Germany Name 2026 World Cup Squad with Neuer, Musiala, Havertz

Nagelsmann brings Neuer back for World Cup 

Julian Nagelsmann hands Manuel Neuer a surprise recall ahead of Oliver Baumann, as Germany target a turnaround after back-to-back group stage exits.

Nagelsmann recalls the 2014 winner, keeps Kimmich as captain, and calls up 18-year-old Lennart Karl for the first time...

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has recalled Manuel Neuer for the 2026 World Cup. The veteran goalkeeper is part of a 26-man squad announced on Thursday after ending his international retirement.

  

The 40-year-old stepped away from international football in 2024. Nagelsmann confirmed that the World Cup winner will return as Germany’s number one goalkeeper, ahead of Oliver Baumann, for the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Joshua Kimmich will remain Germany captain even with Neuer’s return to the squad.

Former Manchester City and Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane, now playing for Galatasaray, has also kept his spot in the squad.

Manuel Neuer is the only player in the current squad who was part of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team.

Matthias Ginter, another 2014 champion who helped Freiburg reach the Europa League final, was left out. Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw got the nod in central defence instead.

Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was cut from the final squad after being called up for the March friendlies. He will still travel with Germany to support training during the tournament.

Jamal Musiala returns to the Germany squad after missing the March friendlies while recovering from a broken ankle.

Nagelsmann has selected a forward group with strong Premier League representation. It includes newly crowned English Premier League champion Kai Havertz of Arsenal, Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz, and Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade.

  

Bayern Munich’s 18-year-old Lennart Karl has earned his first call-up to a major tournament.

Bayern forward Serge Gnabry misses out with a thigh injury, and Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is also unavailable. Recent regulars Niclas Füllkrug and Robert Andrich were not included.

The German FA started releasing player announcements on social media early Thursday. Joshua Kimmich was the first name confirmed.

 

Manuel Neuer was Germany’s standout performer when they won the 2014 World Cup. Since then, the team’s results have declined sharply.

 

Germany were eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, their first exit at that stage since 1938. They suffered the same fate four years later in Qatar.

 

Germany have struggled in other international tournaments as well. After reaching the Euro 2016 semi-finals, they have won only one knockout match at the Euros. That was a 2-0 victory over Denmark on home soil at Euro 2024.

  

Neuer has been in good form for Bayern this season and was named man of the match in the quarter-final win over Real Madrid. However, he enters the World Cup with an injury concern due to a recurring calf problem.

The goalkeeper is a doubt for Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart in Berlin.

Germany will play one last match at home against Finland on May 31. They then face World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago on June 6.

The team will be based in North Carolina during the tournament. Germany are drawn in Group C with debutants Curaçao, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador.

GERMANY SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nuebel (Stuttgart)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle/ENG)

Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion/ENG), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)

Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)

Gemeinsam für Deutschland: Unser Kader für die WM 2026! 🖤❤️💛#dfbteam #fifaworldcup2026 pic.twitter.com/zaxWgXsGGv

— DFB-Team (@DFB_Team) May 21, 2026