Key Takeaways
- Germany was knocked out in the group stage at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. They enter 2026 with their most competitive squad in years.
- Julian Nagelsmann became Germany’s head coach in September 2023. Bayern Munich had sacked him five months earlier.
- Manuel Neuer retired from international football after Euro 2024. Neuer reversed that decision to start in goal. He is Germany’s most capped goalkeeper. He is also the only player in the 2026 squad to have won a World Cup.
- Florian Wirtz missed the 2022 World Cup through injury. Jamal Musiala fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle at the 2025 Club World Cup. Musiala’s fitness remained in question through March 2026. Nagelsmann confirmed Musiala as a starter ahead of the tournament.
- Germany is in Group E alongside Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ecuador.
Germany’s FIFA World Cup Squad
| # | Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||
| 1 | Manuel Neuer | GK | Bayern Munich |
| 12 | Oliver Baumann | GK | Hoffenheim |
| 21 | Alexander Nübel | GK | Stuttgart |
| Defenders | |||
| 2 | Antonio Rüdiger | CB | Real Madrid |
| 3 | Waldemar Anton | CB | Dortmund |
| 4 | Jonathan Tah | CB | Bayern Munich |
| 6 | Joshua Kimmich | RB | Bayern Munich |
| 15 | Nico Schlotterbeck | CB | Dortmund |
| 18 | Nathaniel Brown | LB/RB | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 22 | David Raum | LB | RB Leipzig |
| 24 | Malick Thiaw | CB | AC Milan |
| Midfielders | |||
| 5 | Aleksandar Pavlović | CM | Bayern Munich |
| 8 | Leon Goretzka | CM | Bayern Munich |
| 10 | Jamal Musiala | AM | Bayern Munich |
| 13 | Pascal Groß | CM | Dortmund |
| 16 | Angelo Stiller | CM | Stuttgart |
| 17 | Florian Wirtz | AM | Liverpool |
| 19 | Leroy Sané | RW | Galatasaray |
| 20 | Nadiem Amiri | AM | Mainz 05 |
| 23 | Felix Nmecha | CM | Dortmund |
| 25 | Assan Ouédraogo | CM | Schalke |
| Forwards | |||
| 7 | Kai Havertz | ST | Arsenal |
| 9 | Jamie Leweling | RW | Stuttgart |
| 11 | Nick Woltemade | ST | Stuttgart |
| 14 | Maximilian Beier | ST | Dortmund |
| 26 | Deniz Undav | ST | Stuttgart |
Germany’s 26-man squad registered with FIFA for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Players are grouped by position and ordered by squad number within each group.
Source: DFB / FIFA
No. 25 was originally assigned to Lennart Karl. Karl withdrew from the squad due to injury and was replaced by Assan Ouédraogo. Club affiliations reflect the DFB squad announcement. Transfers completed after the announcement date may not be reflected here. Positions reflect each player’s primary role under Nagelsmann. Players operating in more than one position are listed by their most common role.
GK = Goalkeeper. CB = Centre-back. RB = Right-back. LB = Left-back. CM = Central Midfielder. AM = Attacking Midfielder. RW = Right Winger. ST = Striker.
Germany has been knocked out in the group stage at the last two World Cups. The 2026 squad is their answer.
Julian Nagelsmann, 38, runs the operation. Bayern Munich sacked Nagelsmann in April 2023. Germany gave Nagelsmann a bigger job as head coach five months later.
Manuel Neuer, 40, starts in goal. He retired from international football after Euro 2024. Neuer returned for one more. Neuer is Germany’s most capped goalkeeper. He is also the only player in this squad to have lifted a World Cup trophy.
Joshua Kimmich leads the defence from right-back and wears the captain’s armband. Antonio Rüdiger of Real Madrid and Nico Schlotterbeck of Dortmund compete for starts at centre-back. Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlović anchor the midfield behind them.
Florian Wirtz, 23, joined Liverpool after Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga without losing a single game. Wirtz was central to that run. Jamal Musiala, also 23, fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle at the 2025 Club World Cup after a tackle by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Musiala then developed tendon complications in the same ankle and missed Germany’s March 2026 friendlies. Nagelsmann confirmed Musiala as a starter ahead of the tournament. Both operate as attacking midfielders. Wirtz and Musiala played together at Euro 2024. The 2026 World Cup is the first time Germany arrive at the tournament with both.
Kai Havertz of Arsenal plays as Germany’s main striker. Leroy Sané, 29 and now at Galatasaray, brings experience from the right flank.
Jamie Leweling, a right winger, was handed the No. 9 shirt. Nagelsmann gave the striker’s traditional number to a winger. That is either a tactical statement or a very expensive joke.
Bayern Munich contributes six players to the squad. Dortmund and Stuttgart each send five.
Germany is drawn in Group E alongside Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ecuador.
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