Germany’s disappointment at the 2018 FIFA World Cup forced a change within the national team, with manager Joachim Low eventually opting to step away from the top job last year.
Hansi Flick has re-injected optimism into his squad ahead of the 2022 edition in Qatar, with Germany’s World Cup record making them among the favorites.
Despite dropping out at the group stages in Russia four years ago, Germany have been one of the most consistent national sides in World Cup history, with a triumph in 2014 alongside two semifinals and a runner-up spot since 2002.
With a balanced squad, including an experienced core, and some of Europe’s most exciting young players, Flick will be confident of repairing the damage of 2018, though a late injury to star forward Timo Werner will complicate things.
MORE: England vs. Germany result, highlights & analysis from 3-3 draw ahead of World Cup
ℹ️ Timo Werner suffered an ankle injury last night in the win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Scans today in Leipzig showed that he has unfortunately torn the syndesmosis ligament in his left ankle and will therefore be out for the rest of 2022. pic.twitter.com/tLLAfxb2op
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) November 3, 2022
Projected Germany World Cup squad 2022
Flick had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA, from which he will select a final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14.
That final list will not feature striker Timo Werner, who limped off in the 18th minute of a November 2 UEFA Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk. A day later it was revealed that he tore a ligament in his left ankle that will keep him sidelined for the rest of 2022.
It’s a tough blow to a Germany side already low on established international forwards. Chelsea’s Kai Havertz will likely shoulder the load with the injury potentially opening a spot on the roster for Werder Bremen center forward Niclas Fullkrug, who’s the Bundesliga top scorer but a very different type of striker.
Although Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is battling a shoulder injury — he’s been out since October 8 though he’s back in training — it’s not expected that the veteran will miss out on Qatar in what is likely to be his last World Cup.
The Germany preliminary roster was not released publicly, but German publication Bild reportedly obtained the list and released it on October 31. Below is the 44-player list, as reported by Bild.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Oliver Baumann | Hoffenheim (GER) | 32 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper | Bernd Leno | Fulham (ENG) | 30 | 9 |
| Goalkeeper | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich (GER) | 36 | 113 |
| Goalkeeper | Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona (SPA) | 30 | 30 |
| Goalkeeper | Kevin Trapp | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 32 | 6 |
| Defender | Armel Bella-Kotchap | Southampton (ENG) | 20 | 1 |
| Defender | Mattias Ginter | SC Freiburg (GER) | 28 | 46 |
| Defender | Robin Gosens | Inter Milan (ITA) | 28 | 14 |
| Defender | Christian Gunter | Freiburg (GER) | 29 | 6 |
| Defender | Benjamin Henrichs | RB Leipzig (GER) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Mats Hummels | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 33 | 76 |
| Defender | Thilo Kehrer | West Ham (ENG) | 26 | 22 |
| Defender | Lukas Klostermann | RB Leipzig (GER) | 26 | 18 |
| Defender | Robin Knoche | Union Berlin (GER) | 30 | 0 |
| Defender | Robin Koch | Leeds United (ENG) | 26 | 8 |
| Defender | Luca Netz | B. Monchengladbach (GER) | 19 | 0 |
| Defender | David Raum | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 11 |
| Defender | Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 54 |
| Defender | Nico Schlotterbeck | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 22 | 5 |
| Defender | Niklas Sule | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 27 | 42 |
| Defender | Jonathan Tah | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 26 | 16 |
| Midfielder | Maximilian Arnold | Wolfsburg (GER) | 28 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Julian Brandt | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 26 | 38 |
| Midfielder | Emre Can | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 28 | 37 |
| Midfielder | Julian Draxler | Benfica (POR) | 29 | 58 |
| Midfielder | Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich (GER) | 44 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Ilkay Gundogan | Manchester City (ENG) | 31 | 62 |
| Midfielder | Jonas Hofmann | B. Monchengladbach (GER) | 30 | 16 |
| Midfielder | Rani Khedira | Union Berlin (GER) | 28 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich (GER) | 27 | 70 |
| Midfielder | Christoph Kramer | B. Monchengladbach (GER) | 31 | 12 |
| Midfielder | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich (GER) | 19 | 17 |
| Midfielder | Marco Reus | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 33 | 48 |
| Midfielder | Anton Stach | Mainz (GER) | 23 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Julian Weigl | B. Monchengladbach (GER) | 27 | 6 |
| Midfielder | Florian Wirtz | Bayer Leverkusen(GER) | 19 | 4 |
| Forward | Karim Adeyemi | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 20 | 4 |
| Forward | Niclas Fullkrug | Werder Bremen (GER) | 29 | 0 |
| Forward | Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich (GER) | 27 | 36 |
| Forward | Kai Havertz | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 | 30 |
| Forward | Thomas Muller | Bayern Munich (GER) | 33 | 118 |
| Forward | Lukas Nmecha | Wolfsburg (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| Forward | Leroy Sane | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 47 |
| Forward | Timo Werner | RB Leipzig (GER) | 26 | 55 |
Final 26-man Germany World Cup roster
