How will Germany line up at the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann named the same strong team for the two opening games of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Curaçao and Côte d'Ivoire, including the returning Manuel Neuer in goal. But injury to Nico Schlotterbeck means he will be forced to adapt as the four-time world champions look ahead to the knockout rounds in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Legendary Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer's decision to come out of international retirement and be the team's No.1 at the tournament was the biggest pre-tournament news, meaning Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann, who had been first choice in recent months, is now back-up.
A calf injury had kept Neuer out of pre-World Cup friendlies against Finland and the USA, but the 40-year-old was back for the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao on 14 June - a role he reprised in the 2-1 downing of Côte d'Ivoire - and will therefore likely remain in goal unless that calf issue flares up again.
Continuity in defence but change enforced
The back four has looked similarly set in stone. Captain Joshua Kimmich plays at right-back under Nagelsmann for Germany.
Jonathan Tah will continue to start at centre-back, having enjoyed a strong first season at Bayern. However, Nico Schlotterbeck's tournament-ending injury against Côte d'Ivoire leaves the place alongside Tah up for grabs. Despite an injury-hit season for Real Madrid, Nagelsmann's decision to replace the Borussia Dortmund man with Antonio Rüdiger suggests he will play a starring role moving forward.
On the left flank, David Raum had been entrusted to start throughout the World Cup qualification campaign. However, Nathaniel Brown started both warm-up games against Finland and the USA before the Eintracht Frankfurt youngster got the nod against Curaçao and Côte d'Ivoire, even scoring his first international goal to further cement his claim to the position.
Follow Schlotterbeck and Raum's 2025/26 journey to the World Cup in our Bundesliga Original Series
Watch: The best of Brown in the Bundesliga
Midfield options
There was some uncertainty in central midfield going into the tournament due to the intense competition. Leon Goretzka, Aleksandar Pavlović, Felix Nmecha, Nadiem Amiri and Angelo Stiller are all in the squad, and although Pascal Groß can also operate there, the Brighton veteran is likely earmarked as a back-up for Kimmich at right-back.
Nmecha started both warm-up games alongside Pavlović and again in the Curaçao and Côte d'Ivoire matches, netting a lovely opening goal in the former, with the experienced Goretzka coming on for the final stages.
Amiri was the man Nagelsmann turned to on the hour mark in the second group game as they looked to turn things around, and the Mainz talisman made his mark with the assist for Deniz Undav's equaliser.
Stiller, having enjoyed a superb campaign with Stuttgart, brings a slightly different profile as a natural left-footer. A late call-up for Assan Ouédraogo in place of the injured Lennart Karl provides additional cover for the middle of the pitch.
Watch: Putting the spotlight on Bayern's Pavlović
The pointy end of the spear
Further forward, Jamal Musiala has recovered well from the broken leg suffered at the FIFA Club World Cup last summer. "Jamal has been getting better and better and still has plenty of time to build up his rhythm," Nagelsmann said when unveiling his squad. "Even at 95 percent, he is one of the outstanding players in world football. He has also become more robust."
Musiala and Florian Wirtz dovetail well together in the final third, with both exceptional at breaking through deep-lying defences.
Serge Gnabry's injury setback means Leroy Sané is the preferred option to provide width and pace on the right, but Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling will look to push him for that starting berth after the Galatasaray man got the nod against both Curaçao and Côte d'Ivoire.
Karl's injury-enforced withdrawal might provide an opportunity for Dortmund's Maximilian Beier as the other youthful back-up option for an attacking midfield spot.
Watch: Musiala steadily getting back to his best after injury
Up top?
The lone striker’s role in Nagelsmann’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation has so far gone to Kai Havertz, who netted the opener against the USA recently and got two more against Curaçao.
Nick Woltemade’s height and physical presence offer the coach a different approach no other candidate can provide, but he is yet to get any minutes in North America.
Undav's role looks to be that of a super-sub for the national team, getting a goal and two assists off the bench in the opener before cementing Germany's place in the round of 32 with a late brace in their second outing - once again coming on in the second half - to complete his side's comeback against Côte d'Ivoire. He finished as the leading German scorer in the Bundesliga and across Europe in 2025/26 on 19 goals, with Nagelsmann stating, "You can't leave a striker like him at home." Can he now afford to keep leaving him on the bench?
