World Cup: Bastian Schweinsteiger Sparks Outrage With Comments Ahead of Germany v Ivory Coast

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Bastian Schweinsteiger has come under fire for comments he made ahead of Germany's 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast at the 2026 World Cup.

Germany were the favourites to win their match against the African side at Toronto Stadium. However, Ivory Coast led 1-0 with 25 minutes remaining courtesy of Franck Kessie's opener.

Julian Nagelsmann sent on Deniz Undav in the hope that he could turn the game on its head, and that's exactly what he did.

The 29-year-old levelled proceedings in the 68th minute before giving his side the victory when he netted his second in the fourth minute of stoppage-time.

Schweinsteiger, who is covering the tournament as pundit for the German public broadcaster ARD, sparked backlash with his comments ahead of the game.

Ahead of the match, Schweinsteiger praised Ivory Coast as he talked about how athletic they are. He then described the Elephants' style of play as 'African football', adding that it was 'sometimes unorthodox, a bit wild, and not quite as tactical.'

According to French publication L'Equipe, the word 'wild' has sparked outrage in Germany due to its racist and colonialist connotations ​​​​​​.

Among those on social media that have slammed Schweinsteiger is X user Jonas Di Andrade, who said his comments were 'disgusting' and 'revolting', added that they 'show remnants of an old European mindset that is definitely racist.'

Schweinsteiger has not yet spoken out amid the backlash, while he has also not been sanctioned by his employers, ARD.

He was very complimentary of Ivory Coast following the game, saying on X that they were, as expected, a 'tough opponent and showed their technical quality and physicality.'

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is also commentating on this summer's World Cup for German TV. The 59-year-old was not impressed at all when he was asked about Schweinsteiger's comments.

While the reporter was asking him to give his thoughts on the controversy, Klopp interrupted: "And now you want to carry on this subject. I have no chance. I have no chance to answer this question.

"Everybody likes it, so you bring me into this situation. It's not my job that everyone likes it. But this is a serious subject. And I don't even know what is appropriate to say.

"For African people it's one thing. For other people it's another thing. Thank god I thought nobody asked me about that. You found a moment."

Klopp sarcastically added: "And surprisingly, you are German! That surprised me so much! Thank you very much," before walking away.

Germany have already secured top spot in Group E. They play their third and final group match against Ecuador on Thursday, June 25. They will contest their last 32 match at Boston Stadium on Monday, June 29. Their opponents are not yet known.