- © DFL
- © DFL
Bundesliga stars to watch in FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E
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. The Bundesliga's finest make up the bulk of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad as the four-time winners prepare to take on Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao and Ecuador in Group E...
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Côte d'Ivoire
- Diomande's first season at Leipzig was a roaring success as he racked up 12 goals and eight assists in 33 Bundesliga appearances to win the Rookie of the Year Award.
- He scored on his Côte d'Ivoire debut against the Seychelles last October and now has three goals in 10 caps.
- Diomande's hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt in December made him the second-youngest player to net a treble in Bundesliga history.
Watch: Diomande's 2025/26 season in retrospect
Yan Diomande's 2025/26 season in retrospect
- Only three players managed more than Toure's nine assists in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. He also netted five goals as Hoffenheim qualified for the UEFA Europa League.
- He currently has five senior caps to his name, and scored his first international goal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to clinch a last-minute victory over Gabon.
- Toure represented Ivory Coast U20s at the Toulon Tournament in 2024, helping the team finish runners-up to Ukraine.
Bazoumana Toure really impressed in his debut Bundesliga season. - XX / DFL/Getty Images/Fabio Deinert
About the players
Germany
Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- Brown had completed just a single season of top-flight football when he was called up to the Germany squad in October last year.
- He played 42 games in all competitions for Frankfurt in 2025/26, finding the back of the net on four occasions.
- The 22-year-old is the second-youngest player in the Germany squad after Assan Ouédraogo (20).
Watch: The best of Nathaniel Brown
Watch: The best of Nathaniel Brown
- A former England youth international, Musiala became Germany's youngest player at a major tournament when he featured against Hungary at UEFA EURO 2020.
- In October 2021, he became the youngest player to score for Germany in 101 years when he found the back of the net against North Macedonia, aged 18 years and 227 days.
- A six-time Bundesliga winner, Musiala has been named in the German top flight's Team of the Season three times, and as Germany's Player of the Year twice. At EURO 2024, he finished joint-top scorer thanks to his three goals.
Watch: Musiala back to his irresistible best
Jamal Musiala back to his irresistible best
Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund)
- Despite being born in Hamburg, Nmecha spent 12 years as part of Manchester City's youth system and made his professional debut with the Cityzens in 2019. He turned out for England and Germany at youth level, but ultimately decided to represent the latter.
- Felix's brother Lukas is also a full Germany international with seven caps to date - one fewer than his brother.
- Nmecha made 42 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions last term, netting five goals.
Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern Munich)
- Born in Munich to a German mother and a Serbian father, Pavlović was initially called up to the Serbia national team in 2024 before deciding to represent Germany. He now has 11 caps to his name.
- Pavlović featured in 44 games across all competitions for Bayern in 2025/26, starting every UEFA Champions League game en route to the semi-finals.
- His performances earned him a place in the 2025/26 Bundesliga Team of the Season, while he also won the division's Goal of the Month in September 2024.
Aleksandar Pavlović and Felix Nmecha (l-r.) could be Germany's starting midfield pairing at the World Cup. - DFL/GettyImages/Christian Kaspar-Bartke
- Undav's 19 Bundesliga strikes in 2025/26 were more than any other German player in Europe's top five leagues and were second only to Harry Kane in the Bundesliga.
- The forward never played youth international football and had to wait until the age of 27 to receive his first Germany call-up. So far, he has six goals in just nine caps.
- He has scored 57 times in 117 games for Stuttgart, helping them win the DFB Cup in 2025.
Watch: The best of Deniz Undav
The best of Deniz Undav
Click here for the full list of Bundesliga/ Bundesliga 2 players at the World Cup
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