Germany plays its first match of the FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup on Sunday against Curaçao. After group stage exits in 2018 and 2022, the 2014 world champions are eager to make amends and show progress since a promising display at the last EUROs.
Here’s how they might line up.
Predicted XI
- GK: Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern)
- LB: Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- CBs: Nico Schlotterbeck (BVB), Jonathan Tah (FC Bayern)
- RB: Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern)
- CMs: Aleksandar Pavlović (FC Bayern), Felix Nmecha (BVB)
- FWs: Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern), Leroy Sané (Galatasaray), Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
This is a team that actually largely picks itself. In part because there are so few options at some positions, in part because we know what head coach Julian Nagelsmann values — but he could always spring a few surprises. However,
close to a tournament it is important to have consistency, and barring further injury the same lineup as we saw versus the USMNT last weekend would be a good bet.
The most eyebrow raising change this month has been at left-back. We will shortly see if Nathaniel Brown has really surpassed David Raum in the pecking order or if the two will split time.
Germany in build-up
How the team is drawn up in a 4-2-3-1 does not really reflect how Nagelsmann likes to play, though, which is to flood the attacking zones while building from a solid chain of three at the back. As a right-back, Joshua Kimmich’s role should be part of that chain, but in games where Germany is on the front foot expect him to be enterprising in going forward to join the attack.
That leaves Bayern’s Aleksandar Pavlović as the single pivot, with the preferred left-back — which has long been RB Leipzig’s David Raum, but Bayern transfer target Nathaniel Brown has started both matches in June — joining the forward lines opposite the right wing.
It can be labeled a 3-1-6, looking something like this:
This configuration can leave the attacking zones congested but also lends itself to quick, short exchanges in the final third to carve out chances for the many options that can arrive on the ball to score — as exemplified in Leroy Sané’s excellently taken goal against the USA.
The risk, of course, comes in transition. With so many advanced players and even back-chain defenders like Kimmich prone to venturing deep into the final third, Germany can get hit over the top and quickly. The onus will be on wing players and midfielders working hard to track back when needed, the center-back pairing Tah and Schlotterbeck to stay disciplined, and for the attackers to avoid giving away possession cheaply in dangerous areas when on the ball.
The Kimmich question
Doubt springs eternal when it comes to Joshua Kimmich and the right-back position.
Philipp Lahm — Germany’s last great midfielder/right-back combo player — pointedly disagreed with the national team coach. According to Lahm, Kimmich should remain in midfield and thus preserve the Bayern spine of the team, with Borussia Dortmund central defender Waldemar Anton at right-back. After all, Germany once rolled out four center-backs across the back line and did just fine.
The problem is it is no longer 2014, and what worked in the past may fly no longer. Nagelsmann’s system needs more adventure from his back line. He has that with Kimmich on the right and the passing prowess of Nico Schlotterbeck on the left…though there is no doubt that Kimmich’s propensity to work himself into midfield-type positions requires some working around.
Striker questions
Not since the days of Miroslav Klose has the No. 9 position been settled at Germany. This year the question is: Deniz Undav or Kai Havertz? Or — why not both?
VfB Stuttgart man Deniz Undav cannot seem to stop scoring for the national team, but he cannot seem to get out of the super-sub role under Julian Nagelsmann either.
Why not both? The answer is that it might be too many No. 10s — even for Nagelsmann, a man who loves his half-space warriors. Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz are already No. 10s manning different positions across the front line. If Undav comes in, either he or Havertz will have to drop into attacking midfield, pushing Musiala to one of the wings. That could be an awkward fit, especially if it is on the right.
Wirtz has played on the left, though notably he has played on the right in the past to pair with Musiala at EURO 2024. But that was then — a veteran central attacking pivot in İlkay Gündoğan was manning the No. 10 role, Toni Kroos was quarterbacking from a deep-lying central midfield position that dropped down into the left side of a back three. And of course, for a critical game like the quarterfinals knockout versus Spain, Nagelsmann had opted to keep Wirtz on the bench in favor of a true winger (Leroy Sanè).
Still, depending on the matchup, we may end up seeing the all-10s attack again at some point in the tournament. If not, Havertz is the surer bet to start. The Arsenal man is hitting his stride and has always been appreciated by his coaches for his all-around ability and how he enables the team to play around him.
And what about Nick Woltemade? The 6’6 center-forward has fallen off the radar in the second half of the season at Newcastle, but presents an interesting profile as a striker/attacking midfielder dual threat. You’d think an aerial presence with sublime finishing ability, creativity, and dribbling would be just what the doctor ordered for Germany ten years ago, but Woltemade’s form is not making it look likely he will play a large role at the tournament.
Change-ups
Germany’s roster should not remain static throughout the tournament, and if the Germans are to make a deep run, rotation will be necessary.
The biggest point of intrigue may lay in central midfield, where Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha has grabbed on to a starting role but occupies the single position that could diversify Germany’s look the most. Nagelsmann has emphasized the wealth of options he has there, and with the composed passer Pavlović at the base, either a physical box-attacking Leon Goretzka or versatile veteran creator Pascal Groß could also pair well next to him.
In attacking midfield, Nagelsmann has called on Mainz’s Nadiem Amiri regularly to make an impact from the bench. He will be one to watch in case Germany’s starting central options fail to score.
Finally, RB Leipzig’s Assan Ouédraogo could be the wild card of the tournament. A late replacement for injured Bayern starlet Lennart Karl, Ouédraogo adds another attacking and central midfielder to an already crowded field — curiously, replacing an injured winger in the process. Nagelsmann looks to be emphasizing youth in this squad with a view to future tournaments as well. Could the 20-year-old figure into the rotation, or is he just here to get his feet wet? That the German coach did not call up a young wing option — such as Köln’s 19-year-old Said El Mala — instead of Karl, who looked set to play if not start, is very interesting.
Prognosis
The vibes are…weirdly good?
In the lead-up to the squad announcement and June friendlies, it was a strange aura surrounding the national team. Manuel Neuer was a touch-and-go topic, head coach Julian Nagelsmann was saying odd stuff, and generally there was not a lot of confidence to be had. The two June friendlies were uneven — a 4-0 win over Finland and a 2-1 win over the USMNT — and there was the devastation of the Lennart Karl injury news.
But that’s still two wins, and two games where Germany’s strikers showed up. The team is locked in and ready to go. Leon Goretzka has declared that the Germans want to ‘put things right’ after the last two World Cup outings — disastrous group stage exits both — and though they are decidedly not favorites, you get the sense that there is another feel-good tournament to unfold here.
Will it be enough to reach, say, the semifinals — at least? Don’t count them out.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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