Who will replace Manuel Neuer as Germany’s next number one?
With Germany’s exit from the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the subsequent retirement of Manuel Neuer from international football, a familiar question has once again reared its head: who will replace the iconic goalkeeper between the sticks?
Ahead of the World Cup, the answer to that question seemed pretty clear. Oliver Baumann had been heralded as Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper for months and had been a stable pair of hands during qualifying. However, Neuer’s international retirement U-turn before the tournament threw the situation into doubt once more.
Luckily for Germany, they have a host of goalkeeping talent already playing at the highest level, all of whom will be desperate to make the leap up.
Oliver Baumann
Club: TSG Hoffenheim
Age: 36
International appearances: 13
The Hoffenheim stopper would appear the most likely choice as Germany’s next number one, given that he held the position before Neuer’s return, but with Julian Nagelsmann’s departure, the next head coach may turn to youth over experience.
Experience, however, is certainly something that the 36-year-old has in abundance. Baumann has made 523 Bundesliga appearances and has also featured in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. In his 13 international appearances, he has conceded just 11 goals and kept seven clean sheets.
Marc-André ter Stegen
Club: Barcelona
Age: 34
International appearances: 44
Something of a forgotten man of late after suffering a string of serious injuries in the last two seasons, ter Stegen is now Germany’s most experienced goalkeeper at international level. In fact, in many other eras he could easily have over 100 caps to his name.
The former Borussia Mönchengladbach shot-stopper has scaled the upper echelons of European football for almost his entire career, winning seven Spanish titles and a Champions League in the process, along with many other trophies. Should the 34-year-old regain his spot at Barcelona, he may be given another chance with the national team.
Jonas Urbig
Club: Bayern Munich
Age: 22
International appearances: 0
Neuer’s protégé Urbig has been developing at a steady rate over the last couple of years, first finding his feet at Cologne before moving to Bayern. The 22-year-old has now made 22 Bundesliga appearances, including 14 in the most recent campaign. An impressive six clean sheets gave Bayern fans optimism that he can fill the void once Neuer finally brings his illustrious career to an end.
During the World Cup, Urbig was once again given the chance to shadow his mentor as he travelled with the Germany squad to the US to gain valuable experience of international tournament football.
Alexander Nübel
Club: Bayern Munich
Age: 29
International appearances: 3
Nübel returns to Bayern this summer after spending the last five years out on loan. The 29-year-old has spent the last three seasons at VfB Stuttgart and had great success, but he will likely find himself behind Neuer and Urbig in the Bayern pecking order should he remain at the club.
During his time at Stuttgart, Nübel kept 38 clean sheets, including 11 in the Bundesliga this most recent campaign. He was also part of Germany’s World Cup squad this summer, although he didn’t feature.
Noah Atubolu
Club: Freiburg
Age: 24
International appearances: 0
Atubolu has been Freiburg’s first-choice goalkeeper since the 2023/24 season and has improved on a yearly basis, becoming an integral part of a team that reached the Europa League final last season.
The 24-year-old holds the club record for most minutes without conceding - an impressive run of 609 during the 2024/25 campaign. He has also established himself as a penalty-saving king, having become the first Bundesliga goalkeeper to save five spot-kicks in a row last season.
Mio Backhaus
Club: Freiburg
Age: 22
International appearances: 0
At Freiburg, Atubolu is set to have a new rival for his number one spot in 22-year-old Backhaus, who has just completed his move to the south-east from Werder Bremen. Backhaus only became Bremen’s first-choice goalkeeper this season, but he put in some impressive displays for a struggling side, keeping five clean sheets in 32 Bundesliga games.
Backhaus, who also holds Japanese citizenship, is currently Germany’s first-choice custodian at Under-21 level, making five appearances for Antonio Di Salvo’s team since making his debut in September last year.
Finn Dahmen
Club: Augsburg
Age: 28
International appearances: 0
Dahmen is another goalkeeper who has been on the fringes of the Germany team in the last year, having been called up multiple times but yet to make an appearance. The 28-year-old secured regular first-team football at club level when he moved to Augsburg ahead of the 2023/24 season, and his reputation has only grown since.
His match-winning performance against Bayer Leverkusen in April earned Dahmen particular acclaim, as he helped Augsburg to all three points despite facing a staggering 36 shots.
Dennis Seimen
Club: VfB Stuttgart
Age: 20
International appearances: 0
Although Seimen remains a long way off the national team at the moment, Stuttgart’s talented young goalkeeper is regarded as a huge prospect. He spent last season on loan at Bundesliga 2 side Paderborn, where he earned promotion to the top flight, and also has four Under-21 appearances to his name.
With Nübel leaving Stuttgart, he is hoping to be the club’s new number one at just 20 years of age.
