mannschaft won their fourth World Cup in 2014, defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the final. The Germans will look to become the third team to win back-to-back World Cups, joining Brazil (1958-1962) and Italy (1934-1938). If Germany win the World Cup in Russia this summer they would match Brazil’s record of five championships.

After picking up seven points to win their group, Germany faced Algeria in the round of 16. In a harder than expected game, Germany needed extra time, winning 2-1. Die Mannschaft played France in the quarterfinal. Mats Hummels scored the winner in the 13th minute, heading in a Toni Kroos free kick. In the semifinal, Germany faced the host nation Brazil, in the most memorable game of the 2014 World Cup. Die Mannschaft shocked Brazil in front of their home crowd. Germany scored five goals in the first half hour of the game, including three in a four-minute period.

In the final, the Germans face Argentina. After a scoreless 90 minutes, the game went to extra time. Current Borussia Dortmund teammates Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze combined for the lone goal, winning Germany the World Cup.

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Schurrle and Gotze will not have the chance to repeat as world champions. Both players were not selected for Germany’s provisional World Cup squad. Ron-Robert Zieler, Kevin Grosskreutz, Benedikt Howedes, Erik Durm, Shkodran Mustafi and Christoph Kramer were also members of the 2014 winning team that were not named to Joachim Low’s provisional squad.

The German roster will look significantly different in Russia than it did in 2014. Six German players on the 2014 roster have retired from international play. Immediately following the World Cup, captain Philipp Lahm, center-back Per Mertesacker and all-time World Cup goal-scoring leader Miroslav Klose retired. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski retired after Euro 2016. While Roman Weidenfeller recently retired.

Manuel Neuer, Matthias Ginter, Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Julian Draxler, Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng were all named to the provisional squad and will have the chance to defend their World Cup title.

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