Manuel Neuer came out of international retirement to be named in Germany's 26‑man squad for the 2026 World Cup and, Julian Nagelsmann said, will be the team's starting goalkeeper for the tournament.
The call-up puts a familiar face back between the posts: Neuer, a 40‑year‑old with 124 caps who won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and has played in four World Cups, was included alongside Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel as Germany's three goalkeepers. Germany are drawn in Group E and will open their campaign against Curacao on 14 June before games with the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Nagelsmann framed the selection as pragmatic. "Everyone knows the aura and quality Manu has, what he brings to a team," he said, and added plainly: "We're planning with him as our number one." He told reporters the coaching staff had judged the problem to be selecting "the country's three best goalkeepers for the World Cup," and that returning to Neuer followed a direct outreach: "That is why we decided to contact him and ask if he would like to play for the national team again."
The numbers underline why the decision matters. Neuer won his last of 124 caps in Germany's Euro 2024 quarter‑final defeat by Spain and later announced he was ending his international career; now he returns as a veteran centerpiece for a nation that has won the World Cup four times but shockingly exited at the group stage in both 2018 and 2022. Nagelsmann repeatedly pointed to qualities beyond measurable form: "I don't possess what Manu has; even Olli has less of it. He has a huge number of titles, an aura, and a massive reputation," he said.
Context for the U‑turn is straightforward. The idea was discussed at the start of 2026 after Marc‑Andre ter Stegen suffered another injury shortly after returning to action with FC Girona, Nagelsmann said, and the coaching staff needed clarity on Neuer's club future. "What is happening with his deal? Is he even going to keep playing? He decided relatively late that he would extend his contract with Bayern. For us, that was a prerequisite – we needed clarity on what his future holds." Neuer signed a contract extension with Bayern Munich until 2027 last Friday, clearing the path for the recall.
That clarity on commitment, though, sits alongside fresh fitness worries. Neuer missed four matches this season with muscle injuries, and he came off with left calf trouble in Bayern's 5‑1 win over 1. FC Köln, leaving him a doubt for Saturday's DFB Cup final against VfB Stuttgart. Nagelsmann acknowledged the trade‑off: "We can't be blind to that; we have to factor it in," he said, describing a selection that weighs reputation and leadership against fatigue and recent knocks.
The tension is stark. Neuer had publicly closed the international chapter after Euro 2024; the federation then reopened it because of an injured rival and because Bayern extended him. Germany have explicitly put experience at the centre of their plan, but the squad risks a high‑profile answer to past World Cup failures on the body of a 40‑year‑old who has missed matches this season.
There are goalkeeper headlines elsewhere in the game this week — Thun Fc host Young Boys with goalkeeper Nino Ziswiler sidelined, Fcsb had Matei Popa forced off after a collision, and Real Zaragoza’s Esteban Andrada was suspended after a stoppage‑time punch — but for Germany the immediate calendar is fixed: Neuer is expected to start as the planned number one, the World Cup kicks off for them on 14 June, and the decisive question now is simple and urgent — can his body hold up long enough for his aura to change a team that has repeatedly underperformed on football's biggest stage?
