Julian Nagelsmann has revealed his 26-man Germany World Cup squad for the tournament in 2026, and the talking point is Manuel Neuer’s incredible return.
The 40-year-old Bayern Munich stopper announced his retirement from the national team post Euro 2024, but the German manager has chosen to call the legend back into the squad and will take the former Schalke stopper as first-choice keeper at the World Cup.
His recall has meant that Oliver Baumann has been left out despite playing every single minute in the qualifying stages for the Germans, where he kept 4 consecutive clean sheets in their comfortable topping of the group.
“During the nomination process, an attempt is made to select a group of the best players possible,” Nagelsmann defended his shock decision when questioned over it, “In goalkeeping, the job is above all to assemble three first-class keepers.
So we asked him if he would play for the national team again. ” His decision has been met with controversy within Germany, with former international Markus Babbel criticising Nagelsmann, while Matthias Sammer defended his choice of recalling the keeper.
The squad, however, features the quality of Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Kai Havertz as they look to challenge for the World Cup again.
Germany’s squad for the 2026 World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart, on loan from FC Bayern)
Defenders: Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern), Nico Schlotterbeck (Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Waldemar Anton (Dortmund), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Jonathan Tah (FC Bayern), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Aleksandar Pavlovic (FC Bayern), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (FC Bayern), Pascal Groß (Brighton), Lennart Karl (FC Bayern), Felix Nmecha (Dortmund), Leroy Sané (Galatasaray), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool)
Strikers: Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Maximilian Beier (Dortmund), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)
