Musiala
Julian Nagelsmann announced Germany's 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, and the most consequential decision in it involves a 40-year-old goalkeeper who had already retired from international football.
Manuel Neuer is in the squad. He retired from the German national team after Euro 2024, where Germany were knocked out by Spain in the quarterfinals. He had 124 caps. He said at the time that while the 2026 World Cup would have appealed to him, "now is exactly the right time to end my chapter in the national team." Two years later, the chapter has a postscript.
Nagelsmann's original plan was for Marc-André ter Stegen to be his number one, but ter Stegen has been beset by injuries — making just two appearances while on loan at Girona since January — and that route closed. Oliver Baumann of Hoffenheim stepped in and played every minute of qualifying, keeping four consecutive clean sheets as Germany finished top of their group. He has 11 caps and more than 500 Bundesliga appearances. Just last week, Baumann was telling media that Nagelsmann had assured him he would be the starting goalkeeper at the World Cup. He is no longer the starting goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Even Neuer's fitness is uncertain. He went off early during Bayern Munich's final Bundesliga match of the season with muscular problems in his left calf. Bayern said he "must take a break for the time being." It is unclear whether he will play in the DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart on Saturday. The possibility that Nagelsmann has recalled a 40-year-old out of retirement only to discover he is injured is, depending on your disposition, either darkly comic or entirely predictable.
The outfield squad is built around a creative axis of Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz. Musiala broke his leg at the Club World Cup in July and won his race to be fit — his presence alone is a significant boost, because Germany without Musiala are a fundamentally different proposition. Wirtz's first Premier League season at Liverpool was more complicated: a slow start, persistent criticism, questions about whether his game would translate. It did, eventually, but the Wirtz who arrives at the World Cup is one with something to prove rather than one riding a wave. Kai Havertz of Arsenal leads the line, with Deniz Undav of Stuttgart as his direct competitor. In midfield, Joshua Kimmich provides the tactical fulcrum — whether Nagelsmann deploys him centrally or at right-back will be one of the defining selection questions of the tournament. Antonio Rüdiger and Jonathan Tah anchor the defense.
The notable absentees tell their own story. Serge Gnabry, Musiala's Bayern teammate, was ruled out with injury. Robert Andrich — one of Bayer Leverkusen's most consistent performers domestically — was cut. Niclas Füllkrug's physical hold-up style did not fit the faster attacking shape Nagelsmann wants. The squad leans younger and more mobile. Lennart Karl is probably the most exciting inclusion: the Bayern teenager had a breakout Bundesliga season, and his combination of pace, technique, and composure in front of goal suggests a player whose ceiling is genuinely difficult to project. Maximilian Beier of Dortmund and Nick Woltemade of Newcastle complete a forward group that did not exist at Euro 2024.
The squad
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart)
Defenders: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), David Raum (Leipzig), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Pascal Groß (Brighton), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern Munich), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sané (Galatasaray)
Germany face Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and debutants Curaçao in Group E. They open against Curaçao on June 14 at NRG Stadium in Houston, face Ivory Coast on June 20 at BMO Field in Toronto, and conclude against Ecuador on June 25 at MetLife Stadium in New York. Preparations begin in Herzogenaurach on May 27, with warm-up matches against Finland in Mainz on May 31 and the United States in Chicago on June 6.