Germany confirm 26-man squad: Nagelsmann makes Havertz, Musiala decisions before Switzerland, Ghana games

Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has named his 26-man squad ahead of friendly fixtures against Switzerland and Ghana during this month’s international break.

This will be the final time that Nagelsmann gets to assess his players in person before selecting his final squad at the end of May ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Die Mannschaft have already qualified for the tournament held in the United States, Canada and Mexico after finishing top of Group A with 15 points from six matches (W5 L1).

Ahead of their first friendly clash against Switzerland at St. Jakob Park in Basel on March 27, Nagelsmann has named a squad that includes two debutants and six returnees.

Goalkeeper Jonas Urbig and teenage winger Lennart Karl have both received their first senior call-up and are two of seven Bayern Munich players to be selected in Nagelsmann’s squad.

In the absence of Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 22-year-old Urbig will get the chance to battle with Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel for the No.1 jersey, though Baumann is set to remain the first-choice shot-stopper.

Eighteen-year-old winger Karl, meanwhile, has enjoyed a breakthrough season with Bayern this term, recording eight goals and six assists in 34 appearances for Vincent Kompany’s side, including a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League win at home to Atalanta BC.

Havertz returns to Germany squad, Musiala remains out

Elsewhere, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has made a welcome return to the Germany squad after recovering from a serious knee injury earlier this year, and he will be in contention to make his first international appearance since November 2024.

Antonio Rudiger, Josha Vagnoman, Anton Stach, Pascal Gross and Deniz Undav have also returned to Nagelsmann’s squad, but there is no place for Bayern star Jamal Musiala.

The 23-year-old midfielder have suffered a minor injury setback following his return to action from the serious leg break and dislocated ankle sustained during the FIFA Club World Cup last summer.

“He had a slight reaction. That’s normal, but it’s frustrating because he had been on a good path,” Nagelsmann told reporters when explaining Musiala’s absence from his latest squad.

“But we and Bayern share the same interest: that the player gets healthy again. I decided against taking him with us and letting him play through pain. That doesn’t help anyone. As always, I had a very good exchange with Vincent Kompany.”

Along with Musiala, Karim Adeyemi, Nadiem Amiri, Jonathan Burkardt and Said El Mala are among the high-profile names to be omitted from Nagelsmann’s squad, with a lack of game time for the latter at FC Koln denying him a chance to shine on the international stage.

Instead, the likes of Newcastle United duo Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, Borussia Dortmund’s pair Nico Schlotterbeck and Felix Nmecha, as well as Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz have all been included in the Germany squad.

After facing Switzerland, Germany will play host to Ghana at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart on March 30 in their second and final friendly fixture at the end of this month.

Germany’s 26-man squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel, Jonas Urbig

Defenders: Waldemar Anton, Nathanial Brown, Joshua Kimmich, David Raum, Antonio Rüdiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Malick Thiaw, Josha Vagnoman

Midfields: Pascal Gross, Leon Goretzka, Felix Nmecha, Aleksander Pavlovic, Anton Stach, Florian Wirtz

Attackers: Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz, Lennart Karl, Jamie Leweling, Leroy Sané, Kevin Schade, Deniz Undav, Nick Woltemade