The Bundesliga XI missing the FIFA World Cup 2026
The Bundesliga is home to some of the world's best footballers, but not all of them will be appearing at the FIFA World Cup 2026. From Saïd El Mala to Serhou Guriassy, here is an XI of the biggest Bundesliga stars who will be absent from the global showpiece.
Goalkeeper
After helping Freiburg reach their first European final, Atubolu had a strong case to be one of Germany's three goalkeepers this summer. While he missed the cut on this occasion for Julian Nagelsmann's final 26-man squad, the 24-year-old's time will surely come.
Watch: The best of Noah Atubolu
Defenders
As a Bundesliga winner with Bayer Leverkusen back in 2023/24, Tapsoba simply had to make this XI. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, his Burkina Faso side are yet to qualify for a World Cup, meaning he'll be enjoying some deserved time off this summer.
From a young goalkeeper starting to make waves, we switch focus to a Bundesliga veteran enjoying his twilight years. Orbàn, 33, continues to be a crucial member of RB Leipzig's squad, which this season finished in third in the league under Ole Werner. As such, the Hungarian is set to return to the UEFA Champions League next season.
At international level, Lukeba faces quite the battle to force his way into the France squad, as he has the likes of Bayern Munich counterpart Dayot Upamecano for competition at centre-back. However, he is certainly doing all he can to catch the eye, having enjoyed a stellar season alongside Orbán at Leipzig.
Several VfB Stuttgart players are in Nagelsmann's Germany squad this summer, but Mittelstädt joins Chris Führich in the armchair. The left-back has been a key man for Sebastian Hoeneß in recent years, playing a vital role in Stuttgart's 2024/25 DFB Cup triumph and top-four finish this term. At 27, his international career is far from over.
Midfielders
Despite having eight Spaain caps to his name, the Leverkusen midfielder missed the cut. Garcia has been a regular starter under Kasper Hjulmand this season and is one of the side's top assisters, with 11 in all competitions. In the absence of Florian Wirtz, the Spaniard has really stepped up.
Hamburg's return to the Bundesliga might not have been quite so triumphant without the loan arrival of Vieira. The Portuguese midfielder, who joined HSV from Arsenal last summer, has been a revelation in North Germany, with 13 goal involvements from just 29 Bundesliga games.
Watch: Football - the Fábio Vieira way
This summer's World Cup probably comes a year too soon for Bischof. The Bayern midfielder hasn't been a regular starter under Vincent Kompany this season, but when he has played, he's made a serious impact. Most notably of all, the 20-year-old scored two stunning goals to help Bayern complete a late comeback victory against Freiburg back in April.
Forwards
Injury setbacks hampered Burkardt's progress this past season, but the Eintracht Frankfurt striker still managed to score a very respectable 13 league goals. Having made the switch from Mainz last summer with big expectations, the 25-year-old will be hoping to get back to his very best once the 2026/27 season gets under way.
The Borussia Dortmund sharpshooter is arguably the biggest Bundesliga name absent from the 2026 World Cup. His quality will certainly be missed in North America, as since joining BVB in 2024, he has scored 60 goals in 96 appearances. The Guinea international also enjoyed a prolific spell with Stuttgart.
Watch: The best of Guirassy in 2025/26
Cologne winger El Mala has been a joy to watch this season, having scored 13 times in his breakout Bundesliga campaign. Aged just 19, he currently plays for Germany's U21s, but did make the senior squad for the first time in November 2025. Suffice to say, the teenager has the world at his feet heading into next season.
Watch: Watch out, El Mala-dona's about!
Honourable mentions
Finn Dahmen
Nnamdi Collins
Finn Jeltsch
Ridle Baku
Rocco Reitz
Hugo Larsson
Assan Ouédraogo
Fisnik Asllani
Rômulo
Karim Adeyemi
