Germany's 2026 World Cup Squad: Wirtz, Musiala and the Great Comeback

Germany were knocked out in the group stages of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They were knocked out in the group stages of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The most successful European nation in World Cup history — four titles, eight finals — has spent eight years in crisis at the tournament level, unable to replicate what they achieved in Brazil in 2014 when they beat Argentina 1-0 in the final in Rio with Mario Gotze's volley.

This summer they are coming back. Florian Wirtz is one of the most gifted attacking midfielders in the world. Jamal Musiala is fit after a serious injury setback. Manuel Neuer has come out of international retirement in the biggest selection story of any squad announcement. Julian Nagelsmann has built a squad that blends the most exciting young talent Germany have had in twenty years with the tournament experience to use it correctly. This is the most genuinely anticipated Germany World Cup squad since 2014. Here is who is in it and why they believe this is their year.

The Group Stage Draw: Group E

Germany are in Group E alongside Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. They should win the group — Curacao are making their World Cup debut, Ivory Coast are a competitive African side but manageable and Ecuador have reached the tournament through CONMEBOL qualification. A comfortable group gives Nagelsmann the opportunity to rotate, to find form and to ensure Wirtz and Musiala are operating at their best before the knockout rounds where Germany's tournament will truly be judged.

The Full Germany 2026 World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) — The biggest news of any squad announcement at this World Cup. Neuer retired from international football after Germany's disappointing Euro 2024, then reversed that decision when Nagelsmann came calling. At 40 years old, he is the most experienced goalkeeper in the tournament by some distance and his decision to return sends a message about how seriously Germany are taking this summer. His shot-stopping, his command of the area and his distribution remain exceptional and his presence in the dressing room — a player who won the World Cup in 2014 and has seen every dimension of tournament football — is invaluable.

Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim) — Was first choice for Germany in recent months before Neuer's return. Provides experienced backup.

Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart) — Younger goalkeeper option providing depth behind the two senior keepers.

Defenders

Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) — The captain. Kimmich plays at right-back in Nagelsmann's Germany system but his influence extends far beyond his positional role. His reading of the game, his ability to drive forward from deep, his leadership and his experience of multiple major tournaments make him the organising presence that Germany's back line is built around. One of the most intelligent footballers in the world and a player whose tournament experience — including Germany's defeat to England at Euro 2020 and their subsequent disappointments — drives his hunger for redemption.

Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) — Germany's most physically imposing central defender and a player whose presence in the back line gives Nagelsmann the kind of defensive authority that major tournaments demand. His experience at Real Madrid across multiple Champions League campaigns and his tournament record at international level make him one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich) — A technically excellent central defender who gives Nagelsmann a ball-playing option alongside Rüdiger. His ability to carry the ball out from the back fits perfectly into how Germany want to build their attacks.

Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund) — A powerful, aggressive defender whose physical quality and ability to read and intercept give Germany a different defensive option. His performances for Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Champions League have made him one of the most consistent central defenders in Germany.

David Raum (RB Leipzig) — Germany's first-choice left-back and a player whose attacking instincts and delivery from wide positions give the team an additional threat going forward.

Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Pascal Groß (Brighton) — Additional defensive depth ensuring Germany have options across the back line and in defensive midfield.

Midfielders

Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) — The most gifted attacking midfielder Germany has produced in a generation. Wirtz helped Bayer Leverkusen go unbeaten through an entire Bundesliga season before Liverpool paid £125 million to sign him in summer 2025. At twenty-two, going into his first World Cup, he is the player around whom Germany's attacking hopes are built. His ability to receive the ball under pressure, to find spaces that appear not to exist and to deliver in tight areas makes him Germany's most dangerous individual. At international level he has consistently produced his best football and the World Cup is the stage he has been building towards. This is Wirtz's moment.

Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) — The second strand of Germany's creative attack and a player whose injury in the summer of 2025 caused genuine concern about his involvement in this tournament. Musiala has returned to full fitness and brings a different quality to Wirtz — slightly more direct, more physically imposing and with a capacity to score goals from positions that Wirtz prefers not to occupy. When Musiala and Wirtz are both performing, they form one of the most exciting creative partnerships in world football. Their understanding of each other at international level gives Germany an attacking dimension that could unlock any defensive system.

Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich) — An experienced box-to-box midfielder whose physical quality, his ability to contribute defensively and his capacity to score from midfield give Nagelsmann a reliable option in the engine room. Despite limited first-team time at Bayern this season, the manager has retained his trust in what Goretzka brings to the national team.

Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich) — A young defensive midfield option who has impressed at club level and who gives Nagelsmann a different organisational option in how he sets up the midfield to protect the defence.

Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) — Additional midfield depth providing Nagelsmann with tactical options across different games and situations.

Forwards

Kai Havertz (Arsenal) — One of the most versatile attackers in the squad and a player who has had a difficult eighteen months with injury but whose quality is not in question. Havertz's ability to play as a centre-forward, as a number ten or from wide positions gives Nagelsmann tactical flexibility in how he constructs the attack around Wirtz and Musiala. His performances for Arsenal when fully fit have been outstanding and he goes into this World Cup as an important option across multiple positions.

Leroy Sane (Galatasaray) — An experienced wide option who gives Germany pace and directness on the right flank. His ability to beat defenders in one-versus-one situations and his delivery from wide positions make him a threat from the start or from the bench.

Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund) — One of the brighter attacking talents in Germany's squad who has emerged as a genuine goal threat at club level. His pace, his movement and his finishing make him an exciting option in the forward positions.

Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart) — Additional attacking options giving Nagelsmann different physical and technical profiles across the forward line.

The Big Omissions

Niclas Füllkrug — The physical, powerful centre-forward whose hold-up play has been one of Germany's most effective tools in recent tournaments. Nagelsmann's decision to leave him out is a statement about the direction of travel — faster, more technical and more direct — that comes with a risk if Germany need a different kind of striker in a knockout match they are chasing.

Karim Adeyemi and Kevin Schade also miss out after inconsistent club seasons, while Toni Kroos remains retired having signed off at Euro 2024 on home soil.

Can Germany End Eight Years of World Cup Hurt?

Germany went out in the group stages in 2018 and 2022. At Euro 2024 on home soil they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Spain in one of the great matches of the tournament. The trajectory is upward. The squad is the most talented they have assembled since 2014. Neuer's return in goal gives them the most experienced World Cup goalkeeper in world football. Rüdiger and Kimmich give them defensive leadership and tournament experience. And Wirtz and Musiala give them a creative partnership that nobody who has watched them together for Germany can dismiss.

Germany at 13/1 in the betting feels right for where they sit in the tournament hierarchy — behind Spain, France, England, Brazil and Argentina, but not by as large a gap as the recent record suggests. If Wirtz performs at his international best and Musiala adds the goals the partnership needs, Germany could go very deep. Nagelsmann believes this is Germany's moment. The squad is ready to prove it.

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