Germany are one of the most storied football nations on the planet and among the genuine favourites at the 2026 World Cup.
The four-time world champions have endured a difficult run of tournament results in recent years — a group-stage exit in Qatar 2022, an early exit at Euro 2020, and a quarter-final defeat on home soil at Euro 2024.
But the mood around the national team has changed significantly under Julian Nagelsmann.
Germany won their UEFA Nations League group in 2025 and qualified for this World Cup by topping UEFA Group A in European qualifying, sealing their place with a 6-0 demolition of Slovakia in November 2025.
The squad Nagelsmann has assembled is built around a Bayern Munich core of seven players and supplemented by talent across the Bundesliga and the Premier League.
They are in Group E alongside Curaçao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador, opening against Curaçao in Houston on June 14.
There was one late disruption when 18-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl suffered a torn muscle injury in training on June 5 and was replaced in the squad by RB Leipzig’s Assan Ouédraogo.
Here are the 10 best soccer players in Germany at the 2026 World Cup.
1. Florian Wirtz — Midfielder
Age: 23 | Club: Liverpool (England)
The most talked-about German player in world football and the centrepiece of Nagelsmann’s attacking system.
Wirtz joined Liverpool in July 2025 from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth €125 million, one of the biggest transfers in football history.
At Leverkusen he was named Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2023/24 as the club completed a historic unbeaten title campaign — one of the most remarkable domestic seasons in European football history.
His first Premier League season produced 5 goals and 3 assists as he adjusted to the demands of English football, with some early criticism before he found his footing at Anfield.
On the international stage he has been consistently excellent, with 11 international goals from 41 caps.
He produced one of his finest Germany performances in the qualifying win over Slovakia and set up Leroy Sané’s goal in a dominant first half that showcased exactly why Liverpool paid what they did.
Nagelsmann has built his attacking system around Wirtz and Jamal Musiala in tandem, and their creative partnership is widely considered one of the most exciting combinations in international football.
At 23 and heading to his first senior World Cup, this is the tournament that defines his global legacy.
2. Jamal Musiala — Midfielder
Age: 23 | Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
Germany’s most naturally gifted attacking player and a man who has earned his place at this World Cup against very difficult odds.
Musiala suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle at the FIFA Club World Cup in July 2025, an injury that kept him out for 196 days — almost seven months.
He returned to Bayern Munich in January 2026, finished the season with 5 goals and 6 assists in 24 appearances, and helped the club win the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal.
He scored in Germany’s warm-up against Finland and started the match against the United States on June 6, confirming his fitness just days before the tournament opened.
“Even at 95 per cent, he is one of the outstanding players in world football,” Nagelsmann said. “He has also become more robust.”
Musiala was Germany’s youngest player at a major tournament at Euro 2020 aged 18, the first German teenager to play at a World Cup since 1958 when he appeared at Qatar 2022, and shared the Golden Boot at Euro 2024 with three goals in five matches.
He arrives at this World Cup with 42 caps and 9 international goals, finally fit and finally heading into his second World Cup.
This is the tournament where Musiala is expected to fully establish himself among the best players in the world.
3. Joshua Kimmich — Defender/Midfielder (Captain)
Age: 31 | Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
The captain of Germany and one of the most complete players in European football.
Kimmich has 110 caps and 10 international goals and plays as a right-back under Nagelsmann for Germany, where his intelligence, pressing intensity, and elite passing range make him one of the most influential players on the pitch.
He is a serial winner at Bayern Munich with multiple Bundesliga titles and Champions League medals.
He leads this squad with experience, authority, and a relentless competitive drive that filters through the entire team.
At 31 he is at the absolute peak of his powers and brings the kind of big-game mentality and leadership that tournaments are won on.
4. Manuel Neuer — Goalkeeper
Age: 40 | Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
One of the greatest goalkeepers in football history and Germany’s number one at the remarkable age of 40.
Neuer came out of international retirement to return to the squad for this World Cup, which was the biggest story of the entire squad announcement in May 2026.
He had been managing a calf injury in the build-up and missed pre-tournament friendlies against Finland and the United States, but the German camp confirmed he is expected to be fit for the opening game against Curaçao on June 14.
He has 124 caps and won the 2014 World Cup as part of a legendary Germany squad.
His invention of the modern sweeper-keeper role has shaped how goalkeeping is coached and played at every level of the game for the last decade.
The fact that Nagelsmann recalled him ahead of Oliver Baumann, who had been Germany’s established first choice in recent months, tells you everything about the level Neuer is still operating at.
5. Antonio Rüdiger — Defender
Age: 33 | Club: Real Madrid (Spain)
One of the most physically dominant and fearless centre-backs in world football and a genuine leader of this Germany squad.
