Manuel Neuer’s return to the Germany squad for the 2026 World Cup has been confirmed.
The German Football Association (DFB) announced Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for the tournament in North America on Thursday.
Neuer’s return is the headline, with the 40-year-old back and likely to start in the World Cup, having announced his retirement from international football two years ago.
It means he is set to feature at his fifth World Cup. Neuer made his debut at the tournament in 2010 before playing a key role in Germany winning the title in Brazil in 2014.
Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann and Bayern Munich team-mate Alexander Nubel will be his back-ups, with fellow Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig missing out.
Joshua Kimmich is set to captain Die Mannschaft, whose squad also features Bayern’s 18-year-old sensation Lennart Karl.
Mainz’s Nadeim Amiri is included despite only playing in the first two of Germany’s six World Cup qualifiers, while Jamal Musiala is also included. Musiala has not played for Germany since March 2025 owing to the injury he suffered in the Club World Cup.
Brentford’s Kevin Schade and Niclas Fullkrug, who spent this season on loan at AC Milan from West Ham, are among those miss out, along with Inter Milan’s Yann Aurel Bisseck and Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi.
“In the past few days I have felt in the conversations with our players how extremely great the anticipation is among each individual for this World Cup,” Nagelsmann said.
“Everyone is eager to start preparing for the next week. We have a strong squad, of which I am absolutely convinced. With the support of our fans, we want to play a very good World Cup.”
Germany have been drawn in Group E and will face Curacao in their tournament opener on June 14.
Nagelsmann’s men will then take on Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Germany squad in full
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Bayern Munich).
Defensive: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle United)
Offensive: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United)
