Series synopsis
WM 1994 - Elf Helden, ein Albtraum is a German documentary television series that premiered on Das Erste on June 14, 2026. It ended on June 14, 2026. It stars Mario Basler, Reinhold Beckmann, Rainer Bonhof and Alfred Draxler.
For the 1994 World Cup, Germany entered as the favorite and defending champion, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Internal conflicts, media campaigns, and public criticism of coach Berti Vogts led the so-called "eleven friends" – players like Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Stefan Effenberg, Bodo Illgner, and Matthias Sammer – to maneuver themselves into a collective nightmare within just a few weeks. This documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at Germany’s memorable World Cup and ...
Premise
For the 1994 World Cup, Germany entered as the favorite and defending champion, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Internal conflicts, media campaigns, and public criticism of coach Berti Vogts led the so-called "eleven friends" – players like Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Stefan Effenberg, Bodo Illgner, and Matthias Sammer – to maneuver themselves into a collective nightmare within just a few weeks. This documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at Germany’s memorable World Cup and shows how one of the strongest German teams of all time spectacularly failed.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Mario Basler as Self
- Reinhold Beckmann as Self
- Rainer Bonhof as Self
- Alfred Draxler as Self
- Stefan Effenberg as Self
- Wolfram Eilenberger as Self
- Maurizio Gaudino as Self
- Thomas Helmer as Self
Supporting cast
- Bianca Illgner as Self
- Bodo Illgner as Self
- Jürgen Klinsmann as Self
- Uli Köhler as Self
- Andreas Köpke as Self
- Lothar Matthäus as Self
- Wolfgang Niersbach as Self
- Gaby Papenburg as Self
- Marcel Reif as Self
- Matthias Sammer as Self
- Dietrich Schulze Marmeling as Self
- Harald Stenger as Self
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 4 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 4 | June 14, 2026 | June 14, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Coach Berti Vogts was already under pressure during the World Cup preparations – living in the shadow of his predecessor, Franz Beckenbauer. If he was the “iconic figure,” Vogts was the honest worker who clung to traditional ideals. But in the 1990s, those ideals were outdated – instead of community and cohesion, the “me-first” mentality had entered professional football. Because Vogts refused to cooperate with the BILD newspaper, it painted him as a loser and a failure – an image that also took hold in the public eye. Vogts therefore retreated into pragmatic optimism, promising the title. |
June 14, 2026 |
| 2 |
The Team Franz Beckenbauer monitors the performance of both the team and the coach for a TV network, keeping in touch in the U.S. with “his World Champions,” especially Lothar Matthäus. This increases the pressure on Vogts and stirs unrest within the squad, which increasingly splits into three factions: the veteran World Champions around captain Matthäus, the younger players around Effenberg, and the former East German players, Sammer and Kirsten. Additional conflicts arise from players’ wives, who, much to Vogts’ annoyance, seek closeness with their husbands. With Stefan Raab’s mocking song, the players increasingly lose respect for their coach. |
June 14, 2026 |
| 3 |
The Scandal Vogts tries to prevent the team’s disintegration by giving the players more freedom, but control begins to slip from his hands. He loses trust in captain Matthäus and has to constantly put out fires. When Effenberg shows the middle finger to fans during the match against South Korea, Vogts removes him from the squad. The team turns against him, and the media start discussing Beckenbauer as a possible replacement. The Round of 16 match against Belgium becomes a crucial test for Vogts, and Germany wins convincingly. Some already see a semifinal against Italy, but first, Bulgaria awaits. |
June 14, 2026 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Das Erste |
|---|---|
| First aired | June 14, 2026 |
| Last aired | June 14, 2026 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | ended |