Joachim Löw is to step down as Germany coach after this summer’s European Championship, according to the country’s football authorities.
The German Football Federation (DFB) announced the news in a statement. It said that Löw asked to terminate his contract, which was to run through the 2022 World Cup, after this year’s tournament.
Löw will leave the post after 15 years in charge, a period which saw him coach Germany to the country’s fourth World Cup title in Brazil in 2014.
Federation president Fritz Keller paid tribute to “one of the biggest coaches in world football.”
“Jogi Löw has shaped German soccer like none other for years and helped it to the highest levels internationally,” he said.
The 61-year-old said in a statement that he was taking the step “full of pride and huge gratitude, but still with unwaveringly great motivation as far as the upcoming European Championship is concerned.”
“Pride, because it is something very special for me and an honor to be engaged for my country. And because I have been able to work with the best players in the country for almost 17 years,” he added.
The coach has been under pressure since a first-round exit at the last World Cup and subsequent lacklustre performances. Germany’s last game was a 6-0 loss to Spain in the Nations League in November.
The Euro 2020 tournament, postponed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, is due to be played between June 11 and July 11, 2021.