Germany At The 2026 World Cup: Full Squad, Fixtures, Key Players And The Chase For A Fifth World Cup Star
Four-time champions, two humiliating group stage exits. Germany arrive in North America with a 40-year-old goalkeeper who came out of retirement, a point to prove, and just enough talent to prove it.
Germany have not won the World Cup since lifting the trophy in Rio de Janeiro in 2014. The 12 years since have included consecutive group stage exits in 2018 and 2022, the worst back-to-back results in the country's tournament history. Julian Nagelsmann has spent two years rebuilding the squad around a young creative core, and the group he has assembled for 2026 is the most balanced and dangerous of his tenure. The question is whether it is enough to go all the way.
The Full Squad of Germany
Nagelsmann announced his 26-man squad on May 21. The headline was Manuel Neuer reversing his international retirement to compete at a fifth World Cup at 40, recalled after Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a serious hamstring injury in February and was ruled out. Joshua Kimmich captains the side. Serge Gnabry is the most prominent omission through injury.
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart).Â
Defenders: Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt).Â
Midfielders: Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Pascal Groß (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern Munich).Â
Forwards: Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala, Max Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Tim Kleindienst (Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Seven Bayern Munich players feature in the squad. Florian Wirtz makes his World Cup debut after joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen. Lennart Karl, 18, is the youngest call-up.
Key Players, Fixtures and What to Expect
Wirtz and Musiala form the most exciting creative partnership at this tournament. Musiala missed much of the 2024-25 season through injury but was passed fit by Nagelsmann. Havertz leads the forward line after another strong Arsenal season. Rüdiger remains the defensive leader despite fitness concerns through the spring.
Germany face Curaçao in Houston on June 14, Ivory Coast in Toronto on June 20, and Ecuador in New Jersey on June 25. Group E looks manageable on paper, but Germany said something similar in 2018 and 2022. A quarter-final is the realistic floor. A fifth title is the ambition they have been carrying since the final whistle in Rio.