Germany reveals 26-player World Cup team with a surprising former Premier League star included
Germany has just announced their final 26-player squad for the World Cup, and there are some surprises in the mix.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann narrowed down his team after naming a big 55-man provisional squad last week. One unexpected pick was Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 40, who had retired from international football earlier this year. But Neuer is back and likely to take over as Germany’s number one keeper, replacing Oliver Baumann. Unlike many other teams, Nagelsmann decided not to bring a fourth goalkeeper.
There’s strong Premier League representation with Arsenal’s Kai Havertz, Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz, and Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade all making the squad. However, Brentford’s Kevin Schade just missed out.
Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala will be a key player for Germany at the World Cup, and his 18-year-old teammate Lennart Karl also made the team. Fans were a bit surprised to see Galatasaray winger Leroy Sane included. Sane has been doing well with seven goals and five assists this season since moving to Turkey from Bayern Munich last summer. The 30-year-old, who also played for Manchester City before, was chosen over Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi.
There was a leaked list that included FC Koln’s Salid El Mala, a 19-year-old who’s never played for Germany before, but he isn’t on the official roster.
For the 2026 World Cup, Germany is in Group F with Curacao, Ecuador, and Ivory Coast.
Here’s the full squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Monaco)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich, captain), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, vice-captain), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Alexander Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Denis Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)