Nagelsmann is delighted: "We've signed a world-class player."

Germany Announces FIFA World Cup 2026 Squad

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann is pleased that Felix Nmecha is getting back to full fitness in time. He has also postponed the deadline for announcing the World Cup squad partly because of the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.

Nagelsmann had initially planned to unveil his 26-man World Cup squad for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico on 12 May. He pushed the announcement back by nine days, and after finally revealing the party on Thursday, he once again set out his reasons for the delay.

Nagelsmann had initially planned to unveil his 26-man World Cup squad for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico on 12 May. He pushed the announcement back by nine days, and after revealing the party on Thursday, he reiterated his reasoning.

He explained that the extra time was intended to allow injured or struggling players to prove their fitness. He highlighted Gladbach striker Tim Kleindienst and BVB forward Felix Nmecha as examples: Kleindienst, sidelined for an extended period, has been left out, while Nmecha—recovered from a torn lateral ligament—has been included. Just under two weeks ago, he came off the bench against Eintracht Frankfurt and immediately impressed Nagelsmann.

Felix Nmecha

Nagelsmann on Nmecha: "We've already signed a world-class player."

The coach explained: "Felix worked hard and trained well during rehab. He rebuilt his muscle strength and gained exceptional stability in his knee – more than before. During his 20-minute run-out, his first action after nine weeks out was a sharp turn and a 40-metre burst of speed, and I thought: 'That's it—he's back.'"

Nmecha then confirmed this impression on the final matchday of the Bundesliga in Dortmund's 2-0 win at Werder Bremen: "In the last game, he worked his socks off for 90 minutes. He coped with that very well too." The 25-year-old is "a top player who has everything it takes to be one of the best midfielders in the world. He has so much talent, so much pace, so much dynamism. He's healthy, he's fit, he has no problems, and he'll help us enormously to play a good tournament."

Nagelsmann's conclusion is clear: "We already have a world-class player. Postponing his call-up was the right decision."

Since his senior debut in autumn 2023, Nmecha has featured in six matches for Germany, netting one goal. In the DFB midfield, he is competing with Aleksandar Pavlovic, Leon Goretzka (both FC Bayern), Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart) for one of the two available World Cup spots.

Germany's World Cup squad at a glance