Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann on Thursday announced his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The team’s revelations were sidelined, with most surprises reported by local news in the days before the official announcement.
Still, the main news is the surprise return of veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who retired from international football after Euro 2024. The 40-year-old has enjoyed a strong season at Bayern Munich, especially in the Champions League, but has also struggled with injuries. Despite rumors of impending retirement he recently signed a new one-year contract.
Nagelsmann made it clear that Neuer would be number 1.
“We told Ollie [Baumann] We had a meeting with Manu in March,” Nagelsmann said of the decision, admitting that it was a blow for the Hoffenheim keeper but that he was still ready to help the team.
“My focus is on nominating the best three goalkeepers in the country and they are the best three,” he said. “We called him and asked him if he wanted to play for Germany again, and he wanted to play in the tournament. His playing ability was considered top-notch, but we also wanted to know if he would continue playing or retire,” Nagelsmann said. “Everyone knows what kind of aura Manu has, because of the experience he has and the titles he has won.”
When pressed to contact him, Nagelsmann responded candidly.
He said, “There are always things you can look back on and say you could have done better, but I have no guarantee that it will be received much better.” “Football is a daily business. Please understand that every detail of my interactions with players cannot be made public. I try to explain things well and keep people informed. Sometimes I am not as successful as I would like to be, and sometimes I am.”
The other big news was the selection of teenager Lennart Karl (18). Karl has impressed for Bayern this season and has also looked comfortable when finding his ground Germany started earlier this year. Felix Nmecha returned from injury to join the team on time, with Nagelsmann saying the midfielder had all the tools to become one of the best in his position in the world.
Amiri and Sane in, Bischoff and El Mala out.
Elsewhere in the team, German-born midfielder Nadeem Amiri, whose parents are from Afghanistan, made the last 26. Priority was given to Leroysane alongside youngster Maxi Baer, whose glimpses of quality in Germany colors were enough to make the cut. “He is very well-respected on the team and is excellent in difficult situations,” Nagelsmann said.
Nathaniel Brown was also included, with Nagelsmann saying that the right back probably didn’t even realize how good he was. Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller and Jamie Lewelling both also made the last 26, with the Germany head coach citing Jamie Lewelling’s one-on-one skills as a key factor in his decision.
Despite not playing for Germany since the beginning of 2025 due to injury, Jamala Musiala was named in the squad and Nagelsmann explained that the forward “can decide the outcome of a game, even a tournament, with just a few moves.”
Nicklas Fulkrug, Tom Bischoff and Saeed El Mala missed, as did Chris Furich and Maxi Mittelstaedt.
The team announcement was a little more personal than two years ago, when a creative marketing campaign showcased German culture and regions as a way to reveal Germany’s Euro 2024 squad. This time, social media videos with messages from friends and family and motivational words from Nagelsmann to the 12 players in the final squad were released hours before the official announcement.
The new news is surprising and also a major topic of discussion.
Neuer’s surprise comeback was reported across Germany days before the team announcement. This comes as a shock because Neuer had retired, but also because Neuer and Nagelsmann had fallen out during their time as Bayern Munich coaches.
Furthermore, Nagelsmann has been vocal about Oliver Baumann being Germany’s No. 1 over the past 12 months, saying more than once that Germany do not have a goalkeeper problem.
While many Germany fans are unlikely to travel to North America for the tournament, the team’s preparations will begin later this month. The team will assemble in the last week of May (except for Kai Havertz, who is in the Champions League final with Arsenal) and play a friendly against Finland in Mainz on 31 May.
After that, Germany will fly to the US on June 2. There, Nagelsmann’s team will play a friendly against the United States in Chicago on June 6, before playing its first World Cup match against Curaçao in Houston on June 14. The team’s base camp will be in North Carolina.
Germany’s entire team
goalkeeper
- Manuel Neuer (40, Bayern Munich)
- Oliver Baumann (35, Hoffenheim)
- Alexander Nubel (29, Stuttgart)
- Jonas Urbig (22, Bayern Munich)*
*Training Goalkeeper
defenders
- Jonathan Tah (30, Bayern Munich)
- Joshua Kimmich (C) (31, Bayern Munich)
- Nico Schlotterbach (26, Borussia Dortmund)
- Antonio Rudiger (33, Real Madrid)
- David Raum (28, RB Leipzig)
- Nathaniel Brown (22, Eintracht Frankfurt)
- Waldemar Anton (29, Borussia Dortmund)
- Malik Thiaw (24, Newcastle United)
midfielder
- Pascal Gross (34, Brighton & Hove Albion)
- Leon Goretzka (31, Bayern Munich)
- Alexander Pavlovich (22, Bayern Munich)
- Felix Nmecha (25, Borussia Dortmund)
- Nadeem Amiri (29, Mainz)
- Angelo Stiller (25, Stuttgart)
attackers
- Kai Havertz (26, Arsenal)
- Nick Woltemade (24, Newcastle United)
- Deniz Undav (29, Stuttgart)
- Jamal Musiala (23, Bayern Munich)
- Florian Wirtz (23, Liverpool)
- Lennart Karl (18, Bayern Munich)
- Jamie Lewelling (25, Stuttgart)
- Leroy Sane (30, Galatasaray)
- Maximilian Bayer (23, Borussia Dortmund)
Edited by: Matt Pearson