"What a nightmare": the DFB player learned from the media that he had been omitted from the World Cup squad

Germany Press Conference

The DFB player learned of his World Cup snub via the media, with Germany set to compete in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

National coach Julian Nagelsmann revealed at the start of the DFB training camp ahead of the World Cup finals that one unpicked player had somehow known, even before his phone rang, that he would not be included in the 26-man squad.

At a press conference, Nagelsmann reiterated his stance on the squad-selection process. The 38-year-old had called every player in advance to explain that they were under consideration, and he also broke the news to the World Cup hopefuls who ultimately missed out.

The approach drew some criticism, as numerous names had already been leaked in the days leading up to last Thursday's announcement. "Of course, I could sit down, roll out a piece of paper and say, 'Right, these are the players.' That would, of course, prevent it from appearing in the media beforehand," said Nagelsmann. But he added that he "didn't care."

Germany Press Conference

Nagelsmann: "It was a tricky situation for the player after all."

He places greater value on "staying in touch with the players and explaining why things are the way they are. The right approach is to inform the players personally – whether the news is good or bad."

He added, "Normally the story breaks in the media only after the players are briefed. There was one exception: the news appeared before I could call him. That is a mess—above all for the player." Although he declined to name the omitted player, he stressed, "For the player, it was a mess."

He added, "I can't control what the media write, but I believe you should always speak to every player first."

He added that he does not care how other nations handle such situations, and the only real issue with his method is the leaking of information, although that did not personally bother him.

As an example, he cited Fiorentina defender Robin Gosens, who was not selected: "I rang him up and I think that's important too. He'll now be a TV pundit at the World Cup, and I think it's important to tell the players the reasons and to ensure we continue to work well together."

The German squad for the 2026 World Cup