Rüdiger won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and joined Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2022, where he has won La Liga and established himself as one of the most respected defenders in European football.
He is aggressive in the challenge, commanding in the air, and completely unintimidated by any opponent or occasion.
He has 82 caps and brings the big-game composure and defensive authority that Germany absolutely need in the knockout rounds if they are going to go deep into this tournament.
6. Kai Havertz — Forward
Age: 27 | Club: Arsenal (England)
One of Germany’s most versatile and productive forwards and a player whose development under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal has been remarkable.
Havertz scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final for Chelsea against Manchester City, one of the most important goals scored by a German player in recent history.
At Arsenal he has evolved into a complete forward, capable of leading the line, playing as an advanced midfielder, or pressing intelligently from wide areas with a reading of the game that is unusual for his age.
He has 58 caps and 22 international goals — the best return of any current outfield player in the Germany squad.
His positional versatility gives Nagelsmann options that are invaluable throughout a tournament where the opposition changes every game.
7. Leroy Sané — Midfielder/Forward
Age: 30 | Club: Galatasaray (Turkey)
One of Germany’s most experienced and dangerous wide players and a player whose international record speaks loudly despite some inconsistency at club level in recent years.
Sané has 76 caps and 17 international goals from wide positions, which is a genuinely impressive return that underlines his impact for the national team over many years.
He scored in Germany’s 6-0 qualifying win over Slovakia and arrives at this World Cup as one of the most experienced attacking options in the squad.
He spent his club career at Manchester City and Bayern Munich before his current stint at Galatasaray, bringing a depth of top-level European experience that benefits the whole squad.
8. Leon Goretzka — Midfielder
Age: 31 | Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
One of Germany’s most complete and goal-scoring midfielders and a player who has been a consistent performer at the highest level for nearly a decade.
Goretzka has 70 caps and 15 international goals from central midfield, which is an extraordinary return for a player in his position and places him among the most productive midfielders Germany have produced in the modern era.
He won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2020 and brings physical intensity, aerial quality, and technical composure that give Germany’s midfield a different dimension from pure playmakers like Wirtz and Musiala.
His ability to arrive in the box and convert chances from deep is a weapon that opponents struggle to account for.
9. Jonathan Tah — Defender
Age: 30 | Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
One of Germany’s most dependable and intelligent centre-backs and a player who has earned his place in this squad through years of consistent excellence in the Bundesliga.
Tah was part of the Bayer Leverkusen squad that completed the historic unbeaten Bundesliga title campaign in 2023/24 before moving to Bayern Munich, where he has continued to perform at the very top level.
He has 47 caps and brings intelligent positional play, strong aerial ability, and the kind of composed left-footed ball-playing quality that fits perfectly into Nagelsmann’s system.
He is an underrated but crucial part of how Germany defend, and his partnership with Rüdiger gives the back line both quality and experience.
10. Assan Ouédraogo — Midfielder
Age: 20 | Club: RB Leipzig (Germany)
The most dramatic addition to Germany’s final squad and one of the most exciting young midfielders in the Bundesliga.
Ouédraogo was called up on June 5 as a replacement for Lennart Karl, who suffered a torn muscle injury in training and had to be withdrawn from the squad entirely.
He already has a senior Germany goal to his name, scoring on his debut as a substitute in the 6-0 qualifying win over Slovakia in November 2025 — the same match that sealed Germany’s World Cup place.
His 2025/26 season at Leipzig was disrupted by persistent knee problems that limited him to 19 Bundesliga appearances, but he still contributed 4 goals and 3 assists and produced six goal involvements in just eight matches during his best autumn spell.
Nagelsmann said of him: “He’s still very young, but I’m very happy with his development and hope he retains his humility.”
At 20, with just 1 cap, Ouédraogo is Germany’s most intriguing wildcard, a physically powerful, direct midfielder who adds something different to a squad otherwise built on technical finesse.
Conclusion
Germany do not arrive at the 2026 World Cup as the loudest favourites: France, Argentina, and Brazil carry more weight in the betting markets.
But few squads at this tournament are as balanced, as experienced, or as deep in genuine world-class quality.
Neuer in goal, Rüdiger and Tah in defence, Kimmich and Goretzka in the engine room, and Wirtz and Musiala orchestrating the attack — this is a team that looks like it was built for tournament football.
Whether they can end a 12-year wait and lift the World Cup for the first time since 2014 is one of the most compelling questions of the entire 2026 tournament.
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Who do you think will be Germany’s best player at the 2026 World Cup? Let us know in the comments!
