OFFICIAL: Hansi Flick will STAY as Germany head coach

Hansi Flick is set to remain as Germany's head coach despite their dismal showing at the World Cup.

Germany crashed out at the group stage in Qatar after losing to Japan, meaning they finished third in Group E, behind the Asian side and Spain.

However, the DFB (the German Football Association) confirmed on Wednesday that Flick will remain as head coach of the national side through to Euro 2024 - a tournament that will be played in Germany.

After returning from Qatar, Flick held a two and a half hour meeting with Bernd Neuendorf - the president of the DFB and Hans-Joachim Watzke about the future of the German national team.

Following the meeting, the DFB confirmed the decision to keep Flick and offered a strong show of support for the 57-year-old in a public statement.

Neuendorf said: 'We are all convinced that the 2024 European Championship in our own country represents a great opportunity for football in Germany.

'Our goal is to make this tournament a sporting success. We have full confidence in Hansi Flick that he will master this challenge together with his team.'

Flick added: 'My coaching team and I are optimistic about the European Championship in our own country.

'We as a team can achieve much more than we showed in Qatar. We have missed a great opportunity there. We will learn our lessons from that.'

In Qatar, Germany were shocked 2-1 by Japan in their first game, before they drew with Spain 1-1.

Heading into their final group game with Costa Rica they needed to win and hope that results elsewhere went their way.

They did beat Costa Rica 4-2, but Japan defeated Spain 2-1 in another shock, meaning Die Mannschaft crashed out on goal difference.

Their third-place finish marked the second successive World Cup they have been eliminated at in the group stage, after also failing to reach the knockout stages at Russia in 2018.

News of Flick remaining in his post comes just days after technical director Oliver Bierhoff resigned following the disappointing World Cup, ending an 18-year-association with the national team.

Bierhoff had said: 'I’ve told German FA president Bernd Neuendorf of my decision today. I’m clearing the path for setting a new course.'

He went on to add: 'My work was founded upon the conviction of doing my best for the German FA and the national teams. But that only makes the results of the men’s national team at the World Cups in Russia and Qatar more painful. That’s why I’m not leaving without the necessary self-criticism.

'We didn’t manage to repeat previous successes and to give supporters reason to cheer in the last four years. Some decisions we had been convinced of turned out wrong. No one regrets that more than me. I take responsibility for that.'

Flick, who served as assistant manager to previous German boss Joachim Low from 2006-2014, which included their victorious World Cup campaign of 2014, took over as national team boss in August 2021.

He had spent a two year-spell as Bayern Munich boss prior to that, winning the treble in 2019-20, including the Champions League and seven trophies in total while at the Allianz Arena.

He became Germany boss following Euro 2020 when they were defeated in the Round of 16 by England at Wembley.

Flick has managed 19 games in total, winning 11 as Germany romped through qualification for the 2022 World Cup - they were in fact the first nation to qualify after winning nine out of their 10 games, scoring 36 goals in the process.

Despite a hugely disappointing tournament in Qatar, there are high hopes for Flick's side with several talented youngsters in the squad.

Their 26-man party in Qatar included the promising talents of Jamal Musiala, Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko and Armel Bella-Kotchap, who are all 20 or under - with Musiala showing signs of being one of the world's best youngsters over the past few weeks.

There are also several other players that are likely to be around for Euro 2024 and the World Cup 2026 and will be better for the experience in Qatar, including Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz.

Germany won't have to compete in qualifying for Euro 2024 as they are tournament hosts, but they are next in action in March 2023 when all nations return to playing following the World Cup.