Manuel Neuer, Lennart Karl and who else could still make Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann could be set to call up the Bayern Munich pair of Manuel Neuer and Lennart Karl for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, but who else could still make the cut with the squad due to be revealed on Thursday (1pm CEST)?
Goalkeepers
Bayern Munich prodigy Jonas Urbig got the nod alongside mainstays Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nübel for his first call-up in March, but the goalkeeping group for the final tournament is far from settled. And the picture could be blown open again if Neuer returns from international retirement.
How might Germany line up in North America?
The 40-year-old legendary shot stopper officially retired from international football after Euro 2024 in Germany, but could the 2014 World Cup winner make a sensational return to have one more major tournament after extending his deal with Bayern for another season? A calf injury sustained in the 5-1 win over Cologne on the final day of the season could force him out regardless.
Watch: Neuer's best saves in each of his 20 Bundesliga seasons
Germany’s U21 Euro 2021-winning goalkeeper is a dependable presence between the sticks, helping Augsburg to the top half of the table with the fourth-most shots stopped in the Bundesliga this season.
Freiburg's Atubolu was Nagelsmann’s choice to replace Baumann in October when the Hoffenheim veteran was forced to withdraw through illness. The 23-year-old has significant international experience with Germany’s U21 squad too, having made 22 appearances – and has certainly done his cause no harm by helping Freiburg to reach the UEFA Europa League final.
Watch: The best of Noah Atubolu
Defenders
Josha Vagnoman's recall to the squad in March to earn his second cap against Ghana suggests the door is open to a right-back to stake a claim to provide cover for the irrepressible Joshua Kimmich.
Baku came off the bench to replace Kimmich and scored in the 6-0 defeat of Slovakia in November. The RB Leipzig man has impressed at both ends of the pitch, hitting 27 shots this season. Vagnoman has claimed three assists this season, like Baku, but scored one goal to Baku's two.
Mittelstädt was handed his senior international debut by Nagelsmann in March 2024 and won 15 caps before finding himself out of the squad. While David Raum has now overtaken Mittelstädt as Nagelsmann’s first-choice left-back, Nathaniel Brown has also leapfrogged the Stuttgart man. But the Frankfurt youngster cannot be too far ahead in the pecking order given his eight goal involvements this season is bettered by Mittelstädt's 10. Brown’s age may count in his favour at 22, while Mittelstädt is 29, but the latter has more international and Bundesliga experience.
Despite having a half-century of Germany caps to his name, Ginter was an absentee from Nagelsmann’s latest squad selection in March. The Freiburg man hasn’t played for his country since June 2023. At the age of 32, it’s a case of now or never for Ginter, who has been the backbone of Freiburg's remarkable campaign.
Thilo Kehrer
The versatile Monaco defender's last cap for Germany came during the UEFA Nations League finals, where he featured for the last 17 minutes of the side’s third-place play-off match against France. Despite dropping below Vagnoman in the pecking order of German right-backs, Kehrer’s status as a regular starter at Monaco means he is still in the running for the World Cup.
Robin Gosens
Just like Kehrer, Gosens’ last Germany cap came at the 2025 UEFA Nations League Final Four tournament. Currently playing at Fiorentina in Serie A, the 31-year-old would be something of a wildcard selection this summer, with Brown and Raum seemingly preferred on the left-hand side by Nagelsmann.
Already with 19 caps to his name, Leipzig's Henrichs has seen his career heavily hampered by a serious injury. The full-back did not make a single competitive appearance in 2025 following a torn Achilles tendon towards the end of 2024, but he still managed 17 appearances this season following his recovery. His goal against Hoffenheim on Matchday 27 was an emotional moment and a reminder of his ability on the right of the back four as Nagelsmann looks for a reliable back-up option for Kimmich.
Watch: Emotional return for Henrichs after injury
Midfield
Like virtually everywhere else on the pitch for Germany, Nagelsmann is not short of options in midfield, but there are some players who will feel they can still earn a place on the plane.
The nimble-footed and clinical Bayern youngster has truly been one of the breakthrough stars of the season. Nagelsmann is clearly among his many admirers, calling Karl up for senior international duty and handing him his first caps in March. Forcing his way into the champions' side and notching 10 goal involvements (five goals and five assists) makes a trip to North America this summer a logical next step...
