The Germany camp reacted with satisfaction after a competitive tie played in pouring rain. “I can only sum it up in the words of my players: It was an awesome game,” said coach Horst Hrubesch. “It was fun. I’m proud of what the team did, how they fought back and never gave up. You could see we’re lacking rhythm and fluency at the moment. But we are in the tournament.” Germany sporting director Hansi Flick said “It’s fantastic the way the team fought back and levelled twice. You have to say the performance after just five training sessions and no warm-up games is sensational.”
Mexico gained the upper hand early on with some aggressive pressing and the FC Köln keeper Timo Horn was called into action on several occasions. After the break Oribe Peralta put the Olympic champions ahead on 52 minutes with a header that Julian Brandt unsuccessfully attempted to clear off the line. Germany drew level six minutes later through substitute Serge Gnabry (Arsenal) who replaced the captain Leon Goretzka. Rodolfo Pizarro restored Mexico’s lead just after the hour mark but Germany levelled again: A pinpoint corner from Julian Brandt was converted by Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Ginter to make it 2-2 on 79 minutes. Lars Bender lined up alongside his twin brother Sven in holding midfield.
South Korea cruise to victory
Germany’s next game on Sunday (21.00 CET, live on ZDF) is against South Korea. The Koreans routed Fiji in their opening match with an 8-0 victory including a hat-trick from Seung-Woo Ryu and a penalty scored by Heung-Min Son.
The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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“Say hello to the Werkself!” – With this request, Loïc Bade gathers everybody in front of his GoPro: Including team-mates like Ibrahim Maza, Lucas Vázquez, Aleix Garcia and Ernest Poku, or Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro, head coach Carles Martínez, or even the reception team at the Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land. In between, there are glimpses of the pool area and the Werkself’s team quarters. Enjoy!
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