Germany face Oman in a pre-World Cup friendly in Muscat on November 16, however, Flick will have already revealed his final squad by then. Here’s a projected look at a plausible 26-man list, minus the injured Werner.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Marc Andre Ter Stegen | Barcelona (SPA) | 30 | 30 |
| Goalkeeper | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich (GER) | 36 | 113 |
| Goalkeeper | Kevin Trapp | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 32 | 6 |
| Defender | Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid (SPA) | 29 | 54 |
| Defender | Lukas Klostermann | RB Leipzig (GER) | 26 | 18 |
| Defender | Jonathan Tah | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 26 | 16 |
| Defender | David Raum | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 11 |
| Defender | Mattias Ginter | SC Freiburg (GER) | 28 | 46 |
| Defender | Thilo Kehrer | West Ham (ENG) | 26 | 22 |
| Defender | Niklas Sule | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 27 | 42 |
| Defender | Benjamin Henrichs | RB Leipzig (GER) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Robin Gosens | Inter Milan (ITA) | 28 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Marco Reus | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 33 | 48 |
| Midfielder | Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich (GER) | 44 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Julian Brandt | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 26 | 38 |
| Midfielder | Julian Draxler | Benfica (POR) | 29 | 58 |
| Midfielder | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich (GER) | 27 | 70 |
| Midfielder | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich (GER) | 19 | 17 |
| Midfielder | Jonas Hofmann | Borussia Monchengladbach (GER) | 30 | 16 |
| Midfielder | Ilkay Gundogan | Manchester City (ENG) | 31 | 62 |
| Forward | Karim Adeyemi | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 20 | 4 |
| Forward | Niclas Fullkrug | Werder Bremen (GER) | 29 | 0 |
| Forward | Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich (GER) | 27 | 36 |
| Forward | Kai Havertz | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 | 30 |
| Forward | Thomas Muller | Bayern Munich (GER) | 33 | 118 |
| Forward | Leroy Sane | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 47 |
Germany national team stars, strengths & weaknesses
Previous World Cup perceptions of Germany were shattered in Russia in 2018 when they bowed out at the group stage. Flick will be under some pressure to wipe that from the national footballing memory.
The likelihood is that of 2018 being a blip in Germany’s World Cup record, with a minimum of a semifinal appearance in every other edition since the turn of the century.
Flick has a reputation as one of the best young coaches in the international game, but a Round of 16 exit at Euro 2021 did not do him justice.
Stars
The Bayern Munich duo of Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller look set for their final World Cup, but it is their Bavarian teammates who could hold the key for Flick in Qatar.
Joshua Kimmich’s excellence as a midfield pivot is the basis on which Germany are built alongside the goals and creativity of Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane out wide.
Strengths
Antonio Rudiger will underpin the German defence as part of the Neuer-Kimmich-Muller spine and it will be an ability to control central areas that could be crucial for Flick.
Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan will partner Kimmich in midfield with Leon Goretzka also drafted in if Germany need an extra body in midfield.
Weaknesses
Flick is likely to rotate between Muller and Chelsea star Kai Havertz as a false No. 9 in Qatar, but despite their respective ability to score important goals, they do not have the potency of a Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski as a lead attacker.
Timo Werner had regained his form at RB Leipzig this season, but the torn ankle ligament injury picked up on November 2 ruled him out of the tournament.
Germany World Cup group
Germany travel to Qatar with a FIFA rank of No.12 and they will be confident of making it out of Group E.
Their second group game against Spain on November 27, looks to be Flick’s first major World Cup test, either side of facing Japan and Costa Rica.
World Cup Group E fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Germany vs. Japan | 8 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Wed, Nov. 23 | Spain vs. Costa Rica | 11 a.m. | Al Thumama |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Japan vs. Costa Rica | 5 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali |
| Sun, Nov. 27 | Spain vs. Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Japan vs. Spain | 2 p.m. | Khalifa Int’l |
| Thurs, Dec. 1 | Costa Rica vs. Germany | 2 p.m. | Al Bayt |
Germany vs. Japan squad, lineup
Despite missing the final round of UEFA Nations League games, captain Ter Stegen will return as first choice, as a key voice in Flick’s squad.
Rudiger will also come back in, to partner Niklas Sule in central defence, with attacking left-back Robin Gosens a possible option if Flick wants to start on the front foot.
Flick can do without Goretzka in the opening game, with an exciting Bayern inspired trio of Gnabry, Sane and Jamal Musiala, behind either Muller or Havertz.
Germany projected starting XI vs Japan
Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
Defenders: Thilo Kehrer — Niklas Sule — Antonio Rudiger — Robin Gosens
Midfielders: Joshua Kimmich — Ilkay Gundogan
Attacking Mids: Serge Gnabry — Jamal Musiala — Leroy Sane
Forward: Kai Havertz
Can Germany replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules, “a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.”
The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines “the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup” then the replacement will be allowed.
The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.