Watch: Bayern rising star Karl
The 20-year-old has seen a season of ups and downs, having becoming the youngest debutant to score for Germany since Klaus Stürmer in October 1954 when he found the net against Slovakia in mid-November, only for a knee injury to rule him out of large chunks of the season. He since returned to fitness, and a final-day goal against Freiburg is a reminder of his great potential, although it may be beyond this summer's World Cup before we see that again on the international stage.
Watch: Ouédraogo's brilliant goal against Bremen
The Bayer Leverkusen enforcer remains an option. Andrich was absent from the November squad and will have become concerned about his summer plans after missing out again in March. One of the most assured in possession in the Bundesliga this season, the 31-year-old will be a dependable presence in the squad should Nagelsmann have a space for him.
Watch: Andrich's best goals and passes
Stiller is another option in the centre of the pitch. The Stuttgart midfielder earned his seventh cap against Ghana in March. He is one of the first names on Sebastian Hoeneß's team sheet, and his star has risen further as he helped drive his side to a top-four finish and the DFB Cup final, making it a surprise if he doesn't make the World Cup squad.
If creativity and a goal threat are what Nagelsmann wants from central midfield, then he may also find a place for Amiri. The 29-year-old had never reached double figures for goals in a Bundesliga season before this term, notching a dozen from 25 top-flight appearances, while adding two assists to play a central role in inspiring Mainz to safety. He has every chance of adding to his nine Germany caps in North America.
For Bayern midfielder Bischof, who is already being lauded as a future star of German football, this summer’s World Cup might come a little too soon. The 20-year-old’s passing range and accuracy has caught the eye in the Bundesliga this season. At present, he has just one Germany cap to his name, but expect that to change in the months and years to come.
At the turn of the year, Gruda’s prospects of featuring at the World Cup looked very slim due to a lack of game time at Brighton and Hove Albion. Since then, the 21-year-old midfielder has moved on loan to Leipzig, where three goals and three assists in 13 appearances have given him an outside chance of making the plane.
Similar to club teammate Stiller, Führich was drafted into Nagelsmann's squad for the March friendlies as a late replacement for the injured Felix Nmecha. The 28-year-old winger is hitting form at just the right time for Stuttgart, with 14 goal involvements in their strong season. Führich made his ninth international appearance - and first since November 2024 - against Ghana in March.
Forwards
After completing a gradual recovery from a leg fracture to get back to his best, Jamal Musiala will surely be on the plane, but who else could join him?
Adeyemi's blistering pace is an asset that can unsettle any defence. The Borussia Dortmund man hit double figures for goal involvements again this season (with seven goals and four assists), but after being left out of the last Germany squad in March, it's not clear if he will be in Nagelsmann's thinking for the summer.
Watch: Adeyemi greeting Dortmund fans
Frankfurt’s Burkardt understandably lost his squad place in March. After an impressive start during which he scored nine times in his first 14 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt following his summer move from Mainz, a calf injury sidelined him between late November and mid-February. He still managed 13 goals over the campaign, and while it remains to be seen if he has done enough to make the World Cup squad, he can't be too far out of the thinking...
The inclusion of 19-year-old Cologne winger El Mala in a World Cup squad could surprise casual followers, but not anyone who has followed the past Bundesliga season too closely. While the teenager is yet to gain a full international cap, he is sure to claim one before too long after a sensational debut campaign that brought 13 goals. The last of those against Bayern on the final day was the kind of effort worthy of the world's biggest stage.
Watch: El Mala-dona's brilliant goal at Bayern
The 23-year-old has become a regular starter at Dortmund under Niko Kovač this season. With nine goals and five assists over the past term, the calls for him to return to the national team have grown. However, Beier, who can play just about anywhere across the forward line, is yet to start a game under Nagelsmann, having only been used as a late sub in his seven previous caps.
Niclas Füllkrug
Füllkrug became a key member of Germany’s squad at Euro 2024 after scoring twice in Germany's five games on home soil. However, after several injury setbacks and reduced playing time following a move to West Ham United, the 33-year-old’s chances of doing something similar at the World Cup look remote. A loan move to AC Milan has revived his prospects somewhat, although it remains to be seen whether his record of one goal in 19 Serie A games will be enough to force his way back into Nagelsmann’s plans.
Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Kleindienst was out of action for almost the entire season due to a knee injury. That could hardly have come at a worse time for the forward, who, prior to the setback, had scored four goals in six international matches for Germany. A late cameo appearance against Hoffenheim on the final day bodes well for a full return next season but is unlikely to be enough for inclusion in a World Cup squad.
