Nagelsmann reveals: That was the most emotional World Cup call

Germany Announces FIFA World Cup 2026 Squad

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has revealed which phone call was the most emotional during the selection process for the German squad for the 2026 World Cup.

"Nadiem Amiri was already quite emotional because it was very late," replied Nagelsmann in the run-up to Saturday evening's DFB-Pokal final between FC Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, when asked a related question on ARD by the 1. FSV Mainz 05 midfielder.

"He found out at the very last minute and really hadn't expected to be included," explained Nagelsmann, recalling that he first met Amiri when the player was a youth at TSG Hoffenheim. "We celebrated the U19 championship together back then," the national team coach recalled, referring to the 2014 German U19 title they won together with Hoffenheim's youth team.

When Nagelsmann took charge of TSG's Bundesliga side in February 2016, he continued to coach Amiri for just under three and a half years, until both men moved on in 2019—Nagelsmann to RB Leipzig and Amiri to Bayer Leverkusen. "It's quite an emotional story. He was absolutely delighted to receive the news, even though it was late. That was really special," said Nagelsmann, commenting on the 29-year-old's World Cup call-up.

1. FSV Mainz 05 v Sport-Club Freiburg - Bundesliga

Nagelsmann has recalled Amiri to the DFB squad following a lengthy absence.

Amiri earned his first senior cap for Germany in October 2019 and remained a regular for just over a year. He then spent nearly four and a half years in the wilderness, going unpicked from November 2020 until March 2025, before Nagelsmann reinstated him.

Whenever fit, he has since been a regular in the squad, notably scoring as a substitute during the decisive 3-1 World Cup qualifier win over Northern Ireland in September last year. He sat out the October training camp and then missed the November and March internationals because of injury. With another strong campaign for Mainz 05, the Ludwigshafen-born midfielder has earned his place on the plane.

Nagelsmann plans to deploy Amiri as a super sub at the World Cup.

Nagelsmann is expected to use Amiri as a substitute at the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, a player capable of entering tight matches and, with his flair and dynamism, steering them in the right direction. When announcing his squad on Thursday, the Germany manager specifically highlighted his former Hoffenheim protégé for this role.

"He doesn't need a warm-up period; he's immediately at full intensity. Nadiem always plays with emotion, always wants to win, and if he plays for ten minutes, he gives it his all for ten minutes; if he plays for 90 minutes, then for 90 minutes. He'll begin on the bench, but he'll definitely get minutes," Nagelsmann explained. The coach also praised Amiri's goal-scoring form for Mainz and his "emotional intensity", which, when a game starts to fizzle out after the 70th minute, can reignite the team with positive aggression.

Preparations begin on Wednesday at the DFB Campus in Herzogenaurach. On 31 May, they will face Finland in their final warm-up match before travelling to the United States, where Germany will take on co-hosts the USA on 6 June. Nagelsmann's side then open their World Cup campaign on 14 June against tournament newcomers Curaçao, with Ivory Coast and Ecuador also in their group.

Germany v Northern Ireland - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier

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