Two years after retiring from international football, Manuel Neuer is back in Germany's 2026 World Cup squad.
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann announced his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada on Thursday. With most of the surprises reported by local news in the days before the official announcement, the edge was taken off the squad reveal.
Nevertheless, the headline news is the shock return of veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who retired from international football after Euro 2024. The 40-year-old has enjoyed a strong season at Bayern Munich, particularly in the Champions League, but has also battled injuries. He recently signed a new one-year contract despite rumors of impending retirement.
Nagelsmann made it clear that Neuer would be the No. 1. "We told Oli [Baumann] back in March that we'd had a meeting with Manu," Nagelsmann said of the decision, admitting that it had been a blow for the Hoffenheim keeper but that he was still ready to help the team.
"My focus is on nominating the best three goalkeepers in the country and they are the best three," he added. "We called him and asked him if he wanted to play for Germany again, and he wanted to play at the tournament. His sporting ability was considered above all, but we also wanted to know whether he was going to keep playing or retiring," Nagelsmann said. "Everyone knows what kind of aura Manu has because of the experience he has and the titles he has won."
When pressed on his communication, Nagelsmann was open in his response. "There are always things you can look back on and say you could have done better, but I have no guarantee that it will be received much better," he said. "Football is a daily business. Please understand that not every detail of my conversations with the players can be made public. I try to explain things thoroughly and keep people informed. Sometimes I'm not as successful as I'd like to be, and sometimes I am."
The other big news was the selection of teenager Lennart Karl (18). Karl has impressed for Bayern this season and also looked comfortable when making his Germany debut earlier this year. Felix Nmecha recovered from injury in time to make the squad, with Nagelsmann saying the midfielder had all the tools to become one of the best in his position in the world.
Amiri and Sane in, Bischof and El Mala Out
Elsewhere in the squad, Nadiem Amiri, the German-born midfielder whose parents are from Afghanistan, made the final 26. Youngster Maxi Beier was favored, along with LeroySane, whose flashes of quality in Germany colors were enough to make the cut. "He has huge appreciation in the team and he is excellent in tight spaces," Nagelsmann said.
Nathaniel Brown was also included, with Nagelsmann saying the right back probably didn't even realize how good he is. Both Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling also made the final 26, with the Germany head coach citing the latter's one-on-one skills as a key factor in his decision.
Despite not playing for Germany since early 2025 as a result of injury, Jamala Musiala was named in the squad with Nagelsmann explaining the forward can "decide the outcome of games, even tournaments, with just a few moves."
Niclas Füllkrug, Tom Bischof and Said El Mala missed out, as did Chris Führich and Maxi Mittelstädt.
The squad announcement was slightly more personal than two years ago, when a creative marketing campaign displayed German culture and regions as a way to reveal Germany's Euro 2024 squad. This time around, social media videos with messages from friends and family and motivational words from Nagelsmann for 12 players in the final squad were released in the hours before the official announcement.
| Position | Player | Age | Club |
| Goalkeepers | Manuel Neuer | 40 | Bayern Munich |
| Oliver Baumann | 35 | Hoffenheim | |
| Alexander Nübel | 29 | Stuttgart | |
| Jonas Urbig* | 22 | Bayern Munich | |
| Defenders | Joshua Kimmich (c) | 31 | Bayern Munich |
| Jonathan Tah | 30 | Bayern Munich | |
| Nico Schlotterbeck | 26 | Borussia Dortmund | |
| Antonio Rüdiger | 33 | Real Madrid | |
| David Raum | 28 | RB Leipzig | |
| Waldemar Anton | 29 | Borussia Dortmund | |
| Malick Thiaw | 24 | Newcastle United | |
| Nathaniel Brown | 22 | Eintracht Frankfurt | |
| Midfielders | Pascal Gross | 34 | Brighton and Hove Albion |
| Leon Goretzka | 31 | Bayern Munich | |
| Nadiem Amiri | 29 | Mainz | |
| Felix Nmecha | 25 | Borussia Dortmund | |
| Angelo Stiller | 25 | Stuttgart | |
| Aleksandar Pavlovic | 22 | Bayern Munich | |
| Attackers | Leroy Sané | 30 | Galatasaray |
| Deniz Undav | 29 | Stuttgart | |
| Kai Havertz | 26 | Arsenal | |
| Jamie Leweling | 25 | Stuttgart | |
| Nick Woltemade | 24 | Newcastle United | |
| Jamal Musiala | 23 | Bayern Munich | |
| Florian Wirtz | 23 | Liverpool | |
| Maximilian Beier | 23 | Borussia Dortmund | |
| Lennart Karl | 18 | Bayern Munich |
Neuer News both a Surprise and a Major Talking Point
The news of Neuer's surprise return was reported on across Germany in the days before the squad announcement. It comes as a shock because Neuer was retired, but also because Neuer and Nagelsmann famously fell out during the latter's time as Bayern Munich coach.Furthermore, Nagelsmann has been outspoken in the last 12 months about Oliver Baumann being Germany's number one, stating more than once that Germany did not have a goalkeeper problem.
While many Germany fans are unlikely to travel for the tournament, the team's preparations begin at the end of this month. The squad will assemble in the final week of May (with the exception of Kai Havertz, who is in the Champions League final with Arsenal) and the team will play a friendly against Finland in Mainz on May 31. After that, Germany fly out to the US on June 2. There, Nagelsmann's side will play a friendly against the USA in Chicago on June 6 before their first World Cup game on June 14 against Curacao in Houston. The team's base camp will be in North Carolina.
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