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Who will Julian Naglesmann take to North America in 2026?
Paired with deep runs this season by Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen, Julian Nagelsmann’s first major tournament as the Germany manager was a positive step in the DFB’s quest to reassert the country’s status as an elite football nation. While the quarterfinal exit at the hands of Spain will sting for a bit, it’s clear that the national team is headed in the right direction after disappointing group stage exits in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Germany will have a decent amount of returning players but will need to replace a few legends in the process. Who will Nagelsmann plan to take with him to his first World Cup?
This article breaks down the contenders into four tiers:
Joshua Kimmich (29), Jamal Musiala (21), Leroy Sané (28), Antonio Rüdiger (31), Florian Wirtz (21), Nico Schlotterbeck (24), Kai Havertz (25), Marc-André ter Stegen (32)
Aleksandar Pavlović (20), Jonathan Tah (28), Robert Andrich (29), Maximilian Mittelstädt (27), David Raum (26), Maximilian Beier (21), Robin Koch (27), Alexander Nübel (27)
Manuel Neuer (38), Leon Goretzka (29), Niclas Füllkrug (31), Waldemar Anton (27), Chris Führich (26), Benjamin Henrichs (27), Deniz Undav (27), Malick Thiaw (22), Bernd Leno (32), Julian Brandt (28), Brajan Gruda (20), Rocca Reitz (22)
Thomas Müller (34), Serge Gnabry (28), Paul Wanner (18), Toni Kroos (34), İlkay Gündoğan (33), Emre Can (30), Pascal Groß (33), Oliver Baumann (34), Niklas Süle (28), Timo Werner (28)
Most of the players that Germany fans will see on the 2026 squad will be known, established players. There might be a few youngsters who can steal some minutes as a late substitute, but they don’t have much chance to snatch a starting spot.
Let’s hear from you! What’s your prediction for Germany’s starting XI at the 2026 World Cup?
Related
Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Germany’s crushing 2-1 loss to Spain? We have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. We have takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s controversial starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and ideas on how this all fell apart in front of an absolutely electric crowd. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below:
Support Bavarian Podcast Works on Patreon!
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