Interview: DFB boss Bernd Neuendorf talks about shaping the future and the Euro 2029 bid – Inside World Football

IWF: You have a new presidential term. What do you think have been the successes so far and what is the priority for the new term?

BN: We have made great progress since 2022, when I started my first term. Above all, we have stabilized the DFB after a challenging period and set a clear course for the future – structurally and strategically. In particular, we have consolidated our sporting structures and created a much closer collaborative relationship with our leagues, regional associations, commercial partners and international colleagues.

A great success is that we have placed women’s football where it belongs: at the center of our long-term vision – guided by our Women in Football (FF27) strategy.

At the same time, we must not become complacent or unambitious. We don’t just want to manage – we want to shape the future.

That’s why we recently adopted the DFB Strategy 2030, the first overarching strategy for the organization. This includes clear objectives to improve our sporting, social and commercial performance.

And of course our ambition to organize the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2029. Our big goal is to organize another tournament here more than 25 years after the last European Women’s Championship in Germany.

IWF: You have made a major investment in the women’s game. What will that look like in Germany and what is the focus of this investment?

BN: Great progress has been made in women’s football in recent years, but we believe this is just the beginning. We have important work to do to deliver our own women’s football strategy, including player pathways and standards of care, and to improve the level of female representation off the pitch, from the dugout to the boardroom.

Our latest investment aims to accelerate the progress made and bring sustainability to women’s football by looking at it more holistically. For this reason, the focus of the investment is diverse, ranging from stadium and training improvements, youth development and grassroots projects to improving the way we commercialize and broadcast women’s football. All these areas support and benefit each other.

But I also want to be clear: our investments in women’s football are not just financial. It’s about changing the mentality. In the anniversary year of the DFB, we have already become younger and more female in our approximately 24,000 clubs in Germany. But the potential in women’s and girls’ football is still enormous.

IWF: What will be the impact of the UEFA Women’s Nations League final in Germany?

BN: We are very enthusiastic about this. I think the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 in Switzerland was another breakthrough for the popularity of the sport, and we are seeing huge benefits domestically. Our quarter-final and semi-final at this European Championship attracted more than 25 million viewers on German television.

We have seen a rise in attendances in our Women’s Bundesliga, starting with a whopping 57,000 visitors for this season’s opening match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena. And our UEFA Women’s Nations League semi-final saw a great atmosphere in Dusseldorf with over 37,000 spectators and the first leg of the final against Spain in Kaiserslautern will be sold out with around 40,000 fans in attendance.

The popularity of the UEFA Women’s Nations League in its second edition is a tribute to UEFA’s support, and also a testament to the potential of women’s football in general.

We expect another great match in Kaiserslautern and then look forward to the return match in Madrid. Spain is a great team, but we are very excited about this opportunity.

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IWF: How important is the Euro 2029 bid and can Germany deliver a game changer for women’s football in Europe that brings significant financial back into the women’s game?

BN: It is really central to our vision. We have made a very ambitious bid – including the biggest and best stadiums in Germany – but it is an ambition based on reality.

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 was a great experience. Now we think this is the right time to move forward. The demand is there. We are confident that the tournament in Germany will attract more than a million fans and generate financial profit for UEFA for the first time. This is important to achieve now if we are to continue the investment and support UEFA’s objectives Unstoppable strategy for women’s football, which has clear objectives to be achieved by 2030.

At the same time, a large part of our bid is a commitment to build and expand knowledge-sharing initiatives within the European family. Women’s football will only reach its full potential in one country if it does so in others. It needs international growth and therefore international cooperation.

We know very well the enormous work being done to grow women’s football across Europe, and we want to use this moment as a crucial one. That was the starting point for our bidding vision, Together we rise.

IWF: What are your ambitions for the German men’s team in 2026? Can the world expect a return of Germany to the kind of fighting force of 2014?

BN: We have an inspiring team with the right mix of experienced players from Europe’s top competitions and young, carefree talent. During the qualification for the World Cup, the team showed what it is good at, but also what it still needs to work on for the tournament.

We have a great coaching team led by national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who will put together the team as best as possible and prepare it for the World Cup. It is always a privilege for us and not something we take for granted to be able to play at a World Cup. We are all looking forward to it.

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