In the light of Germany's Nazi past, the country's constitution requires that the army can only operate within the country's borders in the event of a war or a catastrophe, which raises the issue of whether it will be called in to assist the police in security duties for the World Cup.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she can imagine soldiers being deployed for the tournament without the constitution being changed.
The head of the German football federation, Theo Zwanziger, warned that measures such as stationing tanks around the stadiums would destroy the friendly atmosphere the organisers want to create.
"The mixture of police and military duties is dangerous. Our history has taught us that. And a World Cup is not in any way a reason to deviate from that principle," Zwanziger told Die Zeit weekly newspaper.
While a decision on the army is still to be taken, it is known that at least 2,000 German soldiers, including specialist biological warfare units, will be mobilised for the World Cup.
Many of those troops, however, will be setting up emergency hospitals.
