Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann has named his 26-man squad ahead of next month’s UEFA Nations League semi-final tie against Portugal.
A total of seven senior stars have been recalled including Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has recently recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury after more than seven months on the sidelines.
Newly-crowned La Liga champions Ter Stegen takes the place of uncapped Stefan Ortega in Nagelsmann’s squad and will compete with Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel for the No.1 jersey.
In-demand Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz has also returned to the national team set-up along with Bayern Munich duo Aleksandar Pavlovic and Serge Gnabry, Borussia Dortmund pair Waldemar Anton and Felix Nmecha, and West Ham United’s Niclas Fullkrug.
Meanwhile, Hoffenheim midfielder Tom Bischof, 19, and Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade, 23, have received their first senior call-ups to the Germany squad.
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Bischof, Woltemade receive first Germany call-ups
Woltemade, who is set to play for Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final this weekend, was initially called up by Germany Under-21s coach Antonio Di Salvo on Wednesday for his provisional squad ahead of the European Championship next month, but he and Bischof have been rewarded with senior call-ups.
Bischof, who has not been capped by Germany above Under-20s level, joined Hoffenheim from Bayern this summer and he impressed on a consistent basis in the 2024-25 campaign, contributing with six goals and three assists across 39 games in the Bundesliga and Europa League.
Woltemade, meanwhile, has enjoyed the best scoring campaign of his career as a top-tier player, netting 16 goals in 32 games across all competitions including 12 strikes in 28 Bundesliga matches.
Nagelsmann’s 26-man squad also includes captain Joshua Kimmich who is in line to become the 14th Germany player in history to earn their 100th cap for the men’s national team.
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Musiala, Rudiger, Havertz omitted from Germany squad
Notable absentees from the Germany squad include Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger, who are not deemed fit enough to feature as they continue to recover from respective hamstring and knee injuries.
Nico Schlotterbeck and Tim Kleindienst both miss out after suffering season-ending injuries in the final few weeks of the Bundesliga campaign for Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively, while Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has also been omitted even though he has recently recovered from a hamstring problem.
Sharing his thoughts ahead of Germany’s clash with Portugal at the Allianz Arena on June 4, Nagelsmann told reporters: “If we are at our best, then we can beat Portugal and that is our aim.
“We cannot approach it with any less intensity than we did against Italy in the quarter-finals, because I think Portugal are a very strong team. We will throw everything at it in order to reach the final in Munich.”
After finishing top of League A Group C at the end of last year, Germany are bidding to win the Nations League for the first time since the tournament was founded in 2018, and victory over Portugal would see them face either Spain or France in the final.
Germany’s 26-man squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defenders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Yann Bisseck (Inter Milan), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz 05), Tom Bischof (Hoffenheim), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Robin Gosens (Fiorentina), Pascal Gross (Borussia Dortmund), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Niclas Fullkrug (West Ham United), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Stuttgart)
