- © DFL
- © DFL
Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 stars to watch in FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A
A host of stars from Germany’s top two leagues are set to meet on football's biggest stage at the FIFA World Cup 2026. We crunch the numbers on an intriguing Group A featuring Czechia, Korea Republic, Mexico and South Africa...
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Czechia
- Coufal clocked more intensive runs than any other player in the Bundesliga last season (2803).
- The 33-year-old comes from a very sporty family, with two siblings who are figure skaters, while his mother, Alena Dřevjaná, competed as a gymnast in the 1988 Olympic Games.
Adam Hložek (Hoffenheim)
- Hložek was a childhood prodigy, becoming Slavia Prague's youngest league player and the Czech league's greenest goalscorer at the age of 16 in 2018/19.
- The attacker won a Bundesliga and DFB Cup double as part of Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen 'Invincibles' in 2023/24, before moving to Hoffenheim in summer 2024.
- He only played in one of Czechia's World Cup qualifiers due to injury, but found the net in a 2-1 win over Kosovo in a pre-World Cup friendly.
Watch: Hložek on the money
Sweet hit from Hložek! 😋
Robin Hranáč (Hoffenheim)
- Hranáč joined Hoffenheim in summer 2024 from Viktoria Plzeň.
- Last season, he made 29 Bundesliga appearances to help guide his side to fifth place in 2025/26.
- The defender has registered one goal in 33 Bundesliga appearances, and one goal in 14 international caps.
Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Schick has scored over 100 goals in all competitions for Leverkusen (103 in 210 appearances) since signing from Roma in summer 2020.
- He is the highest-scoring Czech player in Bundesliga history with 90 goals, including 10 for RB Leipzig.
- Schick was the joint-top scorer at UEFA Euro 2020 with five goals - level with Cristiano Ronaldo - and his strike from the halfway line against Scotland was voted Goal of the Tournament.
Watch: Schick's favourite World Cup players
Schick's favourite World Cup players 🇨🇿
About the players
Korea Republic
Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
- Castrop made 86 Bundesliga 2 appearances for Nuremberg before embarking on his first top-flight season with Gladbach last summer.
- The 22-year-old midfielder made four appearances for Germany's U21a before switching international allegiances to the homeland of his mother in 2025.
- Kim has made 116 appearances in all competitions for Bayern since joining from Napoli in summer 2023.
- He has claimed two Bundesliga titles and a DFB Cup during his time in Bavaria.
- The centre-back has been a champion in Germany, Italy and South Korea (for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors).
Watch: Kim in action
Minjae Kim said 'not today' 🙅♂️
- Lee has spent eight seasons in Germany with Holstein Kiel (2018 – 2021) and Mainz (2021 - present).
- The 33-year-old has made 105 appearances for South Korea since 2015, including three as captain.
- The attacker has scored three goals in his past three Bundesliga matches against Bayern, including two in a 2-1 win in December 2024.
Mexico
No active Bundesliga representatives
South Africa
- Okon made 25 appearances in his first season in Bundesliga 2 as Hannover narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing fourth.
- The 22-year-old defender, who signed from SuperSport United, has just three caps for South Africa so far.
>>> Click here for the full list of Bundesliga/ Bundesliga 2 players at the World Cup
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