Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl ruled out of World Cup with Germany due to injury
Bayern Munich starlet Lennart Karl has been ruled out of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 after suffering an injury in training with Germany on Friday.
Karl was included in head coach Julian Nagelsmann's final 26-man squad on the back of an outstanding breakout campaign for Bayern, in which he contributed five goals and as many assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances.
The 18-year-old flew with the squad to Chicago on Wednesday, but was taken to hospital on Friday after sustaining an injury in training as the team geared up for their final warm-up game for the tournament, a friendly against the USA on Saturday.
After extensive medical examinations, Karl was diagnosed with torn muscle fibres in the front of the left thigh.
"I’m incredibly sorry for Lenny," said Nagelsmann once the extent of the injury was confirmed. "With his carefree attitude, creativity, pace and personality, he fitted into the team perfectly.
"It’s a huge shock for him and for all of us that he’ll miss the World Cup. The only small consolation is that he’s still young and has many tournaments ahead of him. We would have loved to have him with us in the squad."
FIFA regulations allow participating teams to replace injured players in their squads prior to the start of the tournament, with Nagelsmann choosing to call up RB Leipzig's Assan Ouédraogo in Karl's stead.
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“In Assan, we’re now bringing in a player who, like Lenny, made an excellent start with us," said the coach. "He’s also extremely talented and we want him to play with courage, freedom and confidence."
Karl himself said on an Instagram post: "I don't even know where to begin, but the pain at having to miss the biggest tournament is indescribable. I wish my team every success and will, of course, support them every minute. I'll come back stronger, I promise."
