Frankfurt – Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has named his squad for the upcoming international matches, signaling the start of preparations for the 2026 World Cup. The 38-year-traditional coach revealed a 26-man roster on Thursday, featuring six players returning to the national team and two first-time call-ups.
Lennart Karl and Jonas Urbig, both of Bayern Munich, have earned their first selections for the national team, as previously reported. Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Anton Stach (Leeds United), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Deniz Undav, and Josha Vagnoman (both VfB Stuttgart) are back in the DFB team fold.
Anton Stach (27/2 appearances) joined Leeds from Hoffenheim this summer for a fee of €20 million
Several players omitted from the squad
Ridle Baku (RB Leipzig), Noah Atubolu (SC Freiburg), Finn Dahmen (FC Augsburg, on standby), Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt), and Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund) were not included in the latest roster.
Borussia Dortmund forward Adeyemi has recently faced off-field issues. Reports surfaced in November that Adeyemi had received a penalty order for illegal possession of weapons, specifically a knuckleduster and a taser, resulting in a fine of €450,000.
Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen (27) and Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi (24) are not part of the current Germany squad
Reports indicate that Adeyemi did not inform German football officials about the incident. DFB director Rudi Völler (65) and Nagelsmann subsequently met with Adeyemi to discuss the matter, with no immediate consequences announced.
Füllkrug looking for form
Niclas Füllkrug (33) has been left out of the squad as he continues to search for his best form while playing for AC Milan.
The national team will gather at DFB partner adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach on Monday, March 25th. Germany will first face Switzerland on March 27th (8:45 PM CET, live on RTL) in Basel, followed by a match against World Cup participant Ghana on March 30th (8:45 PM CET, live on ARD) in Stuttgart. This squad selection is seen as an early indication of Nagelsmann’s plans for the World Cup roster this summer.
