Germany enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup with one of the tournament’s deepest squads, blending established international stars with emerging young talent capable of making a run at a record-tying fifth World Cup title.
From world-class playmakers and proven goal scorers to the next generation of Bundesliga standouts, here’s a closer look at the players expected to carry Germany’s hopes throughout the 2026 World Cup.
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann built his 26-man roster around a Bayern Munich core, supplementing it with Premier League talent across attack and midfield. Germany opened the tournament June 14 with a 7-1 demolition of Curaçao, a result that immediately announced Die Mannschaft’s intentions in North America.
Jamal Musiala: Germany’s No. 10 Returns From Injury
GettyJamal Musiala of Germany.
Few players at the 2026 World Cup carry a more compelling comeback story than Jamal Musiala. The 23-year-old Bayern Munich attacking midfielder suffered a fractured fibula and broken ankle during the 2025 Club World Cup, in a collision with Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma that threatened to end his tournament before it started, according to the Bundesliga.
Musiala returned to contribute three goals and four assists across 15 Bundesliga appearances, helping Bayern claim its first domestic double since 2020. Nagelsmann publicly waved off sharpness concerns, saying even at 95 percent, Musiala ranks among the outstanding players in the world, according to a 2026 World Cup squad breakdown.
“I think it is just that we have that joy on the pitch, and that hunger to keep attacking,” Musiala said of Bayern’s season-long mentality, as quoted by Bundesliga.
Stuttgart-born and Chelsea-academy-trained before committing to Bayern, Musiala enters the tournament with 42 caps and nine international goals. He scored in Germany’s opener, his first career World Cup goal, according to Bavarian Football Works, which noted the tally pushed Bayern past Real Madrid as the club with the most World Cup goal contributions in history. At Euro 2024, he shared the Golden Boot after scoring three times in five appearances on home soil.
Florian Wirtz: Germany’s Versatile Attacking Pillar
GettyFlorian Wirtz of Germany.
Florian Wirtz arrived in North America with unfinished business. An ACL tear in March 2022 cost him a trip to Qatar entirely. Now 23, the attacking midfielder posted 53 goals and 59 assists across 186 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen before a $132 million-plus move to Liverpool last summer, according to Squawka.
The Pulheim native scored Germany’s fastest-ever goal, taking just eight seconds, at Euro 2024, and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2023-24 after Leverkusen’s unbeaten domestic double. He assisted in the Curaçao opener and finished the 2025-26 club campaign with seven goals and eight assists in 49 Liverpool appearances.
Kai Havertz: A Third Germany Cornerstone
GettyGermany’s Kai Havert.
Kai Havertz, the third cornerstone of Germany’s attack, enters the tournament as its most decorated. The 27-year-old Arsenal forward scored the decisive goal in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final for Chelsea, then added another in the 2026 Champions League final against PSG, becoming the first German ever to score in two Champions League finals, according to Arsenal.com.
In the Curaçao opener, Havertz scored twice and earned player of the match recognition, according to Arsenal.com. His second strike pushed Germany past Brazil as the national team with the most goals in World Cup history. ESPN’s Ryan O’Hanlon places Havertz among the tournament’s top 50 players in a ranking for ESPN. With 58 caps and 22 international goals, the Aachen native has evolved from a creative No. 10 at Leverkusen into one of Germany’s most important center forwards and a player Nagelsmann counts on to lead the line and finish inside the box.
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