Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann announced his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada on Thursday.

With most of the surprises reported by local news in the days before the official announcement, the edge was taken off the squad reveal.

Nevertheless, the headline news is the shock return of veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who retired from international football after Euro 2024. The 40-year-old has enjoyed a strong season at Bayern Munich, particularly in the Champions League, but has also battled injuries. He recently signed a new one year contract despite rumors of impending retirement.

Nagelsmann made it clear that Neuer will be the number one.

"We told Oli [Baumann] back in March that we'd had a meeting with Manu," Nagelsmann said of the decision, admitting that it had been a blow for the Hoffenheim keeper but that he was still ready to help the team.

"My focus is on nominating the best three goalkeepers in the country and they are the best three," Nagelsmann said. "We called him and asked him if he wanted to play for Germany again, and he wanted to play at the tournament. His sporting ability was considered above all, but we also wanted to know whether he was going to keep playing or retiring," Nagelsmann said. "Everyone knows what kind of aura Manu has because of the experience he has and the titles he has won."

When pressed on his communication, Nagelsmann was open in his response.

"There are always things you can look back on and say you could have done better, but I have no guarantee that it will be received much better," Nagelsmann said. "Football is a daily business. Please understand that not every detail of my conversations with the players can be made public. I try to explain things thoroughly and keep people informed. Sometimes I’m not as successful as I’d like to be, and sometimes I am."

The other big news was the selection of teenager Lennart Karl (18). Karl has impressed for Bayern this season and also looked comfortable when making his Germany debut earlier this year. Felix Nmecha recovered from injury in time to make the squad, with Nagelsmann saying the midfielder had all the tools to become one of the best in his position in the world.

Germany's squad in full

Goalkeepers

• Manuel Neuer (40, Bayern Munich)
• Oliver Baumann (35, Hoffenheim)
• Alexander Nübel (29, Stuttgart)
• Jonas Urbig (22, Bayern Munich)*

*training goalkeeper

Defenders

• Jonathan Tah (30, Bayern Munich)
• Joshua Kimmich (c) (31, Bayern Munich)
• Nico Schlotterbeck (26, Borussia Dortmund)
• Antonio Rüdiger (33, Real Madrid)
• David Raum (28, RB Lepizig)
• Nathaniel Brown (22, Eintracht Frankfurt)
• Waldemar Anton (29, Borussia Dortmund)
• Malick Thiaw (24, Newcastle United)

Midfielders

• Pascal Gross (34, Brighton and Hove Albion)
• Leon Goretzka (31, Bayern Munich)
• Aleksandar Pavlovic (22, Bayern Munich)
• Felix Nmecha (25, Borussia Dortmund)
• Nadiem Amiri (29, Mainz)
• Angelo Stiller (25, Stuttgart)

Attackers

• Kai Havertz (26, Arsenal)
• Nick Woltemade (24, Newcastle United)
• Deniz Undav (29, Stuttgart)
• Jamal Musiala (23, Bayern Munich)
• Florian Wirtz (23, Liverpool)
• Lennart Karl (18, Bayern Munich)
• Jamie Leweling (25, Stuttgart)
• Leroy Sané (30, Galatasaray)
• Maximilian Beier (23, Borussia Dortmund)