Interview: DFB boss Bernd Neuendorf talks about shaping the future and the bid for Euro 2029

November 26 – Earlier this month Bernd Neuendorf was re-elected as DFB president. In an exclusive interview with Insideworldfootball he talks about progress so far, strategy going forward and why Women’s Euro 2029 in Germany would be financial accelerator for the women’s game across Europe.

IWF:  You have a new presidential term. What would you say have been the successes to this point and what is the priority for the new term?

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

A major success has been putting women’s football where it belongs: at the centre of our long-term vision – lead 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 organisation. This includes clear goals to improve our sporting, social and commercial performance.

And of course, our ambition to host the UEFA Women’s EURO in 2029. Our big goal is to organise a tournament here again 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 where is the focus of this investment?

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

Our latest investment is designed to accelerate the progress that’s been made and provide sustainability for the women’s game 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 how we commercialise and broadcast women’s football. All these areas support and benefit each other.

But I’d also like to be clear – our investment in women’s football is not only financial. It is about changing 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 huge.

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

BN: We’re really excited for this. I think the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 in Switzerland was another breakthrough moment for the level of popularity of the sport, and we’re seeing tremendous benefits domestically. Our quarter-final and semi-final at this EURO attracted over 25 million viewers on German television.

We’ve seen an uptick in attendance at our Women’s Bundesliga, starting with a great 57,000 attendance on this seasons opening match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in the Allianz Arena. And our UEFA Women’s Nations League semi-final saw an amazing atmosphere in Dϋsseldorf with more than 37,000 spectators and the first leg of the final against Spain in Kaiserslautern will be sold out with round about 40.000 fans attending.

For the UEFA Women’s Nations League to have such popularity in its second edition is a credit to the support of UEFA, and also testament to the potential of women’s football more generally.

We expect another great match in Kaiserslautern, and then look forward to the return leg in Madrid. Spain are a great side, but we’re really excited about the opportunity.

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IWF: How important is the Euro 2029 bid and can Germany deliver a game-changer for the women’s game in Europe that financially delivers significant money back into the women’s game?

BN: It is really central to our vision. We’ve put together a very ambitious bid – featuring the biggest and best stadiums in Germany – but it is an ambition grounded in reality.

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 was a wonderful experience. Now, we think it’s the right moment to push further. The demand is there. We are absolutely confident that the tournament in Germany will attract more than one million fans and bring a financial profit to UEFA for the first time. This is important to achieve now if we want to see investment continue and support the goals of UEFA’s Unstoppable strategy for women’s football, which has clear goals to achieve by 2030.

At the same time, a big part of our bid is a commitment to build and extend knowledge sharing initiatives across the European family. Women’s football will only reach its full potential in one country, if it does the same in other countries. It needs international growth and therefore needs international collaboration.

We know very well the tremendous work that is being done in growing women’s football across Europe, and we want to use this moment as a pivotal moment. That was the starting point for our bid vision, Together We Rise.

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

BN: We have an inspiring team with the right mix of experienced players from Europe’s top leagues and young, carefree talent. The team showed what it’s made of in qualifying for the World Cup – but also what it still needs to work on before the tournament.

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

Contact the writer of this story at power.l1764120177labto1764120177ofdlr1764120177be1764120177sni@n1764120177Donkeys1764120177eat.l1764120177uap1764